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A food business backed by South African billionaire Johann Rupert is producing 227,000 jars of mayonnaise every day, highlighting the scale of one of the country’s most recognisable food brands.
RCL Foods, in which Rupert’s investment vehicle Remgro holds a 79.5 percent stake, produces the mayonnaise through Nola, one of its flagship consumer brands. The company disclosed the production figure in its 2026 annual fact sheet, which covers the financial year ended June 2026.
Nola has become one of RCL Foods’ most valuable brands, generating more than R1 billion in annual revenue. The company’s latest figures also show that Nola held a 41.5 percent volume share of South Africa’s mayonnaise market in the 12 months to June 2026, although that was down from 42.6 percent a year earlier.
The production scale means RCL Foods is making more than 9 million jars of mayonnaise in a typical 40-day period. Its broader food portfolio includes brands such as Sunbake, Selati, Pieman’s, Yum Yum, Bobtail, Ouma and Catmor.
Nola dates back to 1951 and has grown from its original edible-oil business into a broader range of mayonnaise, sandwich spreads and condiments. RCL Foods acquired the brand in 2013 through its purchase of Foodcorp, bringing Nola into one of South Africa’s largest food businesses.
The strong position of Nola comes despite a difficult year for RCL Foods. The company reported revenue of R24.5 billion for the year ended June 2026, down 4.1 percent, while underlying EBITDA fell to R2.18 billion from R2.39 billion a year earlier. Headline earnings per share declined 32.8 percent to 105.1 cents.
The decline was largely linked to weakness across parts of the group, particularly its Sugar division, as well as lower volumes and pricing pressure. RCL Foods said its Culinary business, which includes Nola, remained focused on protecting its leading brands through continued marketing investment.
Nola was one of three brands in the Culinary segment to maintain market share and category leadership during the year. While overall Culinary volumes declined 2.9 percent, the dressings category, anchored by Nola, recorded volume growth.
For Rupert, the performance adds to the exposure his investment empire has to South Africa’s consumer economy. Remgro, the investment company he chairs and controls, holds interests across food, healthcare, financial services and infrastructure, while his wider fortune is dominated by his stake in luxury-goods group Richemont, the owner of Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels.
Rupert remains one of Africa’s wealthiest businessmen, with Forbes valuing his fortune at $17.4 billion in August. His wealth has been driven largely by the performance of Richemont, although Remgro provides him with substantial exposure to South African businesses including RCL Foods.
The latest figures show that while RCL Foods is navigating pressure across some of its businesses, Nola remains a major consumer brand, with hundreds of thousands of jars leaving its production lines every day.
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