Roff Milling

In Sub-Saharan Africa, maize is a life-giving source of sustenance. Not only is it a cornerstone of nutrition but also a powerful lever when it comes to economic development in both the private and public sectors. Put simply, maize has the ability to energize people, grow businesses, develop communities and help transform countries.

However, the widespread perception of maize milling has traditionally not been one of affordability or ease when it comes to the operational infrastructure required. Furthermore, it is also associated with ‘farming and agriculture’ amongst younger demographics and therefore not deemed aspirational as a career path.

Sub-Saharan Africa has the space and climate to grow maize in abundance. The challenge was in inspiring more people to believe in milling as not only being accessible but also smart, savvy and sustainable. Acknowledging the gravitas of this simple insight led to a cohesive strategy aimed at simplifying the value proposition. We humanized the brand by adding more colour and warmth to the milling machines themselves, and making the end users – the customers, their dreams, businesses and livelihoods – the real heroes of the story.

Roff Milling has been in the maize milling business for almost 30 years. Still, as an industrial brand, it lacked a deeper connection with its audience.

Our challenge was to look at how we could connect functional machines on an emotional level to a perceived disconnected audience – maize millers in rural Africa.