Astral Foods appoints Interim CFO
Henry Enslin takes over as interim chief financial officer following Dries Ferreira’s departure.
SOUTH AFRICA – Henry Enslin has been appointed interim chief financial officer at Astral Foods, a position he will hold until February, according to a regulatory filing.
Enslin currently manages the financial operations of Astral Foods’ poultry commercial division and previously served as financial director at Albany Bakeries, a subsidiary of Tiger Brands.
The appointment follows the resignation of Dries Ferreira, effective January 31, while the company’s permanent successor, Johan Geel, is scheduled to assume the role on March 1.
Geel currently serves as chief financial officer at AFGRI, another agrifood company in South Africa.
Astral Foods, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, reported group revenue of approximately US$1.32 billion for the year ending September 30, 2025, a 10.4 percent increase compared with the prior year.
The rise in revenue was mainly driven by stronger broiler production and higher average selling prices during the second half of the year.
Operating profit reached about US$72.8 million, up 10.9 percent from the previous year, which had been influenced by a significant insurance payout unrelated to core operations.
Excluding the prior year’s one-off insurance claim, underlying operating profit increased by 42.8 percent, reflecting improvements in production efficiency and cost management.
The company ended the period with cash reserves exceeding US$58.5 million, supported by a cash operating profit of roughly US$89.5 million and a working capital inflow of about US$16.1 million, primarily from the Poultry Division.
Capital expenditure grew by 20.9 percent to nearly US$19.7 million as Astral Foods continued investing in operational upgrades to maintain capacity.
Dividend payments resumed during the year, with a total distribution of approximately US$16.7 million to shareholders, including a final payout of US$0.52 per share.
The full-year dividend totaled around US$0.64 per share, more than double the previous financial year’s level.
Poultry Division Performance
The Poultry Division generated revenue of about US$1.10 billion, up 10.3 percent as supply and demand improved and average selling prices recovered after a deflationary period.
Weekly broiler slaughter reached an average of 5.8 million birds, compared with 5.4 million the previous year, while sales volumes rose by 7.9 percent, totaling roughly 38,749 tonnes.
The division recorded a full-year broiler margin of 1.5 percent, reversing a negative margin seen in the first half, though results remain sensitive to production costs and market fluctuations.
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