Our Founder, AK Peer invested in a strip of farmland in the late 1990s on the Cape West Coast. Since then, we have added to the land and acquired more land over the last 3 decades.
Located on the West Coast between St. Helena Bay and Velddrif, our family-owned farm lies on the coast of nine bays with a very rich natural flora and fauna of fynbos and birdlife.
What started as a weekend escape from the city gradually developed through the introduction of livestock, an organic vegetable garden and an abundant fruit orchard. More and more, our family found ourselves living from the land; eating meat from the cattle and sheep that grazed freely. We realized that by having access to fresh sea air and a unique diet of natural fynbos, the meat from our animals was different.
We’re family owned and live off the land ourselves.
We practice Sustainable farming practices which have always made sense to us – we believe that by leaning into regenerative farming practices, we place substantially less pressure on the environment, raise less stress-free and better-quality livestock, and can create an ethical, truly circular farming ecosystem.
Furthermore, we take our custodianship of this unique piece of West Coast land seriously. With every season and every diverse crop that grows in the soil where our cattle graze, we know we are laying down deep roots for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.
Our Wagyu Pastrami is unique. We also have 100% halaal (free of any pork) Italian Salami, and make our own bone broth, which we sell fresh (not frozen), as well as wagyu tallow, for cooking. All these products are unique, not only on their make-up, but also from their origin on the Cape West Coast.
We believe in carrying the principles of a holistic, wholesome approach to life throughout our offering. Regenerative practice extends beyond our farming methods; we have a zero-waste mandate that is implemented across the butchery, our products and our packaging.
We use most of the carcass to utilize the bone and fat of the animal to make tallow, bone broth, and stock.
We are the only farm on the Planet that is based on the coast, farms regeneratively with Grass-Fed Angus, Free-Range Lamb and Certified Wagyu as well as Non-GMO crops including wheat used in our Stone Ground flour and other crops.
We own the entire process from our FARM to our customers’ tables, bar the abattoir.
We are certified Halaal and thus have a large Muslim client base. We also appeal to the healthy conscious living, and high-end consumer, seeking high-quality foods with good nutrients.
Currently, our focus is on the local SA market.
We are constantly developing and testing new products in the market. We have recently opened our retail butchery, deli and eatery in Green Point with the aim of providing our customers with a healthy alternative to eating and living, and we serve seasonal food from our farm produce to our customers.
Contact person: Harun Moreira
Email Address: harun@lafarms.co.za
Contact Number: (+27)84 5225816
Website: https://www.lafarms.co.za
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LAFarmsButcher/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/la_farms
The company was founded in 2009 in Cape Town. Before that, I had a small delicatessen in Hermanus and made charcuterie as a hobby. We are now in our 15th year, and it certainly has been a roller coaster ride. We started just after the global financial crisis in 2008 and since then, we have been through load shedding, droughts, pandemics, listeria outbreaks and no doubt some more things to come. The journey has been wonderful and I have no regrets. Sure, I would do some things differently if I had my time again, but on balance it has been a lot of fun, a lot of learning and I have met some wonderful people along the way.
Some of the unique things about us are firstly that we develop relationships with farmers. We buy directly from them and there is a non-verbal or contractual partnership where we support each other. The meat industry is full of challenges, as is farming, and we and our suppliers have to be flexible and collaborate. I don't operate in an environment where I can just buy the cuts I need, we buy the whole carcass and have to use everything. We are also a small team and of the 3 staff I started with in 2009 - 2 are still working for me and one retired. Our business is like a family, and we all support each other through the good times and the bad.
We make very traditional cured products, following recipes and techniques that are centuries old, and our focus is on doing as little as possible to the meat. The main ingredient after the meat is time. We make some unusual products too, that most South Africans are not familiar with, such as guanciale, nduja and mortadella but these are becoming more popular each year. Most of our products are made by hand and are quite labour-intensive. There are no shortcuts to making quality products and in today's world where profit is the most important measure, we prefer to focus on making products that we can be proud of.
