Mauritian meat processor Ireland Blyth Ltd (IBL) has entered the East African processed meat products market through a partnership with Kampala-based Fresh Cuts Ltd, raising the stakes in a sector dominated by imported meat products.

IBL’s share in Fresh Cuts could not be immediately established.

The partners are expected to leverage IBL’s expertise to give Fresh Cuts a leg up as it expands into the export market.

Fresh Cuts chief executive Stephan Duyck said besides supporting the company’s expansion, the partnership will also improve the supply chain from farmers who provide the raw material, and bring in the technology to ensure efficiency in manufacturing for the anticipated large scale production.

IBL CEO Nicolas Maigrot said Uganda was the starting point for the company’s expansion into the rest of Africa.

“Fresh Cuts was the right fit for a partner because of the company’s core involvement in the food processing industry, the availability of a ready market in the region, as well as the good governance practised by the management of the company,” Mr Maigrot said.

Started in 1972, following the merger of two leading companies that had been trading in Mauritius since the early 19th century, Blyth Brothers and Ireland Fraser, IBL is one of the largest business groups in Mauritius.

The company was listed on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius in 1994, and has a turnover of 13 billion Mauritius rupees ($402 million).

IBL currently operates in retail, financial services, seafood and marine, logistics and engineering, and commerce.

Since its establishment in 2005, Fresh Cuts has played second fiddle to imported meat products, mainly from Kenya’s Farmers Choice and South Africa, both with retail chains in Uganda.

Despite imported beef, chicken, pork, cold cuts, and sausages being priced higher than local meats, Farmers Choice is preferred in the Ugandan market.