Full Text: Colcom Blames New Machinery For Very Little Meat In It’s Pies
6 years agoWed, 04 Jul 2018 12:49:27 GMT
Colcom Zimbabwe issued a statement on their official Facebook page basically blaming new machinery for producing pies with very little meat.
Colcom said the machine which was commissioned in 2015 to replace its old machinery does not produce pies similar to those manufactured by the old machinery. They also said the move to produce a smaller pie was motivated by customers who were asking for an affordable pie. They said production has since trebled after the upgrade. Part of the press statement reads:
In August 2015 Colcom commissioned a new, largely automated plant to replace its previous aged and inefficient plant to increase production capacity required to meet the increase in demand. While it was anticipated that the new plant would be able to produce similar pies, in practice this was found not to be the case. At the same time, we were increasingly conscious that a large proportion of our customers were asking for a more affordable pie. In order to achieve this, the plant was designed to produce a 100-gram pie, which at that time retailed at 39 cents to replace the previous 120-gram pie which retailed at 60 cents. (The current retail price for Colcom’s 100-gram pies, three years later, is 50 cents).
Below is the full press statement:
We are naturally very concerned by the complaints and criticisms that Colcom’s pies are “not what they used to be”. Whilst this is true, we would like to clarify the changes that have been made, and the reasons therefore.In August 2015 Colcom commissioned a new, largely automated plant to replace its previous aged and inefficient plant to increase production capacity required to meet the increase in demand. While it was anticipated that the new plant would be able to produce similar pies, in practice this was found not to be the case. At the same time, we were increasingly conscious that a large proportion of our customers were asking for a more affordable pie. In order to achieve this, the plant was designed to produce a 100-gram pie, which at that time retailed at 39 cents to replace the previous 120-gram pie which retailed at 60 cents. (The current retail price for Colcom’s 100-gram pies, three years later, is 50 cents).It is important to note that we have trebled production to meet the substantial and growing demand for our pies. This would not have been possible if we had not upgraded our pie manufacturing facility.We have listened to our customers and are well aware that there is a segment of our pie customers who would like to see the return of the “original” Colcom pies. Whilst maintaining the original Colcom pie has been the objective since the commissioning of the new pie plant, and we have committed significant resources to achieve this result including seeking the assistance of international technical experts, it has until now not been possible to replicate all aspects of that product.Our technical team is working on plans for alternative means of producing a pie that includes the aspects of the “original” Colcom pie that at present we cannot reproduce. The work to achieve this result is ongoing but the process will take time.We take this opportunity to advise that any and all feedback from customers is logged and addressed directly and we encourage any queries or complaints to be directed to our central platform at customercare@colcom.co.zwColcom provides an extensive range of fresh and processed meat products and we most sincerely thank all our customers for your greatly valued support.