By Diana Dobson
Developing a new product for the equine market has always been a goal for Tom Tarver, and one he has finally achieved with the release of Let’s Bale’s Equifibre Lucerne Pro®.
Tarver describes EQUIFIBRE Lucerne-Pro® as a highly-nutritious forage fibre made from quality Lucerne. The Lucerne is cut and pressed into convenient block-sized portions for ease of handling, and vacuum-sealed to enhance nutritional quality and freshness.
It took “three long years” to develop, with assistance from nutritionists at Dunstan, and it’s almost a relief to Tarver and fiancé Lucia Voss to finally see it on the market.
“You learn a lot along the way when you do something like this,” says Tarver. “We developed this with our clientele . . . asking them what they would like in a product. Everything has to be matched all along the process, including controlling your supply with the development. There’s a lot to think about, and we are always looking to add value to all that we do.”
Let’s Bale is working alongside Dunstan Nutrition Ltd who are New Zealand’s agents and distributor of Equifibre Lucerne Pro® in New Zealand. “Dunstan is a very well respected Company in the horse industry, so our partnership works well,” says Tarver.
Let’s Bale also has a partnership with nationwide distribution company Tui Products who they have worked with for the past four years, but only recently taken that next step. “We want to grow the business, and it was a good business decision to partner with Tui Products.”
The Company has grown substantially since Tarver first established it in 2013. Equifibre Lucerne Pro® is already gathering good feedback from the marketplace and Tarver wants to continue to grow Let’s Bale as well as his passion for horses.
Both he and Voss compete on the show jumping circuit – Voss up to around 1.3m and Tarver to 1.4m. “We are aiming for a smaller team with better quality,” says Voss, who runs most of the horses and equine staff.
For more information, head to www.letsbale.com