The ManicaPost
Liberty Dube, Business Correspondent
WELL-KNOWN Manicaland businessman and shareholder of Associated Foods Zimbabwe (Pvt) Limited (AFZ) Mr Robin Francis Haden Tebb died last week in South Africa after a long battle with cancer.
AFZ is a major player in the production of various edible products from jams to peanut butter.
Born in 1943, Mr Tebb went to Mutare Boys’ High School during the period 1956 to 1961 where he excelled in athletics.
After his national service he went to United Kingdom in 1964, where he did a year’s training with Frank Coopers – famous to this day for its Oxford marmalade.
On his return in 1966, Rob assisted in commercialising and expanding the family business “Border Streams” till 1985 when his parents retired and sold the business and brand to Cairns Foods.
He became the general manager of Cairns Foods Canning division for eight years until 1993 when he retired and went back to the family property in the Vumba to restart the family business under the new name Honeywood Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd.
On hearing that Mr Tebb had restarted his canning business under the new name Honeywood, Heinz, approached him and negotiated for a partnership for the production of canned fruit, jams and marmalades. Mr Tebb accepted the partnership offer.
After Heinz withdrew from Zimbabwe in 2002, the Farmgold brand was born.
In 2016 the merger between Honeywood Enterprises, then producing under the brand name of Farmgold, merged with Spread Valley, famous for their peanut butter under the brand name of “Mama’s”.
AFZ described the late Tebb, fondly known as Rob, as “a meticulous and astute leader, visionary and strategist par excellence”.
