Original
Pineapple ketchup. The familiar comfort of ketchup, rebuilt around the sweetness and acidity of Ugandan pineapple.
MACTORY COMPANY LIMITED · Kampala, Uganda
Premium sauces,
made in Uganda.
0% BULLSHIT / 100% NATURAL
MACTORY is the Ugandan food manufacturer behind DRIP LAB: premium, pineapple-based sauces crafted from ingredients sourced directly from Ugandan farmers, for the tables of lodges, hotels and restaurants across East Africa.
100%Ugandan-grown key ingredients
3markets: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania
300+HORECA establishments mapped
500B2B clients: our next target
Why we exist
Replacing generic condiments on East Africa's tables
Walk into almost any lodge or restaurant in East Africa and you'll find the same thing on the table: imported ketchup and hot sauce, shipped from halfway around the world, telling no story about the place you're actually in.
Uganda grows some of the best pineapples in the world. MACTORY turns that produce into DRIP LAB, a range of premium sauces with the quality standards international hospitality demands. Local sourcing, local production, local flavour.
The company is built on two continents by design. In Uganda, our chef co-founder leads product development and production, close to the ingredients and to our customers. In Belgium, the team runs strategy, business systems, supplier relations and quality validation with accredited food-testing laboratories. Rooted in Uganda, held to global standards.
“When guests sit down at a safari lodge, the sauce on their table should be as authentic as the landscape outside.”
DRIP LAB
The sauces
Every recipe is built on our signature Ugandan pineapple ketchup, and each one is fully documented so that every batch tastes the same, whether it's the first or the five-hundredth.
Basil
Our signature pineapple ketchup, infused with basil for a fresh, herbal finish.
Chili
Our signature pineapple ketchup with a chili kick: tropical sweetness first, then the heat.
In development
- Red Pepper & Mango Ketchup
- UG Sweet Mayo Curry
- Vanilla Mayonnaise
Formats: 1-litre bulk for professional kitchens · 100 ml for the table. Coming later: a 100 ml preservative-free souvenir edition, the bottle guests take home from their safari. Pre-order on drip.itcl.io.
Who we work with
Built for hospitality
Our first customers are lodges, the exact establishments DRIP LAB was made for. They place repeat orders, not one-off trials. They taught us what hospitality buyers need: consistency from batch to batch, reliable supply, and a product their guests notice.
Lodges & eco-lodges
Safari and nature lodges across Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
Hotels, restaurants & caterers
HORECA kitchens that want a local, premium alternative to imported condiments.
Distributors & retail
HORECA distributors to scale across the region, then retail and e-commerce.
Made in Uganda, with Uganda
A 100% East African value chain
Our ambition is bigger than a sauce: to build a value chain that is East African from end to end, creating skills and jobs where our ingredients come from.
- GrownPineapples and produce sourced directly from Ugandan farmers.
- DevelopedRecipes created by our chef co-founder in Uganda.
- ProducedIn discussion with Makerere University's Food Technology & Business Incubation Centre (FTBIC) to produce and bottle our sauces.
- PackagedBottles and packaging sourced within the region.
- ServedOn the tables of lodges and restaurants in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
Where we are
Roadmap
We document the journey openly, including the hard parts. Read the full logbook on the DRIP LAB blog.
- Company incorporated in KampalaPrivate company limited by shares, Companies Act Cap. 106
- Tax registration, trade licence and non-citizen trading clearanceURA, Kampala Capital City Authority, Ministry of Trade
- Recipes documentedStandardised formulations, cold-fill bottling procedure
- First recurring lodge customers1 L bulk and 100 ml formats
- 300+ HORECA database & business systemsERP, production data, prospecting
- Production partnershipMakerere University FTBIC (discussions ongoing)
- UNBS Q-mark certificationThe official quality stamp for our home market
- Branded product launchFrom unbranded formats to the DRIP LAB table bottle
- 500 B2B clientsDirect prospecting and HORECA distributors across East Africa
- Souvenir edition100 ml preservative-free bottle for travellers
The founders
A Belgium–Uganda team
Three Belgian co-founders, one in Uganda and two in Belgium, share one goal: put a genuinely Ugandan sauce on every table we reach.
Gregory Knuets
Co-founder & CTO · Managing Director
Chef and hospitality consultant with 13 years in the industry and 8 venues built or turned around across 3 countries. Master in Hotel Management & Tourism (Vatel). Based in Uganda, he develops the recipes and leads production on the ground.
- Email[email protected]
- Uganda+256 791 257 723
- Belgium+32 472 05 29 33
- Webgregory-knuets.itcl.io
Maxence De Beys
Co-founder
Based in Belgium, Maxence oversees finance and helps drive the company's structure, partnerships and growth from the European side.
- Email[email protected]
- Belgium+32 476 96 92 28
Thomas Claessens
Co-founder
Based in Brussels, Thomas builds the business infrastructure: ERP and production data, supplier sourcing, quality validation and the DRIP LAB logbook.
- Email[email protected]
- Belgium+32 486 268 598
Company information
Legal details
For partners, suppliers, distributors and institutions.
| Legal name | MACTORY COMPANY LIMITED |
|---|---|
| Brand | DRIP LAB |
| Legal form | Private company limited by shares, incorporated in the Republic of Uganda under the Companies Act, Cap. 106 |
| Registration number (URSB) | 1059206509 |
| Tax Identification Number (URA) | 1059206509 |
| Trade licence (KCCA) | TLC 20261862034, valid until 10 September 2027 |
| Non-citizen trading clearance | Certificate of Registration and Clearance for Non-Citizens to Trade in Uganda, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives |
| Activity | Agro-processing: manufacture and distribution of sauces and condiments |
| Registered office | Bluebell Chambers, Plot 30, Binayomba Road, Off Luthuli Avenue, Bugolobi, P.O. Box 28615, Kampala, Uganda |
| Managing Director | Gregory Knuets |
| Directors | Gregory Knuets, Maxence De Beys, Thomas Claessens |
| Legal counsel | Bluebell Legal Advocates, Kampala |
DRIP LAB products are being prepared for UNBS certification ahead of their branded market launch.
Contact
The table is set
Are you a lodge, hotel, restaurant, distributor or potential partner? Get in touch.
MACTORY COMPANY LIMITED
Bluebell Chambers, Plot 30Binayomba Road, Off Luthuli Avenue
Bugolobi, Kampala, Uganda
P.O. Box 28615, Kampala
- Phone+256 791 257 723
- Email[email protected]
- Webdrip.itcl.io