This biltong company in New Zealand earns over R100m a year

This biltong company in New Zealand earns over R100m a year

Canterbury Biltong in Christchurch, New Zealand is branching out further due to an insatiable demand for its South African-styled dry meat snacks.

The company supplies biltong to supermarkets, convenient stores and petrol stations across New Zealand. It also has an international market and exports to a dozen or so countries across the Asia-Pacific and Middle-East regions.

In recent years the company has been earning between NZD 5-10 million (R56m – R112m) a year in revenue, according to director David Stanley.

The South African biltong connection

However, the company came from humble beginnings – when he and partner Nicole started out in their family garage in 2002.

“No one really knew what biltong was in those days in New Zealand, and the only people [who] really knew were people who either travelled to South Africa, read Wilbur Smith or were South African,” Stanley told RNZ.

“In the market stalls, people would think we were selling wood or they called it billabong, all sorts of names. It was hard to get going, but we persevered.”

After growing its sales channels domestically in the early 2000s, Canterbury Biltong’s production requirements really took off once it got into Australia.

The company was moving between rental production facilities in Christchurch, but once demand outstripped capacity, Canterbury Biltong eventually built its own factory in Woolston – a light industrial suburb of Christchurch.

“We’ve been here six years now and we’re outgrowing it,” said Stanley. “But there’s enough land to put another double the processing area, so we do have lots more capacity.”

“We’re going to be building onto the factory this year, so by the end of the year we’ll basically have enough capacity for the next four or five years.”

Exponential growth in Australasia

Stanley added that the company continues to experience good growth, and recently got into 200 stores in Thailand and will soon be supplying another chain in Australia.

“[There is] potentially another big chain in the Philippines, so it’s all just trying to, I suppose, keep up. That’s always the challenge.”

Recently, the company expanded its portfolio by acquiring Auckland-based Bootleg Jerky, marking its entry into the jerky market.

Canterbury Biltong has been assisting Bootleg Jerky with manufacturing and logistics to support their growth within New Zealand and their own aspirations for international exports.

Canterbury Biltong processes up to 250 tonnes of export-grade topside beef steak annually that they source from their long-standing supplier, ANZCO Foods.