From a student digs kitchen in Stellenbosch, to a majority investment from PSG Group, ButtaNutt’s growth story is one of calculated risk and local focus. Founded in 2013, the business started with a single product: macadamia nut butter. Today, ButtaNutt is one of South Africa’s leading plant-based milk brands, with expansion into plant-based milks since 2020 and with consecutive triple-digit growth to match.
That growth, coupled with a bold move to cut plant-based milk prices by 25% during a high inflation period, has positioned ButtaNutt as a serious challenger in a category still in its infancy locally. Plant- based milk currently makes up an estimated 1.5% of dairy consumption in South Africa, but is growing steadily as consumers shift towards more health-conscious and environmentally friendly choices.
For founder and CEO, Antoine van Heerden, scaling a niche category hasn’t come easy. “From access to capital, a talent pipeline, and needing to strike a balance between a high-quality product and affordability – the learnings have come thick and fast,” he says.
Here, he shares five lessons from building a South African food brand at scale:
- Purpose before product leads to production wins
Having a clear vision for the future ButtaNutt brand from the start has been a powerful inspiration and motivator for growth.
“What began as a student project was always rooted in something bigger,” says van Heerden, whose family background in macadamia farming shaped the brand early on.
“We are not just selling products. We are building a brand that supports local agriculture, better nutrition, and long-term sustainability. That clarity of purpose carries through everything we do, and customers feel it.”
- Build a brand you actually believe in
For van Heerden, credibility comes from use, not slogans.
“We drink our own milk every morning. If it’s not good enough for our kitchen table, it doesn’t go on the shelf,” he says. That daily test shapes everything from ingredient sourcing to packaging decisions and keeps product development grounded in real-world performance rather than claims.
- Risk vs. reward is carefully balanced
While risks need to be calculated, they also require a leap of faith – which can pay off.
“A defining moment came with the commissioning of our purpose-built plant-based UHT Milks facility, a three-year investment process that enabled us to significantly reduce prices. We decreased our 1L milk prices by 25% during a tough inflationary period. It was a close-our-eyes-and-jump moment for the brand, but it allowed us to make plant-based products more accessible at a time when consumers needed it most,” explains van Heerden.
- Use partnerships to shift the market
For van Heerden, tapping into partnership networks is critical for scale. He points to the example of ButtaNutt’s partnership with local coffee shops and café chains, where consumers were being charged a significant premium for imported plant-based milk alternatives.
“Our relationships in the coffee shop sector have supported the effort to reset the plant-based surcharge in the café environment. There is no longer any justification to serve imported products and charge a R10 surcharge for the swap. We have fantastic partners who have already reset their pricing, highlighted by Kauai, who have a permanent free-swap-out, but we still have a way to go,” says van Heerden.
- Global expansion must be underpinned by local roots and heritage
Despite having a strong export market in Mauritius and setting up a UK operation to explore offshore opportunities, van Heerden believes that staying true to your beginnings as you scale is crucial for sustained growth.
“Despite offshore growth objectives, we are proudly South African, and we see immense potential here. Our primary focus will always remain on the South African consumer. Anything abroad is secondary to that.”
ButtaNutt will continue to prioritise South African consumers as it scales. With the Paarl facility now at full capacity and products listed in more than 1 500 stores nationwide, the next phase centres on deepening local nut supply chains, expanding the affordable milk range, and supporting café partners to remove the plant-based surcharge.
