Chur Bol Makes Its Way South Into Supermarkets

A former Southlander has been cooking up a storm up north with his new Chur Bol slow cooked products.

Nick Smith now lives in Nelson (no not the Mayor), he’s a good buggar who likes to entertain and came up with a great idea to turn his hobby into a business.

Chur Bol started as a delicious slow cooked meat sold from his food caravans at events around Nelson Lakes and Canterbury, but has now also become a retail product sold in supermarkets.

Needing another source of income over winter when the summer events weren’t on, and wanting to reach a wider audience, he got in touch with wholesale distributors such as Foodstuffs.

He recently took his slow cooked products into supermarkets for demonstrations and they have been such a hit that they’re sold in 11 stores now.

And when he came south earlier this year, all of Nick’s mates in Invercargill and followers (80 in total), turned up to a massive barbecue rolling feast in the backyard.

Smoked meat is a bit of a planned event and so he’s taken that concept and developed it into a frozen product that people can buy and then cook straight away at home in just 15 minutes.

Describing Chur Bol as a fun cheeky brand that he’s really enjoyed promoting, Nick’s 12-hour smoked products are starting to receive great feedback.

After working in the construction industry and getting burnt out, he took his love of cooking and entertaining and turned it into a thriving business.

“I’ve always been the entertainer and the host.  I’m a big foodie,” he said.

It’s been a real whirlwind year since starting out in business, but this summer he gets to pick and choose which events he’ll go to with his food carts.

There’s the Christchurch A&P show and a gluten-free event in Auckland, and he’s also getting into selling merchandise for all of his supporters as well.