Resellers and Retailers
If you are interested in selling our products in your own shop (be this ecommerce or a physical shop), please CONTACT US for more information.
We will supply only legitimate sellers (eg: registered businesses, or retail sellers with a history of legitimate trading).
If we approve of your application to stock our products, we will send you a range of samples to introduce you to our products. There will be a nominal charge for these samples.
Biltong has a growing following in the UK as people start to appreciate the nutritional qualities, great taste and texture of the product. Industry research shows that the UK market is growing by between 10% and 12% annually. Many large retailers and supermarkets are stocking and selling biltong alongside popular snackfoods such as crisps, nuts and confectionery. In many supermarkets, packs of biltong can be found alongside the British favourite, pork scratchings (though this product is cooked).
Principally, biltong is made using beef - with the quality of the original meat being a significant factor in the quality of the end product. Biltong is also made from game meat and venison, and in South Africa, ostrich biltong is very popular. White meats (most domestic poultry) are generally not used to make biltong. Pork also does not lend itself to biltong manufacture, but some of the most delicious (and expensive) air-cured hams are made using pork.
Biltong is similar to American "beef jerky", but the manufacturing process is very different. Some people find "jerky" to be an acquired taste, so this product has limited appeal - but biltong is universally appreciated and is growing in popularity all over the world.
Pemmican (another North American invention) originally comprised ground-up bison meat with an equal portion of fat added (and sometimes various berries and nuts), which was then air-dried (usually for several weeks). Pemmican originated in indigenous societies of Canada, and by the mid 18th century had been adopted by European settlers and explorers. The method (50% ground meat plus 50% animal fat) was adopted by the British in the mid 19th century, and Captain Robert Scott took copious quantities of beef-based pemmican with him on his Antarctic expeditions. We understand the flavour and texture of pemmican to be "unusual" and like jerky, is more of an acquired taste.
Dried and cured meats are made by many societies around the world, and in Europe, the French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese cured meats are appreciated as gourmet products by massive numbers of people, and some of these products command high prices. In Eastern Europe, many exquisite salami-style products are made - chiefly through salting, spicing and dry-curing. Biltong is in this classification of cured meats, and when properly and carefully made, is simply delicious. In the UK, the manufacture of biltong was limited until recently, as the food standards agencies were dubious about its "safety" as un-cooked meat. Fortunately, the various authorities have learned that cured meats are a cultural icon of most European countries (as well as internationally), and that when made with care, cured meats are perfectly safe and hygienic.
Like all cured meats in this genre, biltong is a healthy and high-protein food, and while the fat content can be high, this can be moderated by trimming excess fat off the raw meat before curing.
Biltong is an attractive product for specialist food shops, delicatessens, pubs and bars - and in fact, in any grocery retail outlet.