70 | Committed to innovation and growth Russell Fredric PRODUCTION BX Foods Here to help with all your transport needs Call Boof on 027 375 8025 23 Main North Road, Geraldine Proud to work alongside BX Foods Oamaru Meats For all your: Livestock, Bulk and General Cartage and Fertiliser Spreading Locally owned and operated With a staff of around 190 to 200 workers, Oamaru-based BX Foods is a significant employer in North Otago as well as being a major contributor to the regional economy. BX Foods Oamaru plant, processes beef and lamb year-round up to six days a week during the peak season, operating to global best-practice animal welfare standards. The company was established in its present form in 2015 when China-based parent company Binxi decided to establish an off-shore facility. Director Richard Thorp says New Zealand’s renowned supply of prime lamb and beef offered a significant opportunity to meet the demands of the worlds fastest growing protein market. Today, BX Foods fosters North Otago’s rich meat industry heritage combined with a solid commitment to innovation and growth. Its most recent commitment has been to add significant cool store and blast freezer infrastructure at a cost of $7 million. “There was previously no blast freezing facility at the Oamaru Meats site, which meant product had to be transported to Timaru to be frozen, “ says Richard. “It’s a necessary part of our infrastructure to push the business forward,” Richard says. The 14-month project was completed recently and will significantly future-proof BX Foods blast freezing and cool store capacity for the years ahead. Despite being majority overseas owned, the culture of the business is firmly based on a locally owned-and-operated model, with Richard and two other colleagues, who all have strong connections to its farmer suppliers, being shareholders “We are a significant employer in the district. We inject $12 million of wages every year and easily another $3 million to $4 million of services locally.” to page 72
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