The Karan Beef story

This world-class facility, a large contributor to the South African meat industry, is located in Balfour, Mpumalanga, which consists of slaughtering, deboning, chilling and freezing. Because we believe in humane slaughtering, our abattoir was designed by animal behaviour specialist Dr Temple Grandin to ensure humane treatment of our animals from the moment they arrive at this facility. It uses the most advanced technology and strict systems that comply with the most stringent international standards for humane slaughtering, making it arguably the most modern beef processing facility of its kind in Africa. As the largest beef producers, the abattoir has the capacity to process up to 2 040 head of cattle daily.

From slaughter floor through deboning hall, meat processing, offal processing and packing to by-products, cold storage and our on-site factory shop, we maintain the highest possible standards to produce the best quality beef products.

We conduct ongoing audits and have a zero-tolerance stance on hygiene practices. As a result, we can minimise any risk of bacterial cross contamination throughout our abattoir. Every carcass is electronically stimulated, steam-vacuumed and pH-monitored to ensure consistently high-quality beef. Once the cattle are slaughtered and dressed, a certain percentage is sold as swinging sides and the balance is moved to our deboning plant and meat processing facility, where we produce various beef products.

No part of a KARAN BEEF animal goes to waste. We make optimal use of the whole animal, including the fifth quarter. Hides are sold on for further value adding, and our by-products plant produces blood meal, carcass meal and tallow used in pharmaceutical products and as additives for pet foods.

Our powerful network database allows us to track slaughtered animals back from the abattoir to their farms of origin, providing cattle farmers with valuable feedback on their cattle. All health inspections during the slaughtering process are conducted by the meat inspection division of South Africa's national Department of Agriculture, ensuring that we meet demanding international food safety standards and maintain our quality beef exporter status.

Our deboning plant processes up to 300 tons of deboned quality beef per shift. The result is a full range of premium quality beef cuts for major supermarket chains, caterers, hotels, restaurants, butchers and other retail outlets.

All our beef products are vacuum-packed, and selected products are aged before distribution. Because we are committed to quality at every touchpoint in beef production process, we always maintain the highest food safety accreditation certifications available worldwide. Our deboning department meets international standards and adheres to the latest Food Safety Accreditation Standards, as well as the latest on good manufacturing standards.

Our Abattoir also boasts the latest in cold storage technology. The fully automated facility consists of an Automatic Carton Freezer (ACF), Freezer Store, Chiller Store, and Airlock Store. It combines cutting-edge storage and refrigeration technology with innovative design principles. From the use of advanced fire prevention systems to robotic racking and dual-stage temperatures, our facility is not only highly productive but also energy-efficient.

The plant’s capacity is 3000 tons of chilled stock and 6000 tons of frozen stock. Staying true to our commitment to leading best practice in beef production in South Africa, the automatic carton freezer is the first of its size built in the country. The facility is also one of the highest freezer and chiller stores in South Africa, each at an internal height of almost 20m and with a total volume of 40 000m3 and 20 000m3 respectively.