collaboration and cooperative capital

1600 1066 In Good Company | Northern Rivers
ncmc logo

Northern Co-operative Meat Company
10615 Summerland Way, Casino NSW 2470

www.ncmc-co.com.au

Visit Richmond Valley Northern Rivers-01
collaboration and cooperative capital

It comes as little surprise that one of the largest employers on the Northern Rivers is a co-operative, and with Casino being the beef capital of Australia, the industry makes sense too.

Northern Co-operative Meat Company (NCMC) is Australia’s largest meat processing co-operative and has been running since 1933. It’s 100% owned by its 1000 members – made up of graziers, pork producers and operators – and it employs 900 people across three sites in Casino and Booyong.

NCMC CEO Simon Stahl says the Northern Rivers has a long culture of people working together in business.

“It’s an essence of the region – it is actually the co-operative capital of Australia, with the heaviest concentration of co-operatives than anywhere else in the country,”

When the business was founded more than 85 years ago, most of the produce went to Sydney wholesale markets. These days more than 70% is exported to markets across Europe, the Middle East, Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia and the US.

As well as processing and distributing meat, there is also a hide tanning business in Casino (Casino Hide Tanners) that produces first class wet blue leather for export to China, India and Italy. While NCMC Foods is the marketing engine that supplies top shelf meats into restaurants, supermarkets and distributes world-wide.

Simon says Northern Rivers is the natural home for this business. “It’s perfectly positioned – we draw livestock from the best farming regions and we’re just down the road from the Port of Brisbane – a major export hub.”

The success of the Northern Rivers region as a whole has helped NCMC thrive over the decades, Simon says.

“This south-east corner is a huge growth market – particularly with tourism – and while that’s not necessary for our business, we can be successful on the back of it because it brings a greater range of services and it also brings a workforce.”

Despite the global reach of NCMC’s sales, there’s a strong local focus when it comes to running the business.

“We have a ‘buy local’ focus – it’s part of our collaborative DNA to buy local where we have the skills and services on the Northern Rivers.”

Northern Co-operative Meat Company (NCMC)

Share this story

Read more stories

Delivering top service, come hospital or high water

 870 652 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

McLeans Freight Service
When Leisa Blok’s father, Laurie McLean, began running urgent nighttime blood deliveries from Lismore airport in 1992, he mightn’t have expected the one-man gig to expand into a 50-vehicle courier fleet, delivering across the entire northern NSW region.

Hovering across the wave of success

 1139 749 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Fliteboard
It was meant to be an extended break for David Trewern and his family. A chance to rest and reset in Byron Bay after decades of building and selling fast-growing digital marketing agencies. But as he looked out over Belongil beach in 2014, an idea struck him.

Heart and Soul of a region

 1500 2250 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Norco Co-operative
Norco has an impressive origin story.

rod n reel woodburn nortrhern rivers

reinventing a special highway town

 1920 1080 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Rod n Reel Hotel
Woodburn NSW is a charming riverside town with which is about to embark on a transformation. When the Pacific Highway bypass is completed…

From trauma to business transformation

 1620 1080 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Our Cow
For Casino-based meat providers Our Cow, the last three years have seen remarkable, game-changing growth.

air t&g ballina helicpoters 002

flying high, with a helicopter view

 800 531 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Air T&G
Northern Rivers is well known for its breathtaking natural beauty, and imagine if your day at the office involved enjoying these views from the air…

From cobblestones to all-terrain cranes

 1200 900 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Wicks and Parker
Fast approaching 100 years old, the Wicks family business has helped build motorways and carry out emergency bushfire repairs, but it once hammered out steel bands for horse-drawn carriage wheels.

planting natural beauty

 2048 2560 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Biologi
There was a little bit of the “weird spirit of Byron Bay” in the 2017 creation of the natural skincare range, Biologi, says co-owner Lucy Macdougald of her chance meeting with Ross Macdougald, who is now both her business partner and husband…

Creativity takes flight

 2560 2560 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Honey Hunt Style
Jules Hunt moved to Byron Bay with her family 15 years ago because she wanted to raise her children with a strong sense of community. It was by chance that this move led to the flourishing of her artistic career – and more recently to her turn as a successful business woman.

meme productions featured image

world class creatives

 1000 750 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Mememe Productions
The piece of advice that dirtgirlworld creator, Cate McQuillen, likes to share with other creative entrepreneurs in the region tells much about her story…

Casino RSM Club

 1360 906 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Casino RSM Club
The 23 of March 2020 was the hardest day of Neale Genge’s career.

Aurora Suspended Fires_Ballina in good company image 4

all fired up for global attention

 960 600 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Aurora Suspended Fires
Aurora Suspended Fires arose from the perfect marriage of Chloe Allan’s creative talents with Neil’s engineering background. But building a successful…

You can judge a book by its cover

 1440 2560 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Charlie & Fox
When Jess Tunnage’s mother-in-law gave her a sewing machine for Christmas a few years ago, she had no idea how to use it.

Cool to be kind and cans it

 957 1277 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

The Kind Coffee Co.
The KIND Coffee Co, reflects its name in everything it does.

grafton_physio_business_story_001

let’s get physical

 2000 1165 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Grafton Physio + Sport
You know you’re in good hands when you visit your physiotherapist and she turns out to be a world-class athlete. That’s the case for those who…

nicholson fine foods yamba

eclectic food innovator shines

 1030 1030 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Nicholson Fine Foods
The small coastal town of Yamba is home to the one of the world’s best eating prawns, the Eastern King Prawn. It’s also home to the highest…

lights, camera, action in ballina shire

 2560 1750 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Byron Studios
Northern Rivers has long been a hub for film makers and a popular backdrop for film and television productions. But there has been one thing missing to tie it all together…

yaru water tweed

building bridges with water

 1600 1067 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Yaru Water
“This unique partnership between an Indigenous family and a non-Indigenous family enabled Yaru Water to start changing the way the procurement…

It was time the level the paying field

 1500 562 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Zepto
What do you do next after more than a decade building up a Byron Bay skydiving business to become a national success and then stepping back after listing it on the Australian Stock Exchange?

Spoiled stays for special pets

 2560 1600 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Skye Park Pet Resort
In 2014, a long-held aspiration finally came to fruition for Helen and Ian MacGregor when they purchased an existing pet boarding facility in bucolic Clarenza, with the dream of making it their own.

Start Typing

X