Origins Global Meats

Introduced by Eben van Tonder | EarthwormExpress | August 2025

We see the Meat Plant as Data: Our Starting Point

At Origins Global Meats, we begin with a single shift in perspective: we see the meat plant as data. This article is a practical application of my piece, “The Data-Driven Meat Plant,” where we outline the entire approach to viewing the meat plant, including carcass deboning, as structured data sets and show how we integrate AI into this system (link).

Every bone fragment, batch yield, cleaning cycle, and packing line downtime is a data point. Together, these form a live, dynamic system that, when interpreted correctly, reveals exactly where profit is lost—or can be gained.

This approach follows the core principles outlined in our article, “The Data-Driven Meat Plant,” where we propose a radical yet workable concept: treating the meat plant as a living data organism. Doing so enables structured margin improvement, leaner production, and more accurate decision-making, especially when AI and human insight are brought into strategic alignment.

Even in the most successful factories, managing a meat plant can feel overwhelming. But if you suspect something could run more smoothly, or more profitably, even if you can’t quite identify what it is, Origins Global Meats exists to solve exactly that. We take on both short-term and long-term assignments, depending on your needs.

Key Consulting Areas

Here’s how we can support your operation:

• Freezer Stock Audits
  What’s in your cold storage? What’s stuck, what’s ageing, what’s mislabelled? We identify how to repurpose, relabel, reformulate, or remove dead stock and free up cash flow while doing it.
• Management Dashboards
  We help you visualise key production, yield, and waste metrics in real time, customised to your business model. Think of it as “seeing your factory think.”
• Processing Line Audits
  From raw material intake to final packaging, we identify bottlenecks, unbalanced workloads, quality risks, and underutilised equipment.
• In-Process Cleaning Reviews
  Cleaning should be safe, efficient, and fast. We evaluate your sanitation processes and recommend steps to reduce downtime and labour while improving food safety.
• Yield Optimisation (Cooking, Smoking, Injection, Mixing/ Grinding)
  Smoking and cooking losses add up. We gather real-time data and show you exactly how to tighten up your yields without compromising quality.
• Data Analysis & Systems Design
  Whether you have modern software or basic Excel sheets, we turn your raw data into operational clarity, with custom tools and AI support if needed.
• Product Line Profitability Audits
  Are you squeezing every bit of value out of your product lines? We evaluate GP potential, suggest reformulation strategies, and unlock hidden revenue.
• Procedure & SOP Validation
  Clear SOPs save time, reduce mistakes, and ensure consistent quality. We review, rewrite, and validate your critical procedures with your team.
• Strategic Decision Support
  Expanding? Retooling? Reorganising? We help you analyse the implications, model outcomes, and implement changes step-by-step.

From detailed recipe evaluation, deboning procedures, and data management, we cover every aspect of a meat plant in greater depth than anybody!

How We Work

Our model is built for efficiency, depth, and immediate implementation. Here’s what a typical engagement looks like:

• Three weeks on-site:
  I (Eben) join your team on the factory floor, studying every detail, from operator movements and machine usage to waste streams and storage patterns. Nothing is overlooked.
• One week off-site in Austria:
  Back home, I work with Christa (our strategic systems lead) and our North American data analytics team. We organise, clean, and model the data collected on-site, turning noise into insight.
• Delivery and implementation:
  You receive a detailed roadmap with strategic options, implementation steps, and outcome modelling. If you approve the plan, we stay involved to help your team execute the changes.

The Team Behind Origins Global Meats

You’re not just hiring one consultant. You’re tapping into a world-class team.

• Eben van Tonder
  Front-end consulting, factory systems expert, meat scientist
  (On-site lead consultant)
• Christa Berger
  Structural strategist, editor, systems coordinator
  (Austria-based, implementation partner)
• North American Data Team
  Data engineers, AI modellers, dashboard designers
  (Remote support and data transformation)
• Specialist Consultants
  Food safety, formulation chemistry, equipment engineering, logistics
  (Engaged as needed per project)

Global Reach, Local Insight

We’ve worked in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and South America, and understand the operational reality of everything from export-focused slaughter plants to modern bacon factories in West Africa.

We respect local business culture while bringing international standards to the table, balancing what’s possible with what’s sustainable.

Let’s Talk

Whether you’re dealing with poor smoking yields, inefficient cleaning, stuck freezer stock, or the feeling that “we could do better”, you’re not alone. We’ll help you figure out what’s really going on and how to fix it.

Origins Global Meats
Built on science. Backed by data. Delivered with precision.

Get in touch via EarthwormExpress or reach out directly to begin a discussion.

Kristi@reequipafrica.com
Ebenvt@gmail.com
WhatsApp: +27 71 5453029