Our customer base is varied, from sophisticated travellers at markets to pizza restaurants and select delis and retailers. We sell our products at the Oranjezicht Market as well as online and wholesale. We supply Bacon on Brie with all their bacon, hams and sauces and were instrumental in setting up that business.
On the global stage, our products can hold their own. I have had feedback from international tourists and have travelled myself to Italy and Spain several times and feel quietly confident that we are following those traditions faithfully. We only supply our product inside South Africa currently.
Whilst we keep to the traditional ways, we do focus on innovation too, and I am busy with a project looking at using bacteria to cure meat instead of adding nitrites. There is a lot of confusion currently in the market around "no added nitrate" products which are very misleading as these products use vegetable nitrates to achieve the curing. My project will be groundbreaking on the world stage and will be the first to cure meats without adding any nitrates or nitrites from any source. I have been trialling this with a large producer in the UK. I also teach people to cure their own meats and run courses across South Africa. During covid, I created an online course which is available here https://bit.ly/3gtRQyW and is available worldwide.
Contact details:
Contact person: Richard Bosman
Email Address: richard@richardbosman.co.za
Contact Number: +27 (0)832773494
Website: https://www.richardbosman.co.za
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richard.bosman.311
Royal Karoo is primarily a hunting destination that has been in operation since 2017. The meat processing division “Royal Karoo venison & charcuterie” was started in late 2020 to add value to the harvested animals from the hunting operation.
The aim of the meat processing is to add value to the venison produced by the game farm – with the express aim to produce healthy value-added products that are not usually found in the trade, meeting the need for low fat, high protein, free-range, grass-fed meat products. Our charcuterie range has all been produced using artisanal virgin spice recipes while avoiding flavour enhancers such as msg and commercial preservatives.
Rauchfleisch, Springbuck liver pate, pastrami, cured chorizo and salami.
Our philosophy is to produce a healthy product that can be traced back to the source, using the entire animal nose to tail, while promoting conservation by harvesting ethically on a sustainable basis – at the same time promoting the health benefits of utilizing delicious venison.
We are passionate about producing a quality product that is both delicious and traceable to source for the health conscious market.
Our products have been very well received in the market and our demographic is definitely the discerning health conscious shopper with a wide range of choices at their fingertips.
We are constantly working on increasing our range of value added venison products, and are in the process of testing new products not usually produced from venison.
Contact person: Rob Birch
Email Address: rob@royalkaroo.co.za
Contact Number: +27(0)82 4964 398
Website: https://www.royalkaroo.co.za
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/royalkaroovenison
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/royal_karoo_venison
Euro was started in 1990 by Matthias Küpper, one of the most experienced and knowledgeable German master butchers in South Africa. Euro started off 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.
Matthias then received his golden master butcher certificate in 2011 after being a master butcher for 50 years which was also a certificate his father managed to get in 1986. To this day Euro is still the only meat processor in South Africa, if not Africa with these golden certificates behind its name.
We are the only deli meat producer with German, golden master butcher certificates behind our name complimented by three generations of german master butchers.
Roast Onion and Apple liver spread, smoked venison, Blackforest Ham, and German Landjäger salami sticks are definitely some of the popular unique products we produce.
Please tell us what is unique about your manufacturing process, and your manufacturing philosophy.
All products are small batch produced in order for us to ensure consistent quality compared to the much larger producers. We pride ourselves in keeping everything as traditional as possible.
Our experience and knowledge of ensuring each product has a flavour profile which entices you to want more is definitely one of the reasons all our customers have enjoyed the products for 32 years.
Our demographic generally consists of all people who enjoy great flavour and quality products. The feedback over the years is always the same… “ I have never tasted something so amazing!!!”
We would definitely like to export some of our products, the products are beneficial for the entire hospitality industry globally.
South Africa and Botswana.
We are constantly innovating, the latest product we are developing will be entered into the next Aurora Taste Challenge.
