East biltong business credits local farmers’ markets for raising its profile

A business that sells the handmade South African delicacy biltong is building its business thanks to its regular attendance at a local farmers’ market.

BareFoot Biltong, which is run by Jacqui Ellerker and her partner Zoe Messenger, launched in September 2013 to provide handmade biltong – a dried, cured beef – to the UK market. Initially a web venture selling to ex-pats online through eBay, Amazon and their own dedicated website, the business needed to find a way to introduce Brits to biltong.

Zoe says:

“Being solely web-based was hard – simply because biltong still isn’t that well-known in the UK. We needed to get in front of customers, let them try our product and gradually build a customer base. We thought regional farmers’ markets and food festivals were the answer and they are proving a success, especially the monthly one at the Bridge.”

What started out as a simple home comfort for South African Jacqui, who moved to the UK in 2012, has now become their livelihood.

Zoe explains:

“One thing Jacqui missed when she left South Africa was the food, so she thought about making her own biltong at home. We researched on the internet how to make the drying and curing cabinet and built our own, complete with curing racks and hanging rails.

“Biltong is made by slicing silverside beef into strips and marinating them in vinegar and spices that we ship over from South Africa. The drying cabinets remove the moisture from the meat and it takes about five to nine days for the biltong to cure.

“Our friends and family here in East Yorkshire tried it and loved it, and word soon spread to our South African friends here in the UK who were asking us to make it for them. It became really popular. And when Jacqui struggled to find a job, she decided to make a go of it as a business.”

With support from Environmental Health, Jacqui and Zoe converted a building in their garden into a production unit, where they installed stainless steel cabinets shipped over from South Africa. In addition to producing biltong on a larger scale, they also import also South African foods, such as sweets and condiments, to sell to the UK market.

Zoe added:

“There’s a real niche market here in the UK for overseas foods. It’s a real home comfort for those who have moved here from other countries and I can’t believe how popular it is. We had a customer at the Humber Bridge Farmers’ Market who was overwhelmed with emotion when she saw some of her favourite foods on our stall, some which she hadn’t tasted for years. It reminded her of home and she bought most of the products we had, along with our homemade biltong.”

BareFoot Biltong will be at the next Humber Bridge Farmers’ Market, which will return to the bridge viewing area in , on Sunday 1st March from 9am to 1pm.

Featuring more than 100 stalls selling the best in seasonal, regional produce, and with a dedicated section for arts and crafts, the event has become the largest of its kind in the region and is attended by in excess of 5,000 people monthly.

For more information, visit www.barefootbiltong.co.uk

ENDS

Editor’s notes

The Humber Bridge Farmers’ Market, which holds accreditation from the National Farmers’ Retail & Markets Association (FARMA), is held on the first Sunday of every month, from 9am to 1pm, and ample free parking is available on site.

For further information, please contact: Laura Greendale Tel: 01482 236964 Email: [email protected]