FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
The Deli-Co Story
The Fleet is getting ready to hit the road for deliveries.
The Truter-Family
Susan Truter. One of the Founders and directors.
Today Deli-Co supplies over 2000 businesses with meat!
Thanks to the farm, feed mill and feedlots, we have the
capacity to feed up to 12 000 lambs per day. From where
we started with a farm bakkie and trailer, we now have a fleet of 25 delivery vehicles that make over 500 deliveries on a daily basis, 6 days a week. Our small team of 3 employees has grown to over 650 people who are permanently employed in the Deli-Co Group.
We’ve expanded our business to the point where we now have top managers for the farm, feed mill, operations,
butchery and production respectively. Even though we’re continuously growing our business, our foundation and values remain unchanged – and our business is, was and always will be rooted in a passion for family, people, animals, farming and meat.
Our Services
Our commitment, and follow-through on sustainability is a key way we’re making sure we do the right thing by our customers who increasingly want to know that their red meat is sustainably produced.
Our History
THE ORIGIN OF DELI-CO.
- In 1993 on the kitchen table of their farmhouse in Riebeek Kasteel, Susan and Pieter Truter started to process meat. Hennie Truter's (from the neighbor farm) cold room was bought. (3 meters x 3 meters). The Truter family's household deep freeze was used to freeze the products. (1 meter x 2 meters) The farm "bakkie" with the cooler box was used to make deliveries to the families in town.
THE OPENING OF THE BUTCHERY ON THE FARM.
- In May of 1996, the Deli-Co Farmstyle Butchery retail shop was built on De La Fontaine Farm. Standing at an impressive size of 21m x 9m. Suzaan Truter (then Smit) joined the Truter family in 1996 to help with production - Today she runs our HR Department.
THE ORIGIN OF DELI-CO ABATTOIR.
- The year 1998 brought immense sadness to the Truter family with the loss of Erik Truter. In honouring his memory, the family chose to use his insurance payout to build a new abattoir. The construction started on the new facility to produce more carcasses for the demand in Riebeek Kasteel. In this new abattoir between 30-50 sheep were slaughtered per week. Frederick Truter, Susan's second son, returned to the farm to help continue the family legacy.
ENID JOINS THE FAMILY BUSINESS.
- Enid Truter (then Van Der Westhuizen) joined the family business first as part of the farm industry and later converted into the butchery- Today she runs our Accounts & Payments Department.
DELI-CO'S FIRST FORMAL DELIVERY VEHICLE: THE VITO.
- Frederick chose to invest the funds from his father's policy into purchasing Deli-Co's very first formal delivery vehicle.
HENDRI TRUTER MOVES BACK TO THE FARM.
- Hendri (the youngest of Susan and Erik Truter) comes to the farm and becomes part of the business. As a result of his influence, Deli-Co began focusing on restaurants as well as public purchases. With that, another delivery vehicle had to be purchased. The Sprinter joined the Fleet of two vehicles.
SHELLY JOINS THE FAMILY.
- Shelly Truter (then Schulze) joined the family business- Today she is in-charge of all Admin & Credit Notes.
DELI-CO BUTCHERY & ABATTOIR EXTENSION WITH NDC.
- The construction started to connect the Butchery to the Abattoir. An Offal Cleaning Plant was built with Ouma Marie in charge. (50 Lamb Offals were cleaned per day) A Cold Room was built that can take up to 600 Lamb Carcasses, along with boxes. A Dry Store, Box Room, Spice Room, and Packaging Material Room were also built. Along with new Offices that could accommodate 25 people. The retail shop on the farm was also enlarged.
DELI-CO AT KLAPMUTS IS BORN.
- Deli-Co signed the contract to open our second retail store, Deli-Co at Potbelly in Klapmuts. Anneli Truter (the daughter of Susan and Erik Truter) becomes part of the family business and manages the farmstall in Klapmuts.
THE FIRST FEEDING FACILITY.
- The decision was made to build the first Feeding Facility on the farm to ensure quality lambs/sheep directly from the premises. This Facility could feed up to 1,500 lambs.
THE SALAMI STICK'S ORIGIN
- In 2015 the famous Deli-Co Salami Stick made its first appearance. As a passion project for Hendri Truter and his wife, Shelly Truter to raise enough money to build their forever home on the farm. The project was called "Stick for a Brick". This entailed that they had to get these new "Salami Sticks" sold to get their house.
FEEDING FACILITY TWO.
- Deli-Co built the second Feeding facility that could accommodate about 4900 lambs. Self-feeders were built into this new facility to ensure a steady feeding schedule for the lambs. This then brings us to the feed total of 1500 + 4900 + 1500 in the outer camps = 7900 sheep feed/ day.
NEW ADDITIONS.
UPGRADES TO THE ABATTOIR AND OFFAL PLANT.
- The Abattoir and Offal plant upgrades start. The abattoir upgrades consisted of a new carcass cooler that can take up to 1000 lambs with a high movement rate of 2500 lambs per day. The Abattoir & Offal Plant is export- and FSSC 22000 accredited. The Offal Plant upgrade increased production to 850 offals per day.
UPGRADES FINISHED & NEW TRUCK.
- Upgrades of the abattoir were completed, and a second long-distance truck was purchased to transport our products to Port Elizabeth and George.
BIG MOMENTS.
- In early January, Planning began for the new factory, farm shop & possible bistro. In the middle of the year, Deli-Co’s plans for a new and improved facility were approved to start being built. A “ground-breaking”-ceremony was held to celebrate with all of Deli-Co’s employees.
Deli-Co on Main (Town Shop) was established to sell our products during the construction of the farm shop.
Suné Truter (the first grandchild) joined the family business - She is our Junior Feeding Facility Manager.
THE BIG CONSTRUCTION.
- The construction for Deli-Co 2.0 started with Isipani.
THE NEW.
- In 2023, manufacturing areas for various of our products were built.
Blast Freezers. Packing Rooms. 2000 Pallet Holding Freezer. 500 Pallet Holding Chillers. 4500 Sheep Carcass Chillers space. 8 Docking Systems for Receiving and Dispatch. Offices accommodate 80 people. Truck yard large enough for 70 trucks, including a truck wash, and guard house. Ammonia refrigeration plant to make our factory very efficient. Water reticulation system to make use of all our "waste" water, now building green gardens as we re-use all the water.
Compost facilities to accommodate all the "waste" from the farm and factory to rebuild our agricultural ground on the farm.
Léan Truter (the second grandchild) joined the family business - She runs our Design & Media Department.