Turning disaster into opportunity

After a fire destroyed the Tomis Group’s meat-processing facility, the owners decided to reinvent the business as a market leader in meat quality and safety. Managing director Laurie Terblanche spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the recovery and transition.

- Glenneis Kriel

Meat being packaged, labelled and priced. The retailer simply takes delivery and displays the products on the shelves.

The Tomis Group, based near Hermon in the Western Cape, had humble beginnings. Established in 1993 as Tomis Abattoir by Tommy Moolman and Isabelle Terblanche (later Moolman), it started out as a small sheep abattoir with the capacity to slaughter just five animals a day. The business grew steadily, however, and in time expanded its services to include a feedlot, a cattle abattoir, and deboning, packing and composting plants.

FAST FACTS

The Tomis Group’s abattoir and processing facilities offer a centralised solution to food safety.

The group controls the entire value chain: feedlotting, slaughtering, processing and packaging.

The facilities are ZA-rated, which has enabled the business to export meat products to the Middle and Far East.

Sheep arriving at the abattoir are kept as calm and comfortable as possible.

On the night of 21 November 2017, a disaster struck: an electrical fire broke out and wiped out almost the entire operation.

“It was a tremendous blow. The insurance didn’t cover all the damages, leaving us at a crossroads: whether or not to continue the business, and if we did carry on, whether to reposition ourselves,” recalls managing director Laurie Terblanche. Terblanche, who is Isabelle’s son, joined the family business in 1998 after completing his BAccLLB at Stellenbosch University.

Sheep troughs are filled automatically to prevent competition for feed.

The decision was made not only to continue operating but to develop a new vision for the group based on an evaluation of the changing market.