Hong Kong rugby players take teamwork to the next level opening the city’s first biltong bar during pandemic

Matt Rosslee and Jonny Rees found friendship on the pitch and are now business partners with Chief’s Blend

The South African styled deli and cafe offers a unique taste of meat and culture blended with Hong Kong’s eatery style

Reading Time:3 minutes

Owners of Chief's Blend Matt Rosslee (left) and Jonny Rees, outside their new Wan Chai venture. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 8:00am, 26 Mar 2021Updated: 9:47am, 26 Mar 2021

Hong Kong’s first biltong bar is the culmination of a friendship that started on the rugby pitch and made its way into the business world.

South African Matt Rosslee and Jonny Rees, who hails from England, first met on the pitch playing for the Hong Kong national 15s squad while in Kenya for a test match back in 2015. The two became friends through sport, building a relationship over the years off the pitch as well.

Both ventured into the business world, starting food and beverage companies in 2015; Rosslee, an online meat company that sources its products from South Africa, and Rees, a cafe. Rees now has five cafes under the Blend & Grind, R&R Bagels and Blended HK brands.

Now the two have combined their business passions into Hong Kong’s first biltong bar, Chief’s Blend, which is located on Burrows Street in Wan Chai. Rees said although they’re partners professionally now, the machinations came from their personal lives.

Matt Rosslee and Jonny Rees first met on the pitch playing for Hong Kong, and are now business partners. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

“It was really born out of our friendship,” said Rees, who has been in Hong Kong since 2009. “Just chats over dinners and beers, and it went from there.”

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