Tirolean Meats consists of a processing facility and retail outlet in North Riding in Johannesburg. Nicola Brook went to find out more about this multifaceted family business.
Tirolean Meats was established five years ago by the Jericevich family and has a strong presence in Gauteng by creating speciality items for any discerning palate. The Jericevich family originates from Croatia. The two Jericevich brothers were the founders of Seemann’s Meats in nearby Strijdom Park which was sold to First Lifestyle Foods and subsequently Foodcorp. Mark Jericevich passed his trade down to his three children, who now manage and grow the business.
Each sibling has their specific area of expertise and yet they all work closely together. Mathew, the eldest son, is the technical expert managing the factory and packaging of all the products. The only daughter, Tracey, is in charge of procurement and commercial aspects. Shaun, the youngest, handles all the sales, customer relationships, key accounts and marketing. They are very hands-on and it is not uncommon to find one of them talking to customers in their shop, Berliner Deli, keeping up to date with market developments and generating new ideas.
The backbone of the business is processed meats. They have unique recipes for over 350 line items including different types of wurst, vienna sausage, meat loaves and cold meats. They produce three brands: AGS, Northlands and House Brands. AGS is the mass-market value-for-money brand while Northlands is used for catering and wholesale packs. House Brands has a growing market, consisting of exclusive recipes for certain retail chains. Tirolean uses its own contract farmers and all the meat is traceable from the farm to the fork. All the animals have been inspected by one or other member of the family, maintaining extremely high standards of food safety and hygiene having only selected factory staff permitted into high risk areas.
One of its keys to success is that Tirolean offers a packaging solution for any meat product or application. Working very closely with Multivac, a key packaging supplier, Tirolean implements the latest trends, packing from the most exclusive products with high added value to the most basic when it’s best to keep the packaging costs to a minimum.
At the top end is the ultra barrier rigid tray (UBRT) with modified atmosphere. The rigid trays are comparatively expensive but, being transparent, it gives the consumer full view of the meat quality. The air is flushed and replaced with a nitrogen / oxygen mix to extend the shelf life. The trays are used for premium products such as beef rouladen, beef wellington, rump steaks as well as premium pork or venison products.
Another option is called Darfresh, in which a roll stock is used to create the backing rather than buying in the ready made tray. The product is then sealed gently against this backing, resulting in good visibility and ideal display criteria. This is being used for many of Tirolean’s smoked pork products such as the Kassler steaks, chops or fresh pork fillets wrapped in bacon seen in numerous Spar outlets.
A third option is a thermoformed tray which is manufactured in-house from a roll stock. The products are packed in this and then also gas flushed and sealed with a film giving a 10 day shelf life. The result is a strong pack with good visibility but without the extra cost of the UBRT pre-formed tray. More conventional vacuum packaging is also used for some applications. It does tend to squash the product marginally so the visual appeal is not quite as great as with UBRT or Darfresh. Lastly the traditional clingfilm is wrapped over a polystyrene tray which is widely used for fresh meat.
In offering a range of solutions, Tirolean have requests to supply hospitals, restaurants, fast food chains, executive dining rooms and of course many of our favourite national retail chains. The Jericevich family attended IFFA in Frankfurt and were able to get a comprehensive overview and international information of the meat industry. Reflecting on this year’s fair, Shaun said the emphasis was on highly automated machinery with the ultimate goal being to produce, slice and pack products without human hands ever touching the meat.
Product development is another area they are always focused on, becoming market leaders and offering new ideas. To assist in this they employ two full time chefs, Kendal Roos and Damien Russell, who are continually developing new products which are being tested in the Berliner Deli. They receive direct customer feedback at the deli and then perfect the products before offering them to the wider market.
Recently Tirolean has started offering frozen ready-made meals such as Lasagne and Bobotie which these chefs have prepared according to homemade recipes without the extra additives. The Berliner Deli won a regional platinum award and two national awards over the last three years (2007-2009) from the Red Meat Industry Forum. For these Cleaver Awards they are judged on hygiene, beef quality, meal preparation advice, cost effective meat cuts and overall customer service as part of a 212 point judge’s checklist.
The Tirolean trio put a lot of hard work and passion into this meat business which is truly a family business built on original and delicious recipes of a high standard, being used in everyday home applications right through to retail chain stores. Cleaver Award nominations are now open for 2010 and the winners will be announced in April 2011.
For more information on the Cleaver Awards, go to www.redmeatsa.co.za
