MARKET DEVELOPMENT NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2015 This issue: Beef + Lamb New Zealand ambassador chef trip to Asia
AMBASSADOR CHEF SEMINARS An insight to New Zealand grass-fed beef for Asian markets B+LNZ ambassador chef Marc Soper traveled to Asia in June to present New Zealand grass-fed beef events to food service sector audiences. He visited Japan, Korea and Taiwan New Zealand s third, fourth and fifth largest beef markets, respectively. His schedule included seminars, cooking demonstrations and an evening event at the New Zealand Ambassador s residence in Korea. For each market, Marc created recipes that would appeal to their specific tastes. He also made a point of using New Zealand grass-fed beef cuts that were commonly available in each country. Marc can normally be found at Wharekauhau Lodge on the Wairarapa coast, where he is executive chef. The lodge uses beef sourced locally and Marc is well placed to tell the story of New Zealand grass-fed beef. During the whirlwind tour, Marc says he particularly noticed the difference in flavours between each country. Korea was about sweet flavours and marinates. Japan favoured fresh and light food, while Taiwan s flavours allowed for more fat and spices. And Hong Kong was the melting pot it is well known for being.
ASIA CHEF SEMINARS He says attendees at the events valued the opportunity to learn from a chef that was so familiar with the product a product they generally knew little about. As chefs and food sector representatives, it s great for them to be able to keep up with international trends and cooking techniques. Having someone demonstrate how quick and easy it is to cook beef that has less fat and the concept of resting it is really valued. We talked about the fact that time is money in a commercial kitchen and what an advantage quick-cooking beef cuts are. And many of the dishes demonstrated are relatively easy to prepare. I also fielded a lot of questions about what we are doing in New Zealand, particularly around current recipe trends. They were very engaged audiences. Japan: Japanese-twist recipes impress First stop was Japan. Marc was on the ground for less than three days, but managed to fit in two events in Osaka and Tokyo. He was asked to develop two separate recipes: one for cube roll, a popular loin cut in Japan; and the other for navel end brisket, which does not generally appear on restaurant menus. In both cases, Marc developed recipes with a Japanese focus and incorporated several Japanese ingredients, such as various soy sauces and rice wines. The Osaka event was held at the well-established and centrally-located Hotel Nikko Osaka. A small stage was set up, so Marc could demonstrate the key aspects of preparing his two beef dishes and talk about how to cook grass-fed beef. The dishes were then served to the 72 attendees at their tables. The trade personnel, chefs, other cooking professionals and media representatives responded positively to both Marc s demonstration and his dishes. Of the attendees, 97% rated the seminar and demonstration as very good or good. The Tokyo event was hosted at the high-profile hotel, Andaz Tokyo. This venue was chosen because the function room had an adjoining kitchen which opened onto it. This allowed Marc to conduct the demonstration from within a full commercial kitchen. The room was filled to capacity, with 80 attendees. Once again, the reaction was positive, with 99% returning a very good or good rating of the event.
ASIA CHEF SEMINARS Korea: Function at Ambassador s residence Marc s next stop was Seoul, where an event had been arranged at the residence of the New Zealand Ambassador to South Korea. The evening reception for 105 key trade, media and other contacts included Marc performing a cooking demonstration. Guest feedback was highly positive, with the meat s juiciness and tenderness being particularly remarked upon. Many guests made a beeline for Marc after his formal presentation, to discuss the dishes he had prepared and to seek advice on cooking grass-fed beef successfully. Earlier that day, the residence staff allowed B+LNZ and Marc to use their kitchen for a demonstration to 14 top students from leading culinary institutes in Seoul. The intention was to expose the students to grass-fed beef, because they are more familiar with grain-fed product in Korea. The students were excited to have the opportunity to visit the ambassador s residence for this demonstration. Marc moved on to Busan Korea s second largest city where he conducted a seminar. Again, he developed dishes specifically for that audience. He prepared recipes using tenderloin and chuck roll, with the latter being a particularly popular cut in the Korean market. Held at the Lotte Hotel Busan, this event attracted 65 trade personnel and chefs. Once again, it was the meat s tenderness and juiciness as well as the absence of any grass odour that attracted the most comment.
