Our History - Teys Australia

The Teys Heritage

A story of four brothers

In 1946, four Australian brothers, Cid, Cliff, Mick, and Max, opened their first butcher shop in Brisbane’s Woolloongabba. They wanted to not only feed their families, but help provide much-needed food to the people of post-war Brisbane. More than 70 years later, their focus on feeding people and enriching lives continues to be at the heart of everything we do.

The Teys family values of integrity, quality, and honesty brought into the business by the four brothers have continued to guide us as we’ve grown into the global food brand we are today.

The Early Days

1946

Teys begins. Four Teys brothers open their first butcher shop in Woolloongabba, Qld.

1954

The brothers buy a cattle yard in Beenleigh, Qld, which later becomes the site of the first Teys beef processing plant.

Global Expansion

1956

Global expansion starts, exporting frozen beef to the UK’s largest wholesale meat market – Smithfield Markets in Central London.

1959

1971

Export operations grow once again, this time with chilled beef to Japan. Nomura, the first Japanese customer, remains a customer to this day.

Gaining export momentum, the brothers move into the US export market.

Growth and Acquisitions

1972

The Teys family forms their first major business partnership with Canada Packers.

1978

1983

Allan Teys becomes Managing Director and the second generation of Teys family leadership.

The family’s plans for multi-site processing are realised when a second plant is purchased in Biloela – ideally located in one of Queensland’s best cattle-producing regions.

1987

Kerry Packer buys Canada Packers’ share from the Teys family to enable a short-term strategic partnership.

1988

1989

Operational expansion into cattle supply with the purchase of the family’s first feedlot in Condamine, Qld.

Teys once again becomes 100% family owned.

1996

The first international sales office opens in Japan.

1998

A third plant is purchased in Naracoorte, SA to help improve year-round cattle supply and support EU market export growth.

2002

2004

An international sales office is opened in the US. This later grows into the full- service operations of Teys USA today.

Brad Teys becomes CEO and the third generation of Teys family leadership. This year also sees a merger with the Packer (CPH) beef processing business.

2004

Teys reopens the former CPH Rockhampton processing plant.

2006

Plans to move into value added meal solutions are realised with the start of Teys Australia Food Service (TAFS) production in Brisbane, Qld.

2007

The Murgon hide processing plant is purchased to process 100% of Teys’ cattle hides to be used in consumer products all around the world.

2009

Joint ventures in Brisbane and Adelaide see Teys expand into wholesale distribution.

A New Era

2011

A transformational JV with Cargill takes place. This relationship adds Australian operations in Wagga Wagga, Tamworth and Jindalee, NSW, as well as enhancing access to international markets through Cargill’s international sales network, industry leadership and expertise.