Providing a food service solution (FSS) to clients in remote locations is one of the trickier business undertakings that Seapride Foods has had to sort out for the Namibian market, especially along the Zambezi panhandle with its river frontage of almost 130 kilometres from Katima Mulilo to Kasane.Getting choice consumables such as good food and wine to top-end tourists visiting luxury lodges along the Zambezi means the domestic distributor has to figure out how to deal with interesting terrain challenges.Apart from off-road delivery vehicles, some of which are six-wheelers, the company has invested in a specially designed river barge rigged with up to six freezers and the necessary generators to keep reefer goods chilled.Says Terry Pieterse, retail general manager for Seapride in Windhoek: “We take a load up there every Monday, cross-dock at the depot in Katima Mulilo, and by Tuesday we have the barge loaded and ready for its cruise along the river.”Design specifications of the barge, says Pieterse, ensure that cargo is evenly distributed to avoid any weight-displacement issues as supplies are off loaded during the journey.“It takes a couple of days to make all the necessary steps on the way to Kasane, and by Friday or Saturday the barge is back in Katima.”Talking about other terrain- and weather-related issues, Pieterse says it’s sometimes very challenging, “but that’s almost the most exciting part of what we do.“In the summer season it can be particularly difficult to get to certain places. Thick sand means ordinary trucks can easily get stuck, so we use 4x4s to make sure we deliver within our agreed-upon time frame of once every week.”Pieterse says FSS is something she had to master when she was still working in Gaborone and was responsible for keeping supplies f lowing to clients in the Okavango Delta.“We had to look at a basket of possible goods and decide what could go and what not. For example, we could easily source retail stock like Christmas decorations and stationery and get to spots in the Delta, but fresh fruit was a different matter altogether.“We looked at it anyway, and in many instances managed to find an FSS for some of our clients. You can’t say to a client it’s not possible. You have to see what you can do to deliver simply anywhere.”
