Bluff Meat Supply Aims To Expand Its Footprint Through Its Partnership With RMB Ventures
Bluff Meat Supply Aims To Expand Its Footprint Through Its Partnership With RMB Ventures. South Africa is currently experiencing some of the most difficult economic times in recent history. With the lingering hangover of Covid still having a negative effect on many industries, and the rapidly escalating energy crisis causing unprecedented waves of load shedding, businesses are struggling to survive, never mind thrive and reach their full potential. Amidst of these challenges, the Bluff Meat Supply/Mndeni Meat Group has grown both its operations and its store footprint, and is looking to expand nationally, thanks to an ongoing partnership with RMB Ventures that is 10 years in the making and still going strong.
Bluff Meat Supply was established in 1960 as a family-run business operating a single store on the Bluff in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Over the years they have grown into a multi-faceted meat group, encompassing both retail and manufacturing entities. In 2000 they began processing meat and today operate as two separate businesses, with Bluff Meat Supply as the retail arm and Gen 4 Foods on the processing and manufacturing side.
They began negotiations with RMB Ventures in 2011 and eventually struck a deal in February 2013. Says Mark Bielovich, CEO of BMS Foods “This was a watershed moment, a game changer for us. Partnering with RMB not only changed our strategy, it also changed our way of thinking. Previously we had no debt, and RMB helped us to understand that to grow the business, debt was actually something we needed. The Ventures team helped us to see the bigger picture and embrace a growth mindset, bringing their years of experience across various industries and sectors to the table to revolutionise our business.”
“Even though we are experiencing difficult economic times currently, we have still managed to open six new stores in 2022 and are rolling out another three this year. We are also now looking to move beyond Kwa-Zulu Natal and open stores nationally. Our partnership with RMB has been instrumental in our growth and in increasing our turnover on the retail side. On the processing side, we have seen several competitors dropping out of the market, and we are well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities this presents,” he adds.
Since 2013, RMB Ventures has been a co-investor in BMS Foods with ownership of a significant minority stake in the business. They are also strategic partners alongside the management team, members of the board and various sub-committees, and have a close relationship built on mutual respect and understanding and alignment of individual roles.
