Luvbiltong Ltd

It’s not how much we have, but how much we have-to-give and do for others that ultimately makes us happy, as a former sports photographer, I enjoyed capturing awesome moments as athletes crossed the finish line. My story reflects the power of personal experience and a desire to make a positive impact on other’s.

For 12 years, my weekends were spent photographing athlete challenges on the mountains, while working long hours, and consuming large amounts of protein bars, energy snacks and drinks. I wholefully believed and followed the advice of online sports nutrition experts and prescribed to foods which were highly processed and which formed a large part of my daily caloric intake.

The story behind Luvbiltong were planted while on a trip to Cape Town in 2020, whilst visiting family, a state of emergency had ensued, resulting from the pandemic, stuck in a no-fly zone, unable to travel back to the UK, the weeks preceding allowed my adventurous spirit time to explore the beautiful mountainous Cape Town regions for weeks at a time while patiently waiting for normality.

2021 – Luvbiltong is born, as winter approached, I started making small batches of natural ingredient biltong for family and friends to keep myself busy, amidst the uncertainty of the pandemic and the longing for normalcy, I turned my passion of creating this wholesome snack as a way to occupy my time and bring joy to those around me, I was hooked.

In due course, with my new found passion and belief to make a difference, I began attending farmers markets and sporting events with my newly acquired biltong producing expertise using whole, natural ingredients. I set forth to find South African attitudes towards a cleaner version of protein snack, soon enough, soon enough, we developed into a small business, having already immersed myself in these sporting environments in the UK, I gained valuable insights into public attitudes towards healthier snack options, particularly among sports individuals and athletes. 

This firsthand knowledge informed my product development and fuelled my passion for providing athletes with options that support their performance and well-being. Drawing from my own experiences and observations, I recognised the need for cleaner, more nutritious alternatives to the typical sugary snacks being promoted.

For the next few months, I sent samples of my natural ingredient biltong to the sports science Institute of South Africa, cycling shops, event race organisers, Luvbiltong won it’s first contract to supply Table Mountain tourism café and bar, gyms and CrossFit boxes across Cape Town, whilst also promoting Luvbiltong at running and cycling events throughout the Western Cape and an overall positive feedback from our customers and athletes, with the majority of athletes opting for wholefood snacks to aide recovery.

I returned to the UK in 2021, together with my wife, and continue to engage with our target market and staying true in our commitment in providing natural, high-quality snacks which contributes to the continued success and growth of Luvbiltong.