As first-hand experts in the food and drink industry, Moldon continues to actively involve itself in the market in order to gain brand exposure and build a reputation for quality and efficiency.
TAKING THE BRAND FORWARD
Changing needs across the food and drink industry have depicted Moldon’s business strategy over the years, shifting from a steady bottle collection service for one of the leading manufacturers of alcohol in Zimbabwe, to a one-stop shop for distributors and end users in the foodservice industry in the country with more than 5,000 product lines available. Taking on virtually every aspect of the industry over the course of the past four years, General Manager Karl Klein is proud to say that Moldon now has solid foundations from which to grow its market presence: “We have shown the courage to invest and are looking to take on board more brands and product lines to get the Moldon name out there through our marketing focus.
“The company is continually approached by organisations who want us to provide distribution services for them,” he says.
The bottle collection service turned into collection and delivery, and then through prospering relationships with the distilleries, Moldon began to import and distribute popular alcoholic beverages such as Savanna & Hunters. “We built up a portfolio of beverage products and decided to buy into the food industry as well, starting with Liberty Foods. Now, we work with some of the biggest international brands such as Unilever, Carte D’or, Knorr, Kelloggs, Tiger Brands and since 2014, Nestlé. Eventually, we took on every aspect from packaging to cleaning, glassware to kitchen essentials, to become a renowned multi-faceted and competitive player in the retail and wholesale industry.
“The liquor and beverage side of the business still remains the most dominant for us, and we see the food side as an enhancement to this,” explains Klein.
STRENGTHENING THE BRAND
For Moldon, it is all about making everything convenient for its customers and building the reputation of the brand. Consequently, the company heavily invested in improving its distribution last year to cope with orders in a more efficient manner. “As we increase our portfolio, distribution has to accelerate alongside this and other factors such as pricing and service efficiency also play a key role.
“This growth has seen our reputation in the retail industry grow tremendously,” he comments.
Accompanying this, Klein has a personal goal to increase company exposure by providing cold drinks in refrigerated units at outdoor events: “At the moment, there is no sure-fire way of keeping a drink ice cold here, and the public are crying out for this to become a reality. It is not good enough when you are paying a high price for a warm beverage that you waited in line for.
“This is where our cold room facilities come in; the drinks arrive at the event in a cold unit and will be served to customers at its very best,” he highlights.
Klein hopes that Moldon can become an events supplier with its own division dedicated to this value-added service, securing tremendous exposure for the company while simultaneously providing a better service for the customer.
GRABBING LOCAL ATTENTION
In addition to this, Moldon is in the process of setting up a showroom facility in Victoria Falls, one of Zimbabwe’s attractive business areas. “We will use this as an opportunity to show our distribution efficiencies as our products will travel around 850 kilometres from our base in Harare, while showcasing our product in one of the country’s thriving areas,” Klein states. Once success is established, he hopes to look for a suitable site in Bulawayo to replicate the showroom strategy, which has the potential to lead to the construction of a new facility. “Only time will tell,” Klein adds.
Much of Moldon’s business plan is dependent on the economy in Zimbabwe, therefore the company will closely watch its bottom line and continue to update its new website and social media platforms in the meantime. “Supported by the family culture that we instil in our staff, there is no doubt we have set the bar high in terms of our targets this year, but after exploring the ways to improve our brand recognition, I am confident things will go well for Moldon,” Klein concludes.
