The Grounds Meat & Deli is opening in Somerset West on 17 September 2026, bringing a fourth-generation meat business to the Helderberg with fresh meat, biltong, deli products and braai essentials.
The Grounds Meat & Deli is opening its second store, in Somerset West this week, bringing a family meat business with roots stretching back decades to 47 Caledon Street.
But despite the polished, boutique-style appearance of the store and its selection of high-end products, co-owner Simon Parker says customers should not assume that everything behind the counter comes with a premium price tag.
“We’ve got really high-end meat products, but we’ve also got really good traditional meat cuts that are well priced and comparable with the major retailers,” he told me. “Often it’s a lot cheaper.”
The difference, he says, is that the business makes and packs its own products, allowing it to control the freshness, packing and quality.
A fourth-generation meat business
The Grounds Meat & Deli traces its roots back to 1945, when W.A. Te Roller opened a family butchery in Bredell, Johannesburg.
The family history includes a notable milestone of its own. In 1959, Mrs W.A. Te Roller passed her blockman trade test, becoming the first woman blockman in South Africa.
From 1979 to 2012, L.A. Te Roller and his two brothers, H. Te Roller and W. Te Roller, operated Ranch Meat Centres in the Western Cape.
In 2013, Simon Parker and Brent Te Roller merged Ranch Meat Centres with a large South African retail business. They subsequently spent around 15 years heading up the meat operation for the company.
After that experience, the pair chose to return to their family roots. In 2023, The Grounds Meat & Deli was created, with its first store opening three years ago at 76 Edward Road in Bellville, in the area between Bellville and Durbanville.
The Somerset West store is now the second, with Parker running the new branch while Brent Te Roller continues to operate the Durbanville store.
More than a traditional butchery
The store has been deliberately designed to feel different from the traditional small butchery.
Yellowwood till tops, reclaimed pendant lights and carefully considered displays give it more of a boutique food-shop feel, while the biltong and droëwors drying area adds the unmistakable aroma of coriander, pepper and salt.
The range includes cured meats, biltong and droëwors, as well as fresh beef, pork, lamb and chicken. There are also garlic breads, salads and pizzas prepared to be taken home and cooked.
The idea extends beyond the food itself. Customers can also find things they may need for preparing it at home, including firelighters, foil, freezer bags, butchery paper and meat thermometers.
The frozen range has also been deliberately selected rather than simply being used for excess stock. Parker describes it as a freshly packed, curated selection that remains accessible in price.
From a R169 rump to Wagyu
The range moves from everyday cuts to more specialised products.
A 28-day mature rump steak, for example, is priced at R169. At the other end of the range is rump tail that has been butterflied, stuffed with Wagyu bone marrow, seasoned and wrapped in netvet, ready to be cooked at home.
The store also has dry-aging cabinets, where selected cuts are aged over time. The process allows enzymes in the meat to break down proteins, improving tenderness while developing flavour.
Different types of beef are available too, including A-grade beef, Jersey, Holstein and Wagyu.
The point is not that every customer needs to buy the most specialised product. Someone can simply come in for a traditional cut of meat, while another customer can choose something more unusual.
Why Somerset West?
Somerset West was a natural choice for the second store because Parker and Te Roller are already connected to and invested in the area, and believe the community is a good fit for what The Grounds offers.
Parker says that while the major retailers have invested heavily in the area, there has been less investment from standalone businesses offering this kind of meat and deli experience.
That is the space The Grounds is trying to occupy: the expertise of a long-established meat business, but presented in a more considered retail environment.
For Parker, however, the business ultimately comes back to the relationship with the customer. Someone should be able to walk into the store, explain exactly what they are looking for and speak to someone who knows the product and can help them find it.
That personal approach is part of what he felt was missing from the corporate environment they eventually left behind.
Now, after building the first store in Bellville, The Grounds Meat & Deli is bringing that model to Somerset West.
The Grounds Meat & Deli opens at 47 Caledon Street (adjacent to the Fountain Square) in Somerset West on Thursday, 17 September 2026.
The Somerset West store will be open from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm on Saturdays and 9am to 2pm on Sundays and public holidays. It will open every Sunday, with Christmas Day the only planned closure.
