Our Proud Heritage

Meat Facility of Theron's meat Products Theron’s Meat Products was founded in 1983 by the Theron family. The business started as a small processing meat manufacturing plant in Elson Street, Pretoria West. The facility was elementary and focused on making polonies, Russians, Vienna’s, and bacon. These products were mainly manufactured to create extra income and to complement the fresh meats sold through the chain of Theron’s butcheries, started by the current owner, Dawie Theron’s grandfather, Dawid Theron Senior.

Since 13, Dawie has been up at 04h00 during school holidays to work alongside his friends in the butchery. During this period, he became a master of sosatie making, carrying parcels for customers, packing products, and cleaning the workstations. Dawie qualified himself as a block man and also gained valuable experience and insight into the wholesale part of the business, buying meat from local abattoirs in the early 1980s.

This practical experience paved the way for his understanding of process flow, productivity in the workplace, and the importance and worth of investing in world-class equipment to build a processed meat manufacturing plant of note. Thus, the foundations of our brand-new facility were laid long before any actual digging was done on the plot next to the old factory facility. Gaining insight into the inner workings of what makes a business successful paved the way to what is today, our pride and honour.

Dawie Theron junior took over the Management of Theron’s Meat Products in 1991. He set out to transform the factory into a facility that could service more than just the Theron family butcheries. The goal was to become a note manufacturer, supplying large wholesale and retail businesses with a broader range of value-added processed meats. In the early years, the facility was situated on the first floor of the wholesale property. The facility had only one heavy-duty lift to receive tons of raw meat, spices, and packaging materials. To add to the challenge, receiving, production, dispatch, and administration were managed on a roughly 200 square meters floor. From the get-go, Dawie was the manager, secretary, bookkeeper, and sales representative all in one!

The processed meat plant was profitable within a year, and the best was yet to come! In 1995, the public was welcomed into the business to buy at wholesale prices. Theron’s Meat Products is proud of its commitment to its valued customers and still sells its quality products at real factory prices.

The business grew in leaps and bounds from the late nineties, and from the start, it was evident that a new facility would be the only solution to stay ahead of sales and manufacturing demands. The facility in Elson Street could never keep up with the growth in product demand. Finding a suitable property proved to be a challenge for 14 years! Many upgrades were done to the old facility during this time, but these upgrades only temporarily solved the space problems. Despite these challenges, we persevered, demonstrating our commitment to meeting customer demand.

In 2009, the Company acquired the property next to the existing factory and set out to build a new facility up to international standards. Extensive research was done on the industry’s best machinery and equipment. With an attentive focus on health and safety standards, operational systems, and human resource demands, Theron’s Meat was rebuilt in March 2009, ensuring that our products meet the industry’s highest quality and safety standards.

Phase 1 – The new Factory shop was completed and opened on the 9th of November 2009.
Phase 2 – The ground floor administration offices were completed in March 2010.
Phase 3 – The new Dispatch department was fully operational on the 2nd of December 2011.
Phase 4—The new management offices and the production and receiving departments were completed and fully functional in August 2013.
Phase 5—Following unparalleled growth, our very successful factory shop and hot food section needed an upgrade after only 6 years of business. We required more preparation space, heavy-duty stoves, and flat-top grills to meet the ever-growing demand for good, home-cooked food at affordable prices.
The 2015 upgrade to the hot food section allowed us to give the factory shop a modern “facelift” to enhance the consumers’ buying and service experience.
Phase 6—In 2017 and 2018, a brand new production area for Theron’s Pork Rib range was built. This department is run separately to ensure the highest food safety and hygiene standards.
Phase 7 – The existing fresh sausage production area was upgraded and enlarged. This allows Theron’s to manufacture a higher volume of fresh sausages with the bonus of state-of-the-art food safety and hygiene process flow practices. This ensures quality and freshness at all times.

This year marks 42 years in the Meat Processing Industry. We are humbled by the success that followed hard work and perseverance. We pride ourselves on serving our community and contributing to economic growth by selling Theron’s Meat’s QUALITY products at REAL FACTORY PRICES DIRECTLY TO THE PUBLIC, not only to WHOLESALERS and RETAILERS. Our commitment to the community is a core part of our business, and we are proud to contribute to the local economy.