Biltong & Bangers offers to buy ProNutro after PepsiCo discontinuation - IOL

ProNutro has been a familiar fixture on South African breakfast tables for decades.

South Africans who were not ready to say goodbye to ProNutro may have reason to hold off on the farewell.

Just days after PepsiCo confirmed it was pulling the 64-year-old cereal from the market, South African-founded Biltong & Bangers has offered to buy the brand and see if the original ProNutro can be made again.

And the company is not only after the name.

It wants the original recipe, intellectual property, production know-how and even the old machinery used to make the cereal.

“OK, PepsiCo, how much do you want?” Biltong & Bangers asked in a social media post announcing its interest.

The UK-based company, which has been selling South African food products since 2008, knows making cereal is a long way from its usual business.

But its proposal has already brought people out of the woodwork.

South Africans have offered expertise in manufacturing, instrumentation, sourcing and contracts, while others have asked whether they could invest if an attempt is made to resurrect ProNutro.

It is an unexpected turn for a brand that appeared to have reached the end of the road last week.

PepsiCo confirmed it was discontinuing ProNutro after failing to recreate the taste and texture consumers associated with the original cereal.

New Generation ProNutro had already faced months of criticism from customers who complained that it simply was not the product they had grown up with.

PepsiCo had said ageing infrastructure and unreliable manufacturing equipment were behind the production changes that ultimately led to the new version.

But the reaction showed just how attached South Africans were to the original.

Now Biltong & Bangers wants to know whether PepsiCo is willing to let somebody else have a go.

The company has publicly invited PepsiCo to contact it about a possible sale.

There is, however, still a long way between an offer on social media and ProNutro returning to supermarket shelves.