How a farm became a dairy and grew wings
Twizza founder and owner Ken Clark is ready to step into a new role
Ken Clark, founder and owner of Twizza Soft Drinks and Crickley Dairy, has handed over the day-to-day operations of both businesses, which employ over 1,000 people, to his son Lisle, but says he is a long way off retirement.
“I am not retiring, I am still having too much fun. And besides, our aim is to double the size of the organisation in the next few years. My new role is executive chair, looking at new opportunities.
“Aside from vertical and integrated expansion, we could look outside the traditional businesses; perhaps information technology.”
Clark said he has never been focused solely on making money, but rather job satisfaction.
However, while staying happy, he and his team also managed an expansion programme resulting in factories in Komani, where Clark is based, Middelburg, Mpumalanga and Cape Town.
Twizza is sold throughout South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique.
Clark, schooled at Queen’s College in Komani, grew up on a farm in the Dordrecht area. After leaving school, and before compulsory military service, he completed a course in repairing agricultural machinery.
“I bought my own dairy farm and started milk production, but as my small dairy business grew, I found my own herd was only contributing 10% of our volume. I got rid of the farm and concentrated on dairy products. I sold throughout the area and further afield. I started small, launched the Crickley Dairy brand, and added fruit juices. Demand grew and I established a factory in Komani.”
Clark’s next venture was Twizza Soft Drinks. The milk bottling process was, he realised, similar to bottling any other liquid. He explored the carbonated soft drinks option, researched the industry, then travelled to Europe to look for affordable equipment.
“In 2002, a Polish company met our price and quality specifications. We purchased a bottling line in 2002 and another a year later. By 2008, a solid sales and marketing campaign had lifted demand and we put in a third line, with a greater capacity. It enabled us to expand our footprint.”
Twizza was starting to challenge the national brands and in 2011, Clark built a plant in Middelburg, now the group’s largest producer. Demand continued to soar, and in 2015 the third Twizza plant opened in Cape Town.
“Coca-Cola was by far the number one brand but that opened up a niche market for an affordable brand, one of high quality, which Twizza is.
“In the early days selling was tough.”
Clark’s greatest challenge in the early days was capital. He became an expert on cost-cutting without impacting on quality and delivery. His technical aptitude helped as he was able to build and install most of the dairy equipment.
“My philosophy was always to pay off loans used to acquire assets as quickly as I could, then use the revenue to buy more equipment.
“It was tough and the company battled, but I was used to not needing instant gratification. We worked hard.”
Clark said he was never tempted to take in partners. “This is a family business. However, it is not an exaggeration to say there were offers from hundreds of potential buyers.
“I have been really lucky to have been involved, and I still am, in a great business.
“People ask what I did differently. Two main things: setting up businesses in towns out the mainstream and using my aircraft to fly there.
“Komani and Middelburg saved me a fortune in development costs, and flying thousands of hours normally spent on the road or in airports.
“My wife and I are both pilots, as are two of my four sons.”
Flying saved me thousands of hours. My wife and I are pilots, as are two of my four sons