8 Feb 24
Eben van Tonder
It all began with an intriguing moment captured by Theodore, a research collaborator from Nigeria. Holding a handful of sand and stones, he scooped from the earth on his way to Yashi, sparking a wave of memories within me. This simple act transported me back to my childhood, reminiscent of a recurring dream where I found myself in a foreign land, engaging in the same act of collecting earth in my hands. This connection prompted me to share Theodore’s video with my family, weaving the threads of our experiences together.
After a gruelling day of stocktaking and intensive work in one of the freezers, my exhaustion led me to bed early. By 3:00 a.m., sleep had eluded me, giving way to a state of half-awake reflections. In this liminal space, a vivid memory emerged: the act of taking a glass of sour milk, or “dikmelk” in Afrikaans, from my grandfather’s fridge on their Stillehoogte farm in the Vredefort district of the Northern Free State, South Africa. The addition of sugar, the sensation of stirring, and the unique sweet-sour taste brought back a flood of memories with startling clarity.
My mind raced through my formative years at Woody’s, where I was immersed in learning the science of meat. The relentless pace, the pressing feeling of never knowing enough, and the day-to-day challenges of managing freezer stocks were overwhelming. As I packed box after box of trim covered only with thin blue liner, I hoped that “someone” would figure out what to do with it. I recalled the critical lessons learned, such as Diederich Van Nieuwenhuyse’s rule of incorporating unwanted products at a 10% level in formulations to work away excess stock, and Francois Mellette’s insistence on emptying the freezers weekly. These memories intertwined with the taste of coffee in Stellenbosch with Francois and the realization of financial strains despite profitability, highlighting the complexity of managing resources efficiently. I remember every time we repacked the huge freezer. The drain on resources, time and most importantly, depriving us of cash flow. How many times did we re-value the stock?
In the early hours, as clarity dawned, I envisioned practical strategies for managing the freezer I had become entangled with today. The value of personally repackaging each item, without relying on staff, marked a turning point. This clarity extended to the broader vision I needed to cultivate in Lagos. Every process, piece of equipment, and task allocation became clear, laying the groundwork for the culture I aspired to build within the organization. In the end, we wrote hundreds of thousands of tonnes of stock off at Woodys!
As dawn approached, my reflections had transformed into a resolve. Despite the challenges of life in Lagos, the longing for my family, and the moments of doubt, the journey was a profound learning experience. The seemingly mundane act of Theodore scooping up soil had unwittingly triggered a deep introspection, linking my past experiences with the present challenge. It underscored the importance not only of learning from mistakes but also of recognizing the broader implications of our actions, from the cost of stockholding to the opportunity costs of inefficiency. As in life and matters of law, as Elmar taught me, time is always of the essence and so is it in meat processing! It was Clarance Amos (Ben Amos) who taught me that a bad butcher has a big freezer!
In this moment of awakening, I understood that the path to success in Lagos was not merely about overcoming operational challenges but about embedding a culture of excellence and learning within the team. And proper freezer discipline and finishing all the work off every single week! Armed with a lifetime of experience and the support of a talented management team, I am ready to forge ahead, balancing the desire to return home with the commitment to achieving success in Lagos. This journey from memory to mission reflects the power of introspection, the lessons of the past, and the unwavering resolve to shape a better future.