Quality counts in the business of big beef
The Beefmaster Group, based near Christiana in North West, is involved in the entire beef value chain: breeding, feedlot, abattoir, and distribution (including exports) of beef products. According to supply-chain executive Roelie van Reenen, the company employs over 1 000 permanent staff at its various operations.
“The abattoir is the largest employer within our group and is also the biggest private employer in Kimberley [an hour from Christiana],” he explains.
BUSINESS STRUCTURE
The Van Reenen family has been involved in the beef industry since Jacob van Reenen arrived in the Cape of Good Hope in 1722 and started supplying beef to ships docking there.
Nearly two-and-a-half centuries later, in 1965, Van Reenen’s father, Lourie, set up a small, on-farm feeding system for his own cattle. In 1983, he
