14 June 2023
You couldn’t miss it at the winter weekend derbies: Northwood, Glenwood and Westville Boys’ High share a common sponsor, a name familiar around the province of KwaZulu-Natal: Bluff Meat Supply.
As a sports journalist of almost 30 years’ experience, I am very aware of the importance of sponsors to sports events, sports teams and organisations. As a sports’ fan, I’ll ask up front, please support sponsors. They deserve to be supported.
Without them, sport, at all levels, would be a shadow of what it is. That’s why I was interested to find out more about why Bluff Meat Supply has lent its backing to not one, but to three schools.
“We’re all about community”
Bluff’s Head of Marketing, Cameron Belling, told Pinnacle Schools: “Bluff is a family-owned business. We’re all about community, and what better way to link up with the community than to grow with the youth by supporting their schools?
“It’s beyond the advertising medium. It is about growing relationships with schools that have been part of the community for many decades.”
As the schools’ communities have grown over the years, with an ever-increasing number of Old Boys entering the workforce, Bluff Meat Supply has grown, too. In fact, the business is undergoing a growth spurt, Belling said of the KZN-based company: “Last year, we opened six stores across KZN. Right now, we have 23 stores.
“When I started with the group two-and-a-half years ago, there were 16 stores. We’ve added quite a few since. This year, there are another three or four on the cards.”
Proximity to the schools
Bluff Meat Supply has also engaged with Northwood, Glenwood and Westville because they have three stores, relatively new, close to the schools.
“In Durban North, there’s the MacKeurtan Store, which is a neighbour to Northwood. So, what better way than to build up that partnership with someone that is right on your doorstep,” Belling said.
“In Westville, there was a new store that opened up. Westville Boys is a dominant school out there. Great swimming and great rugby. We’re building a partnership out there.
“Looking over towards Glenwood, our Berea store is also fairly new. It’s been around a year-and-a-half. We’re building up that relationship with Glenwood.”
Financially, there’s no big reward for Bluff Meat Supply in supporting the schools, unless, of course, members of the schools’ communities buy at Bluff. But, as Belling said, it’s beyond the advertising medium.
Contributing to communities
He explained that the sponsorship was about creating awareness and actively contributing to the communities in which Bluff operates: “We focus mainly on boys’ schools, primarily because there is huge support during rugby games, and as a way to showcase our brand, and show that we’re all about quality, and to show the variety that we offer.
“You’ll find our mobile food truck at most of the rugby games that have been played this year, and it’s a way not only to offer an affordable meal at a great price but, if you like it, you can go into any one of our stores and purchase wors or cheese Russians, or anything like that.”
There’s a further spin-off, with more organisations benefitting from Bluff’s support, Belling added: “There’s a secondary tier. Our main tier has been about building partnerships with the schools. Generally, schools already have outreach programmes.
“For example, Northwood teams up with the Domino Foundation. They do quite a lot of work there, so the hope is that we’ll link up with them, as a partner of the school, and we’ll see how we can help the school to help the Domino Foundation. That’s the domino effect, no pun intended,” he laughed.
Northwood football 1st XI supports Domino Babies Home | Pinnacle Schools (pinnacle-schools.com)
Uplifting young lives with WBHS rugby outreach | Pinnacle Schools (pinnacle-schools.com)
Tailored to the times
With top quality goods at some of the best prices to be found anywhere, Bluff is a popular option in these trying financial times, and they offer more than what most would expect.
Belling explained: “Even though we are a butchery, you’ll be surprised what you can find in-store. We have eggs, bread, milk, rolls, butter, a selection of frozen items, frozen vegetables, chips, a bit of fish, sauces and spices.
While we’re not a one-stop shop, we definitely have bits and pieces that contribute to your shopping trolley.”
Bluff also caters to individual needs, he said, with the butchery willing to prepare meat to customers’ specifications.
Sponsorship, ultimately, is a two-way street, so why not check out Bluff Meat Supply? You might be happy you did. It’s my butcher of choice, hand on heart.
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