Contact person: Jürgen Küpper
Email Address: jurgen@euromeats.co.za
Contact Number: +27(0)11 791 2305
Website: https://www.euromeats.co.za/
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/euromeats.butchery
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/euro_meats/
This historic fruit and wine farm dates back to 1692 and has one of the best-preserved plaaswerwe (farmyards) in the Wastern Cape (area in South Africa). It was authentically reimagined by its current owners more than a decade ago to celebrate the history – and future.
Today, Babylonstoren is cherished for its magnificent formal garden, inspired by the historic Company’s Garden in Cape Town that supplied the spice fleets sailing between Europe and Asia with fresh fruit and vegetables in the 17th and 18th centuries. Each of the 300-plus plant varieties of the garden is edible or has medicinal value. The garden boasts a living library of historic rose and fruit cultivars, a splendid succulent collection, a kitchen garden planted with a variety of seasonal vegetables, thousands of clivias, a healing garden, exotic cycad collection and Spice House where tropical plants thrive. Every single aspect of Babylonstoren – including the contemporary Farm Hotel and Garden Spa, the Farm Shop, Winery, Meat Room, farm-to-fork restaurants, Scented Room and Bakery – is led by the ever-changing tapestry and botanical diversity of the garden.
We believe that the best meat and charcuterie comes not only from processing techniques and curing, but also from the origin of meats used. To this end, we have our own prised herd of Chianina cattle at Babylonstoren. Our small herd of Chianina cattle is farm-reared and fed entirely on a grass diet on the farm and contains no hormones or antibiotics. Our butchery specifically focus on Chianina meat and the ageing thereof.
The meat of Chianina cattle is dense with natural fat marbling and has a thin outer coating of fat, which helps to extend the ageing process. Our Chianina meats are aged between 28 and 42 days in our own Himalayan salt room lined with pink salt tiles.
Another unique aspect of the Babylonstoren way is that we host workshops on making and curing your own charcuterie at home. We open our butchery to other meat enthusiasts and freely share Babylonstoren’s delicious charcuterie techniques and recipes to those who want to learn. From mixing spices and pickling pork for charcuterie, after which guests are invited to indulge in a delicious meat lover’s lunch. The workshops are always fully booked, and new charcuterie workshops for 2023 have already been scheduled.
Our Chianina Bresaola, Chianina salami, Coppa, Coriander ham (which also won the trophy for best meat product at this year’s awards!) and well as the Fattoria Ham are all exceptional products of which we’re very proud.
Other noteworthy meat delicacies from our Meat Room include our new lamb espetada, made from lamb rump that’s skewered to ensure an even and effortless braai experience. We’re also working on unique new products for the upcoming festive season, which includes a range of quality water buffalo products (including the most delicious water buffalo wors!)
As with everything on the farm, our butchery team believes in honouring products in their most natural form. This means our manufacturing process may take longer, but the end-results are always of a superior quality. All our meat comes into the butchery as a whole carcass on the bone and is cured on our premises by our trusted blockmen and –women. As far as possible, we source all our fresh ingredients from the farm. “The carcasses have much more meat and much less fat than other breeds I’ve worked with,” says Jaco Koegelenberg, Babylonstoren’s butcher about the Chianina meat. “Being a butcher is all about appreciating the carcass you’re given and putting thought into how you’re going to use every single part.”
The farm and our privilege to be able to rear our own cattle is a major element in ensuring quality products to our clients.
Customer feedback we’ve received is that you definitely can’t go into your local supermarket and buy yourself Babylonstoren’s Chianina meat. It’s been described by many as the tastiest type of beef they’ve ever tasted. All a Chianina steak needs is a quick tap on a hot grill. Which is exactly the treatment it gets at Babel, Babylonstoren’s signature restaurant.
Although we only service our local South African market, we like to include flavours and techniques from across the globe in our charcuterie, especially. “We borrow some of their techniques and make it our own using local ingredients,” says Selvyn Jacobs, charcuterie whizz at Babylonstoren.
