Hallo Group

About us

The commercial partner for South African SME brands.

We run the commercial function for small and medium-sized brands, from listing to sales to replenishment orders, and help build businesses that last, create jobs and drive economic change.

Why we exist

Over many years in corporate FMCG, we kept meeting small businesses with great products that couldn't get onto the shelf, or couldn't stay there. They weren't short of effort. They were short of time and commercial experience: someone to plan the market entry, win the listings and manage the accounts once they were in.

Hallo Group does that work for them, from the first market entry plan to the next replenishment order. We work across formal and informal retail and wholesale, in South Africa and the wider SADC region.

  • CompanyHallo Group (Pty) Ltd
  • Registration number2024/202529/07
  • Based inMidrand, Gauteng
  • Ownership100% black-owned
  • B-BBEELevel 1 contributor
  • DirectorsPeane Maponyane and Zweli Mahlangu

Our team

Peane Maponyane

Peane Maponyane

Founder and Director, Strategy

Peane is a commercial and marketing leader who has grown brands across FMCG, pharmaceuticals, non-profits and SMEs since 2009, in South Africa and five other African markets. He has managed brands from cold and flu remedies to the maize meal on millions of South African tables, set national pricing strategies, launched new products and built route-to-market models for new countries.

Before founding Hallo Group, he was Commercial Marketing Manager for Plush Professional Leather Care at Adcock Ingram Healthcare, Head of Marketing at Population Services International (PSI), Senior Brand Manager at Premier FMCG and Brand Manager at Adcock Ingram Healthcare. He studied Marketing Management at Tshwane University of Technology and Digital Marketing at the University of Cape Town.

At Hallo Group he leads market entry and marketing strategy: business strategy, category assessments, consumer understanding and target audiences, brand positioning, channel and customer plans, pricing, innovation funnels and five-year growth plans.

  • 17 yearsin marketing and commercial leadership
  • R1.3bn to R3bnmaize portfolio growth in four years
  • +32% revenueat PSI, with trade spend cut from 53% to 35%
  • 6 African marketsSouth Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zambia and the DRC
Zweli Mahlangu

Zweli Mahlangu

Director, Customer and Trade

Zweli is a commercial and business development leader with 17 years in FMCG sales, from sales rep to leading the sales function. He built his career at multinationals SABMiller and GSK, moving from trainee account manager to national key accounts.

As Head of Sales at PSI Social Enterprise South Africa, he changed how the business traded with national chains including Pick n Pay, Spar, Dis-Chem and Clicks, and built the sales models behind its retail and pharmacy distribution. He also led route-to-market strategy in Eswatini and Zimbabwe, growing those businesses into commercially viable operations.

At Hallo Group he leads key account management: buyer relationships, listings and trading terms, orders and replenishment, route-to-market and trade relationships with both corporate and informal retail.

  • 17 yearsin FMCG sales, up to Head of Sales
  • National chainsPick n Pay, Spar, Dis-Chem and Clicks
  • Cross-borderroute-to-market in Eswatini and Zimbabwe
  • Award-winningsales awards at SABMiller and the MD's award at PSI

Hallo Group and UniqKnow

UniqKnow is part of Hallo Group. The two do different jobs, so you always know where to go.

  • Hallo Group: done with you

    Key account management and market entry and marketing strategy, run for you. We look after your commercial function with retailers and wholesalers, from listing to sales to replenishment orders.

  • UniqKnow: learn and prepare

    Guides, playbooks, case studies and business tools that help you sharpen your strategy and get your business and brand market-ready on your own.

    Visit UniqKnow

Work with us.

Tell us about your brand and where you want it to be.

Talk to us