Euro Meats walked away with three Gold Awards at the 2021 Charcuterie, Sausage, Dried, and Other Meat Awards. We interviewed Jürgen Küpper, the CEO of Euro Meats, to find out what it takes to be successful in a very competitive environment.
After joining the family business in 2011, I never knew how unique and diverse the meat industry was and how it would shape our business into what it is today. I had the privilege of being taught by one of the most experienced butchers in the country and being able to call him my father at the same time. The wealth of knowledge he passed on to me has been incredible ever since I started. He allowed me to complete my German Master Butcher (Fleischermeister) course in 2017. Whether I'm producing products, creating new products, seeing customers, teaching staff, or improving the staff culture within the company, I enjoy being involved in all aspects of the business.
Euro Meats was started in 1990 by Matthias Küpper, one of the most experienced and knowledgeable German master butchers in South Africa. Euro started as a small speciality German butchery and deli offering everything from uniquely crafted fresh meats for the braai to traditional European sausages, hams, cold meats, and salami for everyone to enjoy. In 2014, Euro Meats moved into a purpose-built production facility to keep up with the demand in the hospitality industry. We now like to ensure that everyone can enjoy the uniquely crafted meats throughout South Africa, whether in a lodge, a restaurant, or a company function.
We are proud to be the only meat processor in South Africa (if not Africa) to have two golden German Fleischermeister Certificates behind our name. My father has just completed 60 years as a German Fleischermeister in the trade. Some big shoes to fill.
With over 70 different products, some of the truly unique products our customers enjoy are the Roast Onion and Apple leberwurst, grilled Austrian bacon, smoked venison as well as our Alpen Ham, to name a few.
Every single step in our manufacturing process is vital for us to produce consistent quality. We are involved in deboning, selecting the best possible meat cuts, weighing, and mixing our spice blends. We do not use spice batch packs from the big spice companies. We produce small batches for quality control, as well as, smoking our products with wood chips. We do not use liquid smoke products. The products we produce need to be handcrafted as much as possible and remain artisanal.
Our knowledge and expertise in the industry through three generations of family tradition allows us to constantly improve our ability to produce superior products. We enjoy forming relationships and consulting with old and new customers to create bespoke products and assist our clients with new ideas.
The demographic for our products is wide due to the variety of our products we produce. To narrow it down a bit, it would be consumers who prefer a higher quality product as well as choosing premium traditional flavours. We constantly receive feedback from clients that our products are the same, if not better than the products they had in Europe. Our vision is to ensure that the whole family gets the quality they deserve, whether it is Viennas or Ham for the kids' lunches or Chourico and Pancetta for family dinners.
We mainly produce for the South African market and have a distribution partner in Botswana. We are working towards supplying other neighbouring countries soon.
Innovation never ends within Euro Meats. We are constantly testing and creating products for customers to enjoy. We enjoy taking traditional concepts and converting them into something different, for example, Gourmet Potjie Lamb Sausage. I will let that sink in a bit.
Contact person: Jürgen Küpper
Email address: jurgen@euromeats.co.za
Contact number: 011 791 2305
Website address: https://www.euromeats.co.za
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/euromeats.butchery
Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/eurobutcherysouthafrica/