Company Profile

Hippo Valley Estates is an agriculture and agro-processing business, focusing on sugarcane farming, milling, sugar packing and distribution and cattle ranching operations.

The business is based in the South Eastern Lowveld of Zimbabwe. Hippo Valley Estates Ltd is listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange and is a subsidiary of Tongaat Hulett Ltd, which is listed on the JSE.

In partnering with key stakeholders, we’ve created mutually beneficial relationships for our shareholders, government, private farmers and their representative bodies, communities, employees, as well as the people impacted by our company’s operations.

Our Aims

• To create value for all stakeholders through an all-inclusive approach to growth and development, through ongoing engagement with governments and society.
• To benefit from evolving dynamics of global sugar markets, and of renewable electricity and ethanol production in Zimbabwe.
• To be considered the developmental partner of choice for the Government in growing its agricultural sector.

Hippo Valley Estates was formed as a citrus estate way back in 1956. We’ve had a primary listing on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange since 1964.

Our Operations

The company’s operations mainly comprises of:

• Sugarcane farming
• Sugarcane milling
• Game and Livestock farming

Sugarcane Farming

The South Eastern Lowveld in Zimbabwe, with excellent topography, soils, climate and established water storage and conveyance infrastructure for irrigation, is recognised as a globally competitive producer of high quality sugar. The company farms some 12 000 hectares of sugarcane, with the sister company, Triangle Ltd, farming a further 14 986 hectares, whilst 1 100 private farmers operate 20 414 hectares supplying cane to the two mills at Hippo Valley and Triangle.

Sugarcane Milling

The Hippo and Triangle mills have a combined installed milling capacity to process about 5 million tons of cane per year, producing 600 000 tons of raw sugar.

Employment Creation

• With about 14 772 employees the sugar industry is the largest private sector employer in Zimbabwe.
• Through the Lowveld Sugarcane Development Trust, the company is developing some 4 000ha of virgin land to sugarcane, creating an additional 2 000 jobs in the process.
• The company runs a national apprenticeship training programme and an in-house graduate internship programme for various disciplines, of which 50% are women.

Contribution to National Economy

• The company is a significant contributor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product and the fiscus through the payment of corporate and PAYE taxes.
• The company earns the country significant amounts of foreign currency annually from sugar exports.