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May 16, 2019

Capwell Industries - Kenya

by Darren Parris, Group president, Milling & Grain

Being one of the largest countries in East Africa, with a capacity of more than 1.75 million tonnes, Kenya is one of the leading corn-milling countries in Sub-Sahara. With slightly more than 100 mills in Kenya the production capacity follows pareto’s principle in that the largest 19 mills, around 20 percent of all mill plants are producing around 80-to-90 percent of the total corn milled.

Kenya’s rapidly increasing population also means that their production rates for maize, rice and corn have also had to drastically increase to meet in-line with their consumption demands. Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa are considered the hubs of milling within Kenya and are the places that have become most subject to industrialisation.
 

Milling & Grain were very pleased to attend the 29th Annual IAOM MEA (International Association of Operative Millers, Middle East Africa) from 23-24th October 2018. On the evening of the 25th, we were even more pleased to have been invited by Mr Gorkem Alapala, Vice-Chairman of the Board for Alapala, to visit one of their completed mills.

Alapala
Alapala have a very rich and diverse history in machinery which all began in 1954, when Mr Mehmet Alapala began to produce the first wooden plansifter. By 1967, the plant began to utilise new-founded technologies and create more machinery for both flour and feed mills. Popularity soon proved how good Alapala’s products were, as they made their first international exports in 1981, to Yugoslavia.

Soon, Alapala were delivering turnkey projects around the world. In 1989 they had already completed construction of flour plants in both Italy and Jordan. By 1998, they were producing plants with capacities of over 500-tonnes of product a day. Alapala offices had been established around the world and the company were yet still only continuing to grow.

In recent years, Alapala’s innovative products have won many awards, such as Milling & Grain’s coveted GRAPAS Innovations Awards in 2015 for their Similago II, as well as the Reddot Product Design Prize and Good Design prizes in the US. They are in the top 1,000 companies in Turkey for gross export numbers and currently export to over 10 countries worldwide.

Now, Alapala have a state-of-the-art production facility that is only further attesting to their success. Built in 2017, the factory spans 50,000-square feet and even features robotic automation. Alapala’s quality service, economical solutions, expertise and innovation securely sets them as world leaders in the milling industry.

Visiting the Capwell Industries mill


Founded in 1999, Capwell Industries Ltd produce all varieties of rice, wheat flour and porridge for their consumers. Their most well-known product brands are Soko maize flour and Pearl Rice, both of which are recognised as premium-quality products in Africa.

Their products place a great emphasis on health and ensure to feed families with only the best, most nutritious and beneficial ingredients. They state themselves that their mission is to enhance the wellness of their customers through innovative products. Capwell products can be found throughout Africa at leading supermarkets, kiosks and mini outlets.

Capwell Industries’ expertise and commitment has also been proven by their recent HACPP accreditation, a certification that proves their dedication to producing safe food. Even with this great achievement now completed, Capwell Industries are only continuing to pursue the next level up in gaining the ISO 22000 standard for further evidence of their impressive food safety measures.

Mr Gorkem Alapala, Vice-Chairman of the Board for Alapala invited myself and 12 African millers to have an exclusive tour of the new Capwell Industries Mill.  Alapala managed to build Capwell Industries’ mill from foundation to complete mill in just under two years and the high-quality and attention to detail resonate throughout the building. The mill has the capacity to produce over 250-tonnes-per-day of flour and mill owner Mr Rajan Shah was clearly very impressed with Alapala’s build quality and machine   performance.

Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

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