Country Meat partners with Matrix Software

 

 

How Country Meat partners with Matrix Software for traceability and smarter growth

 

 

When a business grows from a single butchery to a national premium meat brand, the systems behind it need to grow too. For Country Meat, the turning point came when manual processes and basic tools could no longer support the complexity of a farm-to-plate operation. 

That’s when a partnership with Matrix Software began, one that transformed how the company manages traceability, stock control and performance across multiple sites. What started as a need for better visibility became a collaboration that continues to shape how Country Meat grows and innovates.

“When we started Country Meat, it was just one store in Kroonstad and a big dream,” says co-founder and CEO Danie Prinsloo. Their story began as part of the Sernick group, a large agricultural business with its own farm, feedlot, mill and abattoir.

 

In 2009, Danie and a colleague opened their first retail store, followed by a second in Johannesburg in 2012. “Beef is our core business,” he says, “but we’re also big on lamb.

We offer everything from crocodile to goat and any type of specialty meats. Because we manage the entire process ourselves, we know exactly where our product comes from and how it gets to the customer.”

As the business expanded into hospitality supply and restaurants, its operational needs grew more complex. The very model that gave Country Meat its competitive edge, built on a farm-to-plate approach, also placed new demands on its systems behind the scenes. That growth set the stage for a partnership that would transform how the business operates.

When spreadsheets and basic POS don’t cut it

As Country Meat expanded, it became clear that conventional tools weren’t built for the realities of meat retail. Danie explains, “Stock control is one of the biggest things you have to worry about in this game.”

Traceability was top of mind from the start. “A big part of what we thought about was being able to trace back where the stock comes from and how it moves through the supply chain,” Danie says. This led to the decision to bring Matrix Software into the business, first at the abattoir and then into the retail stores.

“At the time, Matrix Software was focused on the abattoir space, but we were one of the first to really start in retail with them,” he explains. That early partnership paid off. “Over the years, it’s served us well to have the right software,” Danie says. “It also helped us write our SOPs, almost building them the way the system wants it, which is a good blueprint for most in this space.”

For Country Meat, Matrix Software became more than just a system to replace spreadsheets and basic POS. It became the backbone of how the business protects its stock, tracks its product and operates with structure.

Balancing precision and flexibility across operations

Before approaching Matrix Software, Danie and his team had to manage the very different demands of factory and retail operations. “A big part of it was to understand the roles that the factory and the abattoir play versus the roles that the retail section plays,” he says. “The factory is very easy to implement because, let’s just say, you have 300 hindquarters of an animal. You cut them exactly the same way, you get all your yields and you close that batch.”

The retail environment was far less predictable. “In retail, it works a bit differently,” Danie explains. “Some customers would walk in, see a hindquarter hanging at the back and say, listen, I just want that little piece of it. That was quite difficult to get your head around. You have to work in a very agile environment, and it changes all the time.”

He also recognised that too much admin could become a barrier to productivity. “You can get analysis paralysis if your admin burden becomes so big that the juice is not worth the squeeze,” he says. “Eventually you have to find that sweet spot around control versus still being able to operate the business in a very easy way that your people can understand.”

Solving operational challenges together

For Danie, what makes the partnership with Matrix Software valuable is not just the system itself, but the way the team behind it works with their customers. “What we love about Matrix Software is that they’re flexible in their approach,” he says.

Country Meat was one of the first businesses to implement Matrix Software extensively within its retail operations, and that early involvement paved the way for ongoing collaboration. “There are a lot of challenges in the retail environment, but we find it very easy to speak to the team and solve challenges together,” says Danie.

That relationship has opened the door to innovation. “One of the projects we’re working on is to build an app to manage deliveries,” he explains. “We do have an online store, but it is a bit cumbersome. Over the years, we’ve had to figure out what technology works best for our business and how to integrate it.”

Another example is how Matrix Software helped optimise their pricing systems.

“We introduced a digital scale system with Bizerba as our partner. Matrix Software helped us identify the right partner and built a seamless solution. When we update pricing or codes, it automatically syncs with the system,” Danie says.

The result was immediate. “It allowed us to make price changes very quickly without worrying about every single station being updated,” he explains. This flexibility extends across multiple stores. “We run multiple branches, and because it’s Matrix Software in both, we can send all the information through a VPN.

We can choose what pricing to keep separate between the branches or standardise everything across.”
This approach is what Danie believes sets Matrix Software apart. “It’s not just a system. It’s a team that’s willing to build solutions with us,” he says. “That makes all the difference.”

Choosing a partner that understands the industry

When Country Meat began looking for a technology partner, Danie wanted more than a system that looked good on the surface. “There are a lot of systems that seem very appealing. But knowledge of the meat industry is extremely important,” he says.

Danie first met the Matrix Software team at an abattoir conference. Many of Country Meat’s suppliers were already using Matrix Software, which meant built-in alignment on labelling, scanning and stock handling.

“We love to partner. We love to be first. It’s always great if you can find a partner that also gives back and says, okay, let’s do it together,” Danie says. “It’s cost effective for us as well as it helps them to roll out more functionality to other clients.”

For him, it’s not just about solving problems but how those problems are handled. “It’s not the issue itself. It’s the attitude around it and how you change that issue. That was very important for us so that you can walk that path together,” he says.

A carefully planned implementation

For Danie and his team, adopting Matrix Software was a carefully planned decision. “A big part of this was not just implementation, but also training,” he explains. Migrating from their old system required careful data migration and cleanup. “If someone asks you to chop down a tree and I give you an axe, one guy starts chopping immediately. The other sharpens the axe first. When it’s time to chop, it’s done in an hour. If you plan properly, implementation is a lot smoother.”

Danie credits Matrix Software’s industry knowledge for making the migration easier. “With any system, there will be pitfalls,” he says. “But because they’ve been in this game for so long, they knew what to look out for. That’s why you want a provider that understands your industry.”

Turning data into decisions

For Danie, the effectiveness of Matrix Software lies in how it turns complex operational data into clear, actionable insights. “The reporting is one of the strongest features I’ve found. And it’s customisable.”

Country Meat uses several core modules across the business. “We use the management module, which houses all the data and reporting,” Danie explains. “We also use the dispatch, stock and invoicing modules.” Integration has also been key to their setup. “We’ve recently changed accounting systems, and they’ve been very helpful with integrating the accounting system with Matrix Software.”

The system’s ability to measure yield has become one of its biggest advantages. “When you break up a carcass into different primal sections, it’s very good to see what each blockman or meat cutter does. It gives you a very strong KPI system,” Danie says. “Whatever data you put in determines the results you get out.”

This precision matters in a business where every gram counts. “We’re big on biltong and droëwors. Tracking those batches is important because you might have a dry room that runs a bit hot, which gives you a worse yield than if you do it slower over time and the yields improve,” he explains. “Our industry is very competitive. You work on very tight margins, so it’s important to manage those numbers, and those numbers come from the process.”

Building a legacy of quality

The story of Country Meat and Matrix Software is ultimately one of shared vision. What began with the need for traceability and stock control evolved into a long-term partnership built on trust and deep industry knowledge.

Danie’s commitment extends beyond the business itself. “We are passionate about South Africa. We are passionate about the people of South Africa,” he says. “Personally, I’m passionate about providing jobs and seeing our people flourish and grow and seeing their children being able to go to school.”
That sense of purpose underpins everything Country Meat does.

With the right technology partner at their side, the business continues to build on a legacy of quality, passion and honouring its roots while embracing the future with confidence.

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