21 May 2026

Following the launch of its new product, Ethyl Maltol flavour enhancer, F&G Botswana intends to expand beyond boarders and targets the Southern African Development Community (SADC) market.  

Ethyl Maltol flavour enhancer, a small ingredient that stimulates taste and texture in various foods has been launched recently in Francistown by F&G Botswana in collaboration with Botswana Trade Investment (BITC).

The product is said to be a safe flavour that enhance sweetness, deepen caramel notes and lifts flavour in products ranging from bread, cakes, biscuits, sausages, fried chicken, canned food, ice cream and soft drinks.

The director of F&G Botswana, Mr Steven Zhu confirmed in an interview on Tuesday that they had to sell the product to SADC market citing countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Angola and South Africa.

“Since Botswana is in the heart of SADC and serving as a strategic hub, we believe this can help us secure lucrative markets in the region,” he added.

Moreover, Mr Zhu emphasised that the introduction of the product would also offer more benefits as more sales meant the governments would attract tax as well as stimulates job creation and eventually improve livelihoods. 

Though new in Africa but popular in Asia, America and Europe, the product highly target food industry.  He described it as a game changer as it enhanced the taste of the food citing that “when you add ethyl maltol, the food becomes more delicious fresher and also increase shelf life as in bakeries and food becomes softer”.

Mr Zhu highlighted that, the product allowed manufacturers to upgrade product quality without overhauling existing processes. He noted that adoption of this product, would lead to growth as food and beverage companies sought cost-effective ways to meet consumer expectations for taste and consistency.

 Mr Zhu highlighted that the product would mark a new step for food and beverage manufacturing in the region, adding that it would also address key needs for taste, texture, and shelf life across the food industry in the region. ENDS