Sparta Beef is a family-owned and operated Cattle Feedlot and farming concern.  The present operation was established on the farm "Sparta", a sub-division of the farm "Middel " in the Marquard district, during the 1960's.   The farm "Middel", has been in the family for over 100 years and since inception, farmed as a family business.   Originally, mixed farming - cattle, sheep, pigs, plus various crops, such as maize (corn) , wheat, oats and potatoes - was practiced on the farm.

The Feedlot which is the core of the present business, started off as a small cattle feeding facility in the late 1960's, with 30 head of cattle on feed all year round.  To date, it has grown to accommodate about 40 000 mixed breeds of cattle, depending on the time of year.  Presently, this family business is headed by Dirk van Reenen, his two sons Lou and Riaan and his daughter, Estelle.

Farming is another integral part of this business.  Sparta Beef now owns about 11 000ha. of land where mixed farming is still practiced.  By far the largest part of the farming operation, is the "backgrounding" of calves for the Feedlot on both natural and planted pastures, plus the stover (rests) from crops.   The number of calves on the Farms averages about 12 000, depending on the time of year.  Crops still planted are Maize (Corn), Wheat and Oats.  The last is grown, not as a cash crop, but to be utilized as grazing for the calves.

By the mid-1990's Management decided to embark on a further vertical integration programme to obtain more control over its products.

Therefore, during 1996, Sparta Beef expanded its horizons by entering into a joint venture where it tans cattle hides in Butterworth, Eastern Cape.  Later, in January 1999, it acquired a large abattoir in Welkom, Northern Free State, with Black Empowerment and other local business interests now known as Sparta Foods (Pty) Ltd. At the beginning of 2001, it started a wholesale department called Sparta Foods (Gauteng), in Benoni.