The country’s top butchers are certainly worth their beef. The best butcheries both nationally and regionally were announced at a luncheon last week attended by senior members of the meat production and retail industry, award finalists, judges and media.

The Cleaver Awards, which are proudly supported by Freddy Hirsch, were launched in 2005 to meet the needs of the consumer by raising standards amongst butcheries. Since these awards started eleven years ago, butchery standards have significantly improved and feedback from consumers show that the majority perceive the Cleaver Awards to be a seal of approval, most importantly because a butchery cannot enter themselves, they have to be nominated by their customers.

Furthermore Cleaver Award winners have come to realise the extent to which a Cleaver Award is recognition of quality in everything they do. While many top butcheries win a Cleaver Award year after year, 2015 has also seen some brand new butchery stars getting the recognition they deserve by winning their first Cleaver Award. These include Country Meat in Fourways; King’s Meat Deli in Lynnbridge Mall; Jandre’s Neat Meats in Valhalla; Power Meat in Welkom, Continental Butchery in Port Elizabeth and Oudshoorn Spar in Oudshoorn. The South African Red Meat Industry extends a warm welcome to these new winners, winners voted for by their loyal and satisfied customers.

“Some of the finalists have scored up to 99.8% on a 212 point checklist which is used to independently assess all of these contestants. This means that for some of the top butcheries in the country, the difference between winning or not winning a Cleaver Award could come down to a point of a percent,” says Dave Ford, Chairman of the South African Red Meat Industry forum.

Guests at the Awards lunch held at Definitive Conferencing in Isando, Johannesburg were treated to a delicious variety of meat, including superior quality South African Beef, prepared on the latest range of braais by the Weber culinary team, thanks to a new association between the Cleaver Awards and Weber.

Nominations were opened towards the end of last year for consumers around the country to vote and nominate their best butchery. A record number of nominations totaling over 35 000 were received, a phenomenal feat when one considers that 3 500 nominations were received when the competition first launched in 2005.

An initiative of the South African Red Meat Industry Forum, these Awards acknowledge butcheries which meet consumer expectations on in-store hygiene, the supply of quality assured roller marked South African Beef, their level of competency in offering the best advice on meal preparations and perceived value for money.

Butchers were judged according to three categories namely;

1. Butcheries with fouror more till points,
2. Butcheries with three or fewer till points and,
3. Food market / Supermarket butcheries

NATIONAL WINNERS

3 and more tills

1. Butcher Boys, Vanderbijlpark                                                           Platinum
2. Boma Vleismark, Moreletapark                                                        Gold

Up to 3 tills

1. West End Vleismark, Kimberley                                                       Platinum
2. Country Meat, Fourways                                                                    Gold

Meat Markets

1. Karaglen Superspar, Edenvale                                                        Platinum
2. The Grove Super Spar, Nelspruit                                                    Gold

    GAUTENG

3 and more tills

1. King`s Meat Deli, Lynnbridge Mall                                                   Platinum
2. Berliner Grill & Deli, Randburg                                                         Gold

Up to 3 tills

1. Ziman Meat, Randfontein                                                                      Platinum

2.     Jandre`s Neat Meats, Valhalla                                                         Gold

Meat Market

1. Uitkyk Vleismark, Silverton                                                                Platinum
2. Tony`s Meat Market, Randfontein                                                    Gold

LIMPOPO

3 and more tills

1. Vleislapa, Marshallstreet,Polokwane                                              Platinum
2. Vleislapa, Groblerstreet, Polokwane                                               Gold

North West

3 and more tills

1. Impala Vleismark, Brits                                                                       Platinum
2. Goudkopslaghuis, Klerksdorp                                                          Gold

Up to 3 tills

1. Uitkyk Vleismark,Lichtenburg                                                           Platinum
2. Tristar Meat, Schweizer Reyneke                                                    Gold

MPUMALANGA

3 and more tills

1. Alan`s Butchery, Ermelo                                                                    Platinum
2. Super Servings, Witbank                                                                   Gold

Up to 3 tills

1. Franks Meat, Middelburg                                                                   Platinum

Meat  Market

1. Crossing Super Spar, Nelspruit                                                        Platinum
2. Saveway Super Spar, Witbank                                                         Gold

FREE STATE

3 and more tills

1. Fredilia Meat, Welkom                                                                       Platinum
2. Power Meat, Welkom                                                                         Gold

Up to 3 tills

1. Koepel Vleismark, Parys                                                                    Platinum

Meat Market

1. Pick & Pay Prellerwalk, Bloemfontein                                             Platinum
2. Checkers Hyper, Fleurdal, Bloemfontein                                       Gold

NORTHERN CAPE

Up to 3 tills

1. Angus Butchery, Kuruman                                                                 Platinum
2. Koki`s Meat Market, Kimberley                                                         Gold

EASTERN CAPE

3 and more tills

1. Cuyler Butchery, Uitenhage                                                              Platinum

Up to 3 tills

1. Heydenrychs, Port Elizabeth                                                             Platinum
2. Impala Meats, East London                                                               Gold
3. Continental Butchery, Port Elizabeth                                               Gold

Meat Market

1. Our Super Spar, Walmer, Port Elizabeth                                        Platinum
2. Checkers, Greenacres, Port Elizabeth                                            Gold
3. Sunridge Super Spar, Port Elizabeth                                              Gold

WESTERN CAPE

3 and more tills

1. Excellent Food Market, Elsies River                                                Platinum

Up to 3 tills

1. Tomis Country Butchery,Wellington                                                Platinum
2. Stilbaai Slaghuis, Stilbaai                                                                  Gold

Meat Market

1. Super Spar, Malmesbury                                                                   Platinum
2. Oudtshoorn Spar,Oudshoorn                                                           Gold
3. Pick n Pay, Malmesbury                                                                     Gold

KZN

3 and more tills

1. Bluff Meats, Pinetown                                                                         Platinum
2. Bluff Meats, Bluff, Durban                                                                  Gold

Up to 3 tills

1. Michael Frey`s, Shelly Beach                                                           Platinum
2. Dirks Meat Market, Glenwood, Durban                                           Gold

Meat Market

1. Pick n Pay, Shelly Beach                                                                   Platinum
2. Pick n Pay, Kingsburgh                                                                      Gold

The winners in each category received Platinum Awards and the runners up Gold Awards. First prize winners in each national category received a R 20 000 cash prize and a Platinum Trophy Award. The runners up received a R 10 000 cash prize as well as a Gold Cleaver Award Trophy. All of the provincial winners received either a Platinum or Gold Cleaver Award Trophy in their category. Three consumers who nominated the three National Platinum winners each received a voucher for a R1 500 hamper of beef products from the winning butcher.