We also love showing our own traditional recipes to the many international visitors who frequent the farm and South Africa. Offering an international guests their first taste of real South African biltong or droëwors gives us great pleasure, and we like to think that our own South African cured meat delicacies measure up very well to the charcuterie of the world.
At Babylonstoren, we strive to always learn and grow and improve our offerings. We’re already working on a few exciting creations for the upcoming festive season, including a delicious tri-colour crusted pepper fillet, as well as a hosting hamper containing many of our Aurora award-winning charcuterie.
Email Address: enquiries@babylonstoren.com
Contact Number: +27 (0)21 863 3852
Website: https://www.babylonstoren.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babylonstoren
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babylonstoren
We asked Lindsay Stauch to give us some background on the company.
My name is Lindsay Stauch, and I am one of the co-owners of The Biltong Clan. The other owner is my husband Chad. While Chad is responsible for the production of all our biltong products, I am responsible for most other functions like, customer service, running our retail shop, finance, marketing and HR. We both took a huge leap of faith, leaving behind successful careers in Administration and Sales, respectively. From day one we knew it was the right move for us and have worked extremely hard to make it the success it has become.
The Biltong Clan was founded in 2016 with the view to produce the best quality biltong at a price that suits all income groups of South Africa. We have grown from having one employee when we started to now employing 5 staff. Our first wholesale client owns 7 biltong shops, and we now service more than 15 biltong shops and many walk in wholesale clients.
Chad believes that, due to Covid and other economic factors in South Africa, we are seeing a move away from high-end retail biltong shops. With many South Africans having less disposable income, they are looking for a cheaper, yet good quality alternatives. Factory shops are becoming increasingly popular in all sectors.
What do you think are some of the special products you have?
Apart from the traditional beef and venison products you would find in most biltong shops, we also offer bacon biltong, chicken biltong and warthog salami. We make use of a natural air drying process, using no heat. This ensures that the biltong does not dry too quickly, or becomes tough and inferior. With our own blend of spices, we are able to offer our customers a product that is unique to ourselves and is loved by our customers.
Contact Person: Lindsay Stauch
Email Address: lindsay@thebiltongclan.co.za
Contact Number: 0718659444
Website: http://www.thebiltongclan.co.za/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebiltongclan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebiltongclan/
Nine years ago Dario Soresi and Bruno Battaini started to experiment with the production of salami in South Africa, but they soon realised that the real problem was going to be the nature of the very changeable climate, with hot days happening in every season, which could be a real cause of salami going bad.
The most economical route would have been that of adding poisonous Nitrites, which is widely used, but Mastro Dario chose to make Salami without Nitrite or preserving liquids that give a smoked taste! It's better to have salami that doesn't appear deep red and are made with no poisons! Their Salami matures for months, in special cold rooms wrapped their own natural yeasts getting slowly that special taste! The genuine taste of times gone by....
Dario and Bruno attended a course and with the help of some Italian friends, ‘NORCINI’ professional salami makers started their production. From the beginning they used only the best Italian traditions and technology. Dario says ‘when I offer salami to my granddaughters I know they eat genuine and not carcinogenic food!
The meat used is from a farm in George ‘Van Rensburg Meat’, a high quality closed-circuit farm where pigs are born and slaughtered, with no hormones, antibiotics, diseases and stress from transport, which causes adrenalin surges in the meats that alter its’ taste, color and tenderness!
The cooperation with Maurizio started in 2005 when he traced up the old Outeniqua mountain road to meet the creators of these tastes, and fulfill his passion to find the origin in food, which started in Tuscany when he used to bring small producers to the ‘Fierucola Markets’ he organized with friends in his hometown. From there on lots of people countrywide have been able to enjoy Mastro Dario genuine tasty Cold Meats.
If you happen to be passing by the Outeniqua Mountains visit them where you will taste their products and breath the pure air of the forests and mountain that surround them. Dario and Bruno say ‘what’s better than a ‘Panino al Salame’ with a glass of good wine…….it’s the taste of life!’
Contact person: Arianna Soresi
Email address: info@mastrodario.co.za
Contact number: 078 231 6125
Website address: http://www.mastrodario.co.za/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Mastro-Dario-Salumi-1406297636359576
Chalmar Beef was one of the stars at the 2021 Meat Awards, and we asked marketing manager Anja Bands a few questions about the Chalmar Beef success story.
Chalmar Beef was registered in March 1969, before the first moon landing by Neil Armstrong.
Our founder, Wimpie Wethmar started feeding cattle at the age of sixteen on a plot in Kempton Park. He bought his first four steers with money he made working weekends on a chicken farm. He sold the four steers for a handsome profit, and this was the beginning of the dream of CHALMAR.
After school, Wimpie started working for Mr. Challinor, in Bapsfontein and soon integrated cattle into the chicken farm. The name CHALMAR is a combination of the two surnames. The CHAL from Challinor and the MAR from WETHMAR.
Wimpie met his future wife, Pat, in 1977 and they were married a few months later. Together they achieved great things and built a legacy. From humble beginnings, Chalmar Beef grew over the years but Wimpie’s vision was never to be the biggest but rather the best. “Chalmar would be known for the best beef eating experience” he would say.
A state-of-the-art abattoir was built in 2001. Wimpie’s children, Willem Wethmar (CEO) and Sarah Wethmar (Director) together with their dedicated teams have been instrumental in achieving recognition in the industry and have managed to rope in numerous awards. FSSC certification was achieved in 2017.
Chalmar Beef stepped into unchartered waters in 2015 and was the first fully integrated beef producer to sell beef online.
In 2016 Chalmar Beef realised that they needed to offer more quality to the consumer and added lamb to the basket.
We have complete control over the whole production chain, ensuring our ability to produce consistent quality.
We plant over 1 000ha of maize, soybeans, and sorghum. Manure from the feedlot forms the backbone of our fertilisation programme on our pastures and crop soils. Regular soil analysis is done to customise our fertilisation programme.
The right amount of proteins, vitamins, minerals, fibre, and energy form part of our feeding program to ensure a healthy and strong immune system and to maximise the animal’s growth potential. We do not use any beta-agonists (including Zilpaterol).
Our animals are walked over to the abattoir, which is far less stressful than transportation by truck. Stress elimination for our animals is one of our main aims, which is essential to ensure a quality product. All our animals are fully integrated into our production system. Chalmar cattle and lamb are specific meat breeds. No market-ready animals are processed to ensure full traceability.
Chalmar Beef can house 19 000 cattle on pasture. All young calves under 200kg go onto pasture and are pasture reared for 3 to 5 months before entering the feedlot.
The supply of cattle to feedlots is very seasonal in South Africa. This leads to shortages of beef during certain times of the year. By rearing young cattle on pasture, we ensure a consistent supply of cattle to the feedlot and ultimately beef on your plate throughout the year.
All lamb produced by Chalmar is from lambs fed in our new dedicated lamb feedlot facilities. We do not buy in any market-ready lambs and therefore maintain control over the entire feedlot and abattoir production phase to give our consumers peace of mind.
Being a fully integrated company, we employ people from all walks of life and levels of skill. People can express their talents in diverse fields ranging from accounting to stockmanship to various highly skilled trades. Chalmar Beef has a philosophy of promoting people from within the ranks. This necessitates the early identification of potential in people to provide them with the opportunity to excel through skills development & training.
Our philosophy has always been that we don’t want to be the biggest, we want to be THE BEST.
South Africa | China | Southern African Development Community [SADC] | United Arab Emirates [UAE] | Jordan
Contact person: Anja Bands _ Marketing Manager
Email address: anja@chalmarbeef.co.za
Contact number: +27 (0)11 964 1880
Website address: https://www.chalmarbeef.co.za
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/chalmarbeef
Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/chalmarbeef/
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/