International Beef Packing in the Age of Empire: LEMCO in South West Africa, 1906– c .1940

LEMCO's beef packing model, initially successful in South America, faced significant challenges when replicated in colonial Namibia due to ecological and human factors unique to the region. Despite its multinational scope enabling navigation through Anglo-German rivalries during World War I, severe droughts and South African regional imperialism expedited LEMCO's exit from South West Africa by 1940. The study highlights how specific environmental conditions, such as recurrent droughts and sparse human populations, along with international disease controls, hindered the company's ambitions to expand markets in Germany and South Africa.

Sunseri, T. (2021). International Beef Packing in the Age of Empire: LEMCO in South West Africa, 1906– c .1940. South African Historical Journal, 73(3), 573–600. https://doi.org/10.1080/02582473.2021.1965200