Hellbent’s rich South African flavours win with Ireland’s top store
Succulent and deliciously different meat flavours from South Africa which have been crafted by Northern Ireland-based Hellbent, a Food NI member, have been chosen by Dunnes Stores, Ireland’s biggest grocer and most successful retailer.
An innovation-led business formed by Ulster rugby stars Louis Ludik and Schalk van der Merwe, Hellbent has won business with Dunnes Stores for four original food products which combine the best Northern Ireland beef with distinctively rich seasonings and BBQ-led cooking techniques from their homeland in South Africa.
The enterprising duo has aleady introduced consumers in many parts of the British Isles to meats used on the Braai, an essential part of South African culture, that brings family and friends together in celebration of everything from birthdays to graduations to engagements and national holidays.
The word ‘braai’ is Afrikaans, originating from the Dutch word ‘braden’ which means ‘to roast’. The beauty of the braai is that it’s not specific to any one cultural group in South Africa, and it transcends the country’s troubled past to bring the nation together.
The four unique foods are: ‘Boerewors’ coiled beef sausages, Chakalata spicy beef sausages, burgers and chargrill burgers. All four products from Hellbent are high in protein and feature premium ingredients from fully traceable sources.
They have now been listed by Dunnes, a network with almost 140 stores in the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland.
Chakalata is a coiled sausage made from 90 percent Irish beef seasoned with authentic South African Chakalaka curry along with onions and tomatoes. Chakalaka spice is popular throughout South Africa for spicy meals including breads, stews and curries.
Hellbent was established in March 2018 by Louis and Schalk to develop a range of meat products, including South African style boerewors beef sausages, burgers and meat balls.
Louis, commenting on the latest retail listing, says: “Dunnes Stores contacted us a while ago about stocking some of our products. We were thrilled by the approach and keen to work with such an influential and successful food retailer that has scores of stores across the island of Ireland.
“It’s our first deal with Dunnes Stores and takes our business to a new and very exciting level for even faster growth,” he adds.
“Dunnes has a tremendous commitment to local artisan producers, in particular, and has listed many from Northern Ireland over the past few years.
“We are keen to work with Dunnes on tasting showcases for customers to increase consumer awareness and help ensure the success of our products which are packed with uniquely rich flavours and are high in protein. We believe they bring totally different flavours to the Irish and British marketplaces,” he adds.
Dunnes Stores has remained as the supermarket with the highest market share in Ireland, data from Kantar market research revealed. The privately-owned retail group has a 24.3 percent share of the market, with growth of 8.9 percent, year on year. Frequent shopping trips, up by 5.9 percent, were a key contributor to growth, adding €46.7 million to the overall performance.
Hellbent’s meat products are blended with spices, including coriander, cloves and nutmeg, to provide a traditional and distinctively rich taste of South Africa which both Louis and Schalk grew up enjoying there.
The ambitious company has also supplied major food retailers in Great Britain especially Scotland. It has won UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann food awards for the quality and taste of its products.
“We believe in quality and exceptional taste with no compromise,” Louis continues. “This means using the best locally sourced ingredients, along with a tradition of boerewors making (and eating) handed down through generations in South Africa,” he adds.
The name ‘boerewors’, he explains, is derived from the Afrikaans/Dutch words ‘boer’ meaning farmer and ‘wors’ meaning sausage. And for health-conscious sports stars Louis and Schalk the beefy sausages are preferred to the average Ulster Fry porker.
Containing at least 90 percent meat, and never more than 30 percent fat, the spiral shaped sausage is completely addictive and gluten free. They also feature a blend of spices, usually coriander seed, black pepper, cloves and nutmeg, for a distinctive taste. It’s a blend, however, they are keeping to themselves.
The recipe for the beef sausages they used to create the Hellbent version came from Schalk’s parents, farmers at Tzaneen, a fertile agricultural region – beef cattle country – that’s around 300 miles north of Johannesburg.
“We’ve tweaked Schalk’s family recipe a bit for the Northern Ireland market with the help of Ulster University’s Business School and Dr Amy Burns in particular. Dr Burns did a marvellous job and has encouraged us in developing our business,” adds Louis.
