According to Meat & Wool New Zealand General Manager Market Development Craig Finch, the Meat & Wool New Zealand stand was extremely popular with Korean consumers keen to sample the grass-fed product. Much of the beef eaten by Koreans is grain-fed and Mr. Finch said those who tried the grass-fed beef enjoyed the taste, underlining once again the acceptability of it to the Korean palate.
The Meat & Wool New Zealand stand was in the New Zealand pavilion, which also featured ANZCO Foods and Universal Beef Packers stands.
“With all three companies placing emphasis on grass-fed beef, we were able to reinforce the New Zealand meat industry’s commitment to the supply of grass-fed beef to the Korean market,” Mr. Finch said. “Being able to work in tandem with the two companies was very helpful in our efforts to differentiate New Zealand grass-fed beef from the other, primarily grain-fed beef available in the market and it let us position the beef as an inherently distinct product.”
The stand featured displays of the main chilled and frozen grass-fed beef cuts which are sold to the South Korean market.
“Another feature was the cooking demonstrations by the Christchurch-based 2009 and 2010 Beef & Lamb New Zealand Inc. ambassador chef, Darren Wright,” Mr. Finch said. “Darren prepared steaks accompanied by sauces and many people who tasted them were trying grass-fed beef for the first time. The feedback was that the beef was tender and tasty.”