ASIA CHEF SEMINARS Taiwan: Culinary students eager to learn Two seminars were held in Taiwan, with a total of 107 people attending. These included restaurant owners, chefs, purchasing managers, importers, sales reps, butchers and tv shopping channel personnel. Market Manager Chinas Siu-Lin Shim started the seminars by giving a brief presentation on New Zealand grass-fed beef. This covered general New Zealand farming methods and the special characteristics of New Zealand grass-fed beef. As with the other markets, Marc had developed recipes specifically for the Taiwan audience one using oyster blade and the other using cube roll cap. He talked about the cuts features and cooking tips, before cooking his two recipes and attendees enjoying sampling time. University culinary students helped Marc with his preparation and found learning from Marc a great experience and incredibly valuable. They said the experience helped them better understand New Zealand grass-fed beef and increased their knowledge on trimming and cutting techniques, as well as steak cooking and resting techniques. Alongside Marc, Taiwan chef Kevin Yen talked about tenderising techniques and also demonstrated a recipe using chuck tender. One-hundred percent of those who responded in a post-seminar survey said the seminar increased their knowledge of grassfed beef and therefore their preference to use it in the future.
ASIA CHEF SEMINARS Marc received this email after the seminar, which reflected the feedback received from other attendees: It has been a pleasure to participate in today s seminar. Thank you for coming to Taiwan to promote New Zealand beef to us. I used to study meat science in the UK and I am keen to promote the benefits of grass-fed beef. I also believe natural, low fat and low cholesterol are the trend of red meat market. Thanks again for the fascinating demonstration. Both dishes were tender and tasty. While in Taiwan, Marc was interviewed by Taiwan s highest-circulation food magazine, Super Taste. The resulting article focused on New Zealand grass-fed beef s unique qualities and benefits, as well as cooking and purchasing tips. Marc encouraged people to buy a whole piece of grass-fed beef in its original packaging, to ensure quality, and choose beef that looked vivid red and moist on the surface. Hong Kong: Steak tartare steals show On his way home, Marc made a brief stop in Hong Kong to run a seminar and demonstration for Angliss Hong Kong sales staff and to meet some of their key customers. Staff appreciated having a New Zealand chef share new ideas on how to work with grassfed beef. A steak tartare demonstration was particularly sensational, with people impressed that the New Zealand beef was so fresh that it could be eaten raw.
German in-store tastings boost New Zealand lamb sales Beef + Lamb New Zealand s in-store tastings programme in Germany is proving a highly-effective tool, with sales turnover during tasting sessions increasing by up to 300 per cent above normal levels. Germany is New Zealand s third most valuable export lamb market. For the past six years, Beef + Lamb New Zealand has run in-store tasting programmes in across a full spectrum of supermarket chains in Germany. The tastings involve New Zealand lamb being available for consumers to sample from New Zealand Lamb mobile kitchens, situated immediately alongside the supermarkets meat counters. Beef + Lamb New Zealand Regional Manager Craig Finch says consumers have the opportunity to taste New Zealand lamb, while also hearing the New Zealand provenance story and learning about lamb s attributes, as well as the details of New Zealand farming systems that yield such high and consistent quality.
GERMANY The tastings stimulate awareness and interest and the bottom line is that they work. Sales turnover during tasting sessions increases by 100-300 per cent above normal levels. And it s important to note that all in-store tastings are undertaken at normal retail pricing. There is no need for price promotions, which often accompany such activities. The tastings are hosted by New Zealand Lamb merchandisers, trained to articulate the features and characteristics of lamb, including different cuts, presentation, cooking methwods and the free range environment in which New Zealand Lamb is reared. Craig says market research in Germany shows that New Zealand lamb is highly rated for its excellent taste and high quality. It tends to be purchased as a special occasion meat or an upmarket treat. The same research also tells us that more than half of all meat purchases in Germany are made on impulse, rather than pre-determined. So in-store triggers consumer engagement exactly along the lines of the mobile kitchens are great ways to profile and introduce German consumers to New Zealand lamb and stimulate an increase retail purchases. REWE is a supermