01 Dec 2025 Lucky Star expands noodle range after pilot success
Lucky Star, part of Oceana Group, is rolling out its two-minute noodle line nationally after a successful pilot with Boxer stores….
The brand, best known for its canned pilchards, sees noodles as a natural fit in its customers’ shopping baskets.
For now, production remains outsourced to a third-party manufacturer. However, CEO Neville Brink confirmed Oceana’s long-term ambition is to own the full value chain — whether by building a factory, acquiring one, or entering a strategic partnership.
Initially launched with two flavours, Lucky Star noodles now come in four variants, including seafood options. Brink noted that strong brand recognition has helped the product gain traction in a competitive category dominated by global names like Nestlé’s Maggi, alongside numerous private-label offerings.
Strong performance in canned meat
Beyond noodles, Lucky Star is also making headway in canned meat. Products such as chicken livers and corned beef have doubled production volumes, allowing the brand to challenge RFG’s Bull Brand.
Brink acknowledged that Lucky Star’s growth has contributed to pressure on RFG’s meat division, which recently reported a significant writedown.
Oceana is considering further diversification under the Lucky Star brand, with potential extensions into snacks, spices, and sauces. The strategy is simple: identify everyday items in a consumer’s basket that can be converted into Lucky Star-branded products.
Other aspects of Oceana’s performance
While Lucky Star delivered solid growth — volumes up 2% and operating profit rising 9.3% to R468-million — Oceana’s overall results were weighed down by global fish oil price declines. The US-based Daybrook operations saw profits more than halve, forcing Oceana to cut its dividend by 42%.
African operations, including South Africa, posted a 58% increase in operating profit, while the wild-caught seafood division rebounded strongly, driven by record hake catches and improved horse mackerel performance.
Analysts believe Oceana’s share price already reflects the downturn in US fish oil profits. With Peru’s anchovy catch allocation lower than expected, tighter global supply could support a recovery in fishmeal and fish oil prices in the months ahead.
Source: News24.com