Est. 2018 · Zimbabwe
A modern African agro-processing company
Glytime Foods was founded in February 2018 by Lesly Marange — built on community, sustainability, and a refusal to compromise on what goes into a Zimbabwean family's kitchen.
Our Story
From Khami Prisons Camp to an African food brand
Our CEO and founder, Lesly Marange, grew up in Khami Prisons Camp in Bulawayo — the staff housing for the prison where his family lived and worked. A descendant of Chief Marange, he carried into his upbringing a strong sense of community, and a clear-eyed understanding that real progress means creating opportunities for other people, not just yourself.
He became the first student from his school to achieve an A in Food Science at A-level. That result took him to Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) to read a BSc in Food Science and Technology, then to the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) for an MSc in Strategic Management, and finally to Stanford University for further studies in Business Transformation.
Lesly came home with a clear plan: apply every lesson learned abroad to a Zimbabwean food company, made in Zimbabwe, for Zimbabweans — and built to lift the communities it sourced from. In February 2018 he began Glytime Foods as a home-based production, refining the recipes for what are still our signature products today: Oaties Cookies, Granola Cereal, and Vumba Mountain Pure Honey.
As demand grew, he invested in the company's first proper oven — the first of many scale-ups. Seven years later, we source from a network of over 500,000 people across five Zimbabwean value chains, partner with Care International and World Vision on community food projects, and are building a new manufacturing plant in MSASA. The standard hasn't changed: free of artificial additives, full of the best ingredients we can find from local producers and growers who do what they do best.
Everytime is Glytime. That's not a slogan — it's the promise.
Production Facility
Workington, Harare · MSASA plant under construction
By the numbers
Impact beyond the plate
500,000+
People in our network
Farmers, beekeepers, and ingredient partners across Zimbabwe whose livelihoods connect to Glytime.
2018
Founded in Zimbabwe
Started as a home-based production in February 2018 by Lesly Marange, our CEO and founder.
5
Value chains we source
Small grains, honey, oats, non-timber forest products, and heritage ingredients — all locally sourced.
80/20
Local to import target
Our 3–5 year supply chain strategy: 80% locally sourced, 20% imports — preparing for AfCFTA.
Our Vision
A modern African food brand, ready for AfCFTA
We're building toward a time when an 80/20 local-to-import supply chain is the norm for a Zimbabwean food company — and Glytime products sit comfortably on shelves across the Africa Continental Free Trade Area. The MSASA plant is the first step of that next decade.
Our Mission
Nutritious food that lifts the communities it comes from
We exist to make the finest, most nutritious food products possible — free of artificial additives, rooted in local ingredients, and built on a supply chain that genuinely improves the lives of the farmers and communities inside it.
Our Journey
Seven years of small decisions that added up — with more to come.
Founded from a home kitchen
In February 2018, Lesly Marange began Glytime Foods as a home-based production, refining recipes for Oaties Cookies, Granola Cereal, and Vumba Mountain Pure Honey.
First oven, first scale-up
As demand grew, Lesly invested in the company's first proper oven — the first step from kitchen project to recognised brand.
WhatsApp ordering launched
COVID lockdowns pushed us to open direct-to-customer WhatsApp ordering. It's since become our single biggest sales channel.
Takunda partnership
We partnered with Care International's Takunda project to develop community-based, enriched porridge formulations for Zimbabwean households.
Vumba Mountain & women-led apiaries
We formalised our honey sourcing from women-led apiaries in the Vumba Mountains — single-origin, ethically sourced, and reinvested in those communities.
World Vision collaboration
Began work with World Vision in Buhera district to strengthen local food systems, supporting Nyashana Agro-processing Investments alongside our own production.
500,000-farmer network milestone
Our supply network now impacts over half a million people across five Zimbabwean value chains — grains, honey, oats, heritage ingredients, and forest products.
MSASA plant & regional expansion
We're constructing a new manufacturing plant in MSASA, expanding our On-the-Go and Healthy Options lines, and preparing our supply chain for the Africa Continental Free Trade Area.
Lesly Marange
CEO & Founder, Glytime Foods
Meet our founder
Lesly Marange · CEO & Founder
Lesly grew up in the staff housing of Khami Prisons Camp in Bulawayo. A descendant of Chief Marange, he carries a heritage and a sense of community obligation that quietly shape every decision Glytime makes today.
He was the first learner from his school to achieve an A in Food Science at A-level. That result took him to Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) for a BSc in Food Science and Technology, to NUST for an MSc in Strategic Management, and to Stanford University for further studies in Business Transformation. Every degree now sits on the factory floor.
He came home in 2018 and started Glytime from a home kitchen with a clear plan: build a Zimbabwean food company that sources responsibly, formulates honestly, and reinvests in the communities it buys from — including the inmates of the prison he grew up in.
Lesly Marange · CEO & Founder
Impact Beyond the Plate
A supply chain and a set of partnerships designed to lift the communities we source from.
Khami Prison partnership
Our founder never forgot the role his childhood home at Khami Prisons Camp played in shaping him. Today we work directly with inmates on furniture, leather manufacturing, seedling nurseries, and music — supporting a meaningful transition away from the cycle of incarceration.
Smallholder farmer network
We source from over 500,000 people across five value chains: 300,900 in small grains, 120,000 in honey (including women-led apiaries), 70,000 in oats, 188,000 in non-timber forest products, and 1,000 in heritage ingredients.
School nutrition & youth sport
We supply vegetarian and vegan schools with plant-based protein — sausages, balls, and burgers — and sponsor school sports teams with equipment and uniforms. Healthy food and healthy movement, in the same communities.
Strategic partnerships
Partnerships with Care International (Takunda project) and World Vision (Buhera food systems) let us extend enriched porridge formulations and agro-processing capacity to rural communities we couldn't reach alone.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela · the principle behind our Khami Prison work