Transforming the biltong industry
The BiltongBoard.com was created in 2015 to link local lovers of biltong with small producers whose quality products were going unnoticed. Two years – and over 100 biltong recipes – later, the full range will soon be available offline at a stylish dedicated Biltong Board bar set to open in the Cape Town CBD.
A serial entrepreneur, French-born Maxime Eon realised that a few large manufacturers were controlling the biltong industry, and supplying biltong to generic retail stores and supermarkets was often overpriced and of an inferior quality.
Biltong Board was launched as a subscription box service, offering a selection of organic, MSG-free, ethically-sourced biltong from over 70 producers nationwide. Customers could sign up for one, three or six months and get a curated selection of biltong based on a menu that changed on a monthly basis delivered regularly to their door.
The website has now been relaunched offering customers the freedom to order product according to their preference and budget, with a new payments system using debit orders.
Especially exciting is the introduction of a new biltong range developed by Eon and supplier-turned-business-partner Sarel van der Walt. The new selection comprised over 30 types of biltong, including game like gemsbok and eland, and gourmet varieties like beef fillet and waygu beef.
In addition, a physical version of Biltong Board will soon appear in the heart of the Cape Town city centre on the corner of Bloem and Loop Street in the form of a modern, sidewalk eatery and bar that will showcase the company’s extensive variety of biltong alongside a range of local craft beers and wines.
Eon believes Biltong Board is ushering in a state of flux in the biltong business.
“The industry is very focused on the actual product. I often compare the biltong industry to the coffee industry ten years ago. There used to be one major coffee franchise in South Africa, but then smaller brands emerged, like Deluxe and Truth, and they understood that coffee was more than a product, it was a routine. They understood the importance of the experience to the customer. We want to be to the biltong industry what some of these guys have been to the coffee industry. It’s all about providing a unique experience.”
By: Lauren Hartzenberg
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