Irvin & Johnson, better known as I&J, has been a household name and leader in the frozen foods category for over 100 years.
Trusted by consumers, the brand has consistently produced premium quality frozen foods in tune with today’s lifestyle patterns.
I&J’s origins dates back to 1910, when George Irvin, English businessman who had financial and technical resources behind him, formed a partnership with Carl Johnson, a Swede with knowledge and experience of trawling operations, together they launched a small fishing business – Irvin & Johnson – in Cape Town which pioneered the hake trawling industry in South Africa.
In 1949, AVI – goods conglomerate which houses many of South Africa’s leading and best-loved brands – bought a controlling shareholding in I&J. The relationship between the two parties still exists continues to this day.
In the early 1950s, I&J ventured into frozen foods after the introduction of a technique called IQF(individual Quick Freezing) which revolutionised the company’s future.
In 1952, the first frozen fish product, hake fillets, was packaged and sold under the I&J brand followed by fish fingers in 1955. The company acquired Fresh Frosted Foods in 1963, which helped springboard its rapid product range expansion into other frozen foods.
The company first began exporting fish back in the 1940s when it supplied the United States with Cape whiting and fishmeal. Today, I&J exports to many more markets including Africa, Australia, Middle East, the Indian Ocean Islands and the whole of Europe.
In 1997, following years of research, I&J began commercial farming of Abalone at Danger Point and today exports a variety of Abalone products to various countries.
Having been in the seafood business for 100+ years, I&J is one of the few companies with an integrated system that owns, controls and manages all of the processes associated with its finished products.
The company catches fish with its own fleet of first-rate vessels; products are researched and developed in-house; processing takes place at its own world-class factories and the company’s marketing teams market its products locally and internationally.
