Our Services

At M&L Distributors, we specialise in the import, export, and cross-trade of a diverse range of commodities, serving multiple sectors across South Africa and beyond. With decades of collective industry experience, we understand the complexities of global and regional trade, and we are committed to delivering seamless, efficient, and reliable movement of goods. Our services are tailor-made to meet the unique requirements of each partner we work with. From strategic sourcing and supply chain coordination to finance solutions and end-to-end project management, we provide bespoke, flexible service models designed to support growth, minimise risk, and ensure long-term commercial success. We don’t simply supply products — we create streamlined, value-driven trade solutions.

Global Procurement Process

We have strategically located partner offices around the globe which allows us to deliver localised insight to our customers. Our trading team have many years’ experience in the trading of soft and hard commodities in various markets and categories. Our experience and deep knowledge of these commodity categories allow us to offer our customers competitive pricing and live market information which can guide their procurement decisions.

Accessing our extensive global best in field manufacturer database we select the best potential partners to work with. We manage full scorecard supplier audits and take ownership of the cost negotiations and all aspects of finding the correct products for the market.

Brand Partnership

M&L Distributors has a proven track record of launching and growing global brands in the South African retail trade since 1965. We are the proud custodians of a well diversified portfolio of leading global food brands with a focus on bringing the world’s best brands to the South African retail environment. We are one of South Africa’s leading privately owned and independent grocery importers and offer our branded partners a full service brand custodian and stewardship solution.

Our dedicated and passionate specialist branded team have many years experience with the sales, marketing and brand building of food brands in the categories of dry groceries, confectionary, beverages, biscuits, frozen, dairy and pet food.

Supply Chain Process

We offer full end-to-end control of the supply chain and provide support at every point of contact. From farm gate to final destination, our team manages the entire process, including logistics coordination and documentation flow, to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and transparency at every step.

By leveraging our industry knowledge, supplier relationships, and global network, we continuously optimise routes, reduce lead times, and enhance overall cost-effectiveness. Our goal is to streamline movement, minimise risk, and deliver consistent, dependable outcomes for our partners, no matter the scale or complexity of the project.

Finance

With a strong financially minded team we are able to provide stability to both our customers and manufacturers in terms of payment terms and incoterms required. We are well acquainted with a variety of financial instruments and offer flexible payment solutions in multiple currencies. We provide tailor made solutions to our stakeholders and manage the risk of all financial requirements throughout the supply chain.

In addition to our financial expertise, we place a strong emphasis on clarity, trust, and long-term partnership. We work closely with both suppliers and clients to ensure that every agreement is transparent, sustainable, and aligned with mutual objectives. Our team is proactive in identifying potential financial or logistical challenges early in the process, allowing us to safeguard margins, protect value, and maintain smooth continuity of trade. By combining sound financial management with attentive client service, we create an environment in which all stakeholders can operate confidently and focus on growth.

New Product Development

We access our extensive global database to find the most suitable manufacturing partner for the project. This deep understanding of product engineering and the development process allows us to be at the forefront of category innovation and provide category leadership ideas.

Beyond sourcing, we work collaboratively with manufacturers and clients to ensure that product development aligns with market needs, industry standards, and commercial objectives. Our hands-on approach means we closely monitor quality, performance, compliance, and scalability throughout the development cycle. By bridging technical expertise with real-world market insight, we are able to guide projects from concept to commercialisation with confidence, ensuring that every product we introduce is competitive, reliable, and built to create long-term value for our partners.

Quality Assurance

We have a Quality Assurance team who work with our global manufacturer base to ensure compliance with the highest quality standards. All manufacturers are pre-screened to ensure they meet and exceed the highest standards as demanded by ourselves and our customers.

We work hand in hand with the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS), South African Bureau of Standard (SABS), and Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) to ensure compliance with the regulatory framework for the importation of products into South Africa.

Retail Trade Management

We are skilled at the art of Retail Trade Management. We understand the language of the retail trade and offer the following value-added services which skills we have honed over 60 years:

Buyer negotiations
Category analysis and segmentation
Range optimisation
Merchandising and Sales analysis
We have a proven track record of building international as well as national and propriety brands in our market
We have an unrivalled history of private label / own label development in some of the largest categories at the largest retail chain