ELGIN FEATURE

ELGIN FREE RANGE CHICKENS

FEATURE

fowl business FAR F R OM A

Slow and steady, organic growth has seen Elgin Free Range Chickens evolve from a backyard start-up into a company that produces over 70,000 birds per week. South Africa Magazine talks to founder Jeanne Groenewald about the focus on free range production which has made it all possible.

By Ian Armitage

E

lgin Free Range Chickens produces over 70,000 birds a week, employs 300 people and lists Woolworths, Pick ‘n Pay, Checkers and Spar among its clients.

That’s not bad for a business that started out small, as a backyard operation in 1997.

But are Elgin Free Range Chickens all they are clucked up to be? And how is it so successful? “We got to where we are today through passion – a passion for the product, 2

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a passion for healthier foods and a commitment to excellence. The result is that we have achieved a steady growth rate, growing the business little by little,” Jeanne Groenewald says.

Her story is remarkable.

“It all started when I was growing chickens for the family. We’d have friends over for dinner and they’d comment on how good the chicken tasted and when they found out I’d reared them, they’d ask me to rear some for them as well.

That’s where it began.”

Elgin Free Range Chickens FOCUS FOOD & AGRICULTURE

Our success is down to the fact that we produce a niche high quality product and that we are committed to maintaining the highest standards These informal “orders” quickly grew and Groenewald started to produce around 150 birds every eight weeks, then every four weeks and then weekly.

“That is when I realised there could be a business in this,” she says.

When production hit 400 birds a week Groenewald decided to test the market’s interest and called a Pick ‘n Pay buyer she’d previously worked with when she was rearing ducks. “They were very interested, so I bought a delivery vehicle, had it branded, and started supplying a handful of the top Pick ‘n Pay stores. It was a pivotal point and the best money we’d spent. That

vehicle drove all over with our phone number on it and although we weren’t actively trying to grow, we kept getting calls from people who’d seen the van and wanted to place orders.”

Production steadily increased and the business soon outgrew the single shed outside Groenewald’s farm kitchen door. The rest, as they say, is history..

“Our success is down to the fact that we produce a niche high quality product and that we are committed to maintaining the highest standards,” Groenewald says. “Today five farms work under the Elgin Free Range Chickens standard.” www.southafricamag.com

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Looking to the future, her growth philosophy remains the same despite huge growth potential. “We have room for expansion.

But we’ll grow in line with increases in market demand. I love my little farm in Elgin. It is my haven.

When I started farming chickens for my family it was very important to me that the animals we were eating were not abused and that is why we started the free-range operation in our backyard. That philosophy will never change.

“I’ve always loved animals,” Groenewald continues. “I love what I’m doing, I am passionate about it and I think that is the only driving factor that will continue the business going forward.”

The way Elgin Free Range Chickens farm is to make sure their chickens are given maximum space inside and outside the barn. Product has

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no antibiotics, no growth promoters, no animal products and the birds are “stress free” which makes them “healthier,” she says.

Typically, where chickens are mass-produced, the birds are often fed routine antibiotics to prevent disease which proliferates in the crowded conditions.

“I would encourage families out there to question what they are eating, where their food is coming from and to make the decision for the healthier option,” Groenewald explains. “Our birds are housed in long barns with pop holes which are opened once they are older than two weeks so that they may roam freely around the pasture outside. The first two weeks are the brooding period, when the chicks must be kept warm and safe from predators such as wild birds. The birds are kept at much lower capacity than industry standard – we keep

them 15 birds per square metre instead of 25 and this helps keep the birds less stressed and helps prevent disease in the absence of routine antibiotics.”

Shopping for food is not as simple as it used to be.

An increasing number of people are questioning the origins of their food and the free-range and organic markets are growing.

“I think we represent a real feasible change that can be made to the farming industry,” adds Groenewald.

“It should be the minimum standard that birds are reared in the most ethical manner. The success of our brand is testament to our potential and integrity.

“On that theme of real, feasible change, we started a project with Superthene at the end of 2009 to change the way we package our chickens.

We trialled the PVC-free Cling Wrap in our factory

Elgin Free Range Chickens FOCUS FOOD & AGRICULTURE

It should be the minimum standard that birds are reared in the most ethical manner

Deli Spices is proud to be associated with Elgin Free Range Chickens

on our manual and automatic wrappers and kept back retention samples for shelf life and quality analysis. We worked with Superthene, as well as the technicians of our auto wrappers, to optimise the properties of the film to suit the environment of the factory. It took two years of dedication to develop this product and we are phasing in the auto wrappers on the PVC- Cling Wrap. Our target is to run on only the PVC-free Cling Wrap.”

She says the company has also started research on a safe and biodegradable tray and absorbent pad. “We will embark on the venture in the next three years to find a product that is 100 percent suitable for fresh chicken and that fits in with our brand and food safety and quality standards.”

The new PVC-free Cling Wrap from Superthene has been endorsed and approved

by CANSA. END

www.balekadistributors.co.za Tel: 021 979 0495 / 071 602 1505

Refrigerated and Dry Cargo

Transport and Truck Hire

Baleka Distributors are the preferred alternative to conventional truck hiring. We offer simplicity and accountability, transporting fresh or frozen products around the Western Cape.

We are proud suppliers of refrigerated transport services to Elgin Free Range Chickens and are specialist refrigerated and dry cargo transporters, who focus on retail back-door deliveries and distribution to retail food stores. We also distribute to informal markets, warehouses and distribution centres, handling inter-coldstore transfers and deliveries. We have a fleet of refrigerated trucks, ranging from 2 tonners to 12 tonners. We charge a fixed price per day, which includes diesel, driver and insurance costs.

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Tel: +27 (0)21 859 2795 Fax: +27 (0)21 859 4554 Email: jeanne@freerangechickens.co.za

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