Albany Kota Festival tour boosts job creation in informal sector
The Kota Festival Tour, an event launched exclusively in Gauteng in 2023, recently announced it will be expanding nationwide in 2025 with a three-year sponsorship from Tiger Brands’ leading premium bread brand, Albany. As the official title sponsor, Albany will support 24 events across South Africa over the next three years, bringing together a dynamic mix of food lovers, cultural enthusiasts, and local businesses.
The event is a significant township economy initiative that will support the employment of more than 2 000 individuals in the country’s informal market.
Along with creating jobs, Tiger Brands, through its Enterprise and Supplier Development support structure, will provide business skills training to the organisers of the Kota Festival Tour, as well as the vendors participating in the festival. This support is designed to enhance business acumen, empowering those operating in the informal market to grow into profitable and sustainable enterprises.
The Kota Festival Tour, an event launched exclusively in Gauteng in 2023, is the first of its kind in the market. Through Albany’s sponsorship commitment, the festival is set to expand nationwide, bringing its vibrant celebration to provinces across South Africa.
Albany recently refreshed its brand positioning to resonate with real South Africans in everyday situations.
“Albany is all about authenticity. We celebrate the single mom, the young single guy, and everyday South Africans working hard to make a life for themselves—people whose lives may not be picture-perfect but who trust Albany to deliver real, wholesome meals. These meals might not always look perfect, but they’re always delicious and fulfilling,” said Lorraine de Graaff, Marketing Director at Albany.
Tiger Brands has been strengthening its presence in the local informal trade, aiming to increase brand availability across 130 000 outlets, including spaza shops, mini-superettes, superettes, and small- to medium-sized wholesalers. Since implementing its targeted route-to-market strategy, the company has successfully boosted its presence and visibility in more than 90 000 stores to date.
The thriving informal sector of South Africa's local economy presents a significant growth opportunity for Tiger Brands, enabling the company to provide consumers with trusted, high-quality, and affordable products.
The Kota Festival Tour provides the business with another opportunity to recognise the importance of this key sector of the economy, while reaffirming its commitment to supporting job creation and empowering the people within these communities.
In a demonstration of cross-brand collaboration to enhance its offering at the Kota Festival Tour, Albany has partnered with All Gold, South Africa’s number-one Tomato Sauce.
“For more than 100 years, All Gold has been enjoyed by South Africans and beyond the country’s borders because it is crammed full of goodness. No kota is complete without All Gold Tomato Sauce for a great taste experience,” said Angel Musoni, Marketing Director, All Gold.
https://kotafestival.com/kota25/
· Eastrand, JHB - 01 March 2025
· Newtown, JHB - 05 April 2025
· Nelspruit, Mpumalanga - 03 May 2025
· Ethekwini, KZN – 31 May 2025
· Vaal - 30 August 2025
· Cape Town - 06 September 2025
· Newtown, JHB - 04 October 2025
· Bloemfontein, Free State - 25 October 2025
· Lesotho – 01 November 2025
· Pretoria – 29 November 2025
Saturday Star