Maybe
There’s
a Better Way
We’re not very good at sitting still. If anything, we’re a little restless. Being happy with discontent has got us a long way. Back in the 1980s it was just a handful of us exploring the idea of vacuum packed lamb chops for export. And now, we’re a team of 300-odd exporting high-quality red meat to the world. We’re renowned as innovative thinkers, smart business people and pleasant folk to deal with.
There’s a simple phrase that drives everything we do at Progressive Meats. Continuous improvement. It’s about always seeking change for the better. We look for efficiencies in everything we do from improving productivity and optimising resource, to adding value for our customers and enhancing the eating quality of our product.
Operating at the leading edge of innovation is important to us. Over the last four decades we have sought out the latest technologies to improve production, profitability and delivery so that everyone in our company succeeds.
Put simply, we process the finest New Zealand red meat for export. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll see that we’re an innovative company with a unique model that offers profitability for everyone involved. We’ve been doing this since 1981 and have fine-tuned the way we work by listening to our suppliers, our partners, our customers and our staff. By developing strong long-term relationships and being focused specialists, we concentrate on what we know and who we associate with; farmers who grow the best lamb, beef and venison around, and our meat brand partners who then deliver it to the world.
How
we work
We pride ourselves on pushing boundaries in all facets of our business. Our supply programme encourages farmers to make informed decisions via a market led procurement programme. We offer a competitive schedule, prompt kill and valuable feedback, ensuring our farmer suppliers have a supply programme that meets their needs and adds value to their business. We work closely with our farmer suppliers to ensure they understand where they can maximise value from the stock they present for processing.
PROGRESSIVE
SINCE 1981
1981 – Progressive Meats founded in Hastings New Zealand by Craig and Penny Hickson, processing frozen lamb for export, with a staff of six.
1982 – Commission a venison slaughter and processing facility.
1987 – Grow to include a full lamb slaughter facility.
1987 – Obtain provision for shift work in processing operations. A first in the Industry.
1995 – Open second slaughter and processing plant in Feilding.
1997 – Design and build third slaughter plant in Gisborne.
1999 – Rebuild Hastings slaughter plant on the same site.
2004 – Build a state-of-the-art Marel boning room to maximise lamb carcass yields.
2012 – Managing Director Craig Hickson awarded Federated Farmers Agribusiness Person of the Year.
2013 – Managing Director Craig Hickson awarded Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year.
2015 – Managing Director Craig Hickson awarded EY New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year.
2016 – Managing Director Craig Hickson receives Hawke’s Bay Primary Sector Industry Leader Award.
2016 – Introduce Marel boning system for beef.
2017 – Introduce Scotts Saw robotic cutting technology.
2018 – Processing facilities for lamb, beef, venison and rams with a staff of over 300, and always looking to the future.
Our
partners
The Magpies
Club
The Magpies Club is a unique initiative which allows the whole of Hawke’s Bay’s rural community to ‘own’ the Hawke’s Bay Magpies rugby team. The aim of the Club is to provide a sustainable sponsorship base for the HBRU for the years ahead. Progressive Meats has been the principle sponsor of the Magpies for the last 11 years and this year are proud to be a First XV sponsor.
Membership is simple: Donate a minimum of three lambs to receive exclusive benefits. Donated livestock can be processed through Progressive Meats, Ovation NZ, Silver Fern Farms, Affco, Taylor Preston, Greenlea Premier Meats or Alliance.
BECOME A MAGPIES
CLUB MEMBER TODAY!
Simply contact livestock@progressivemeats.co.nz or 068739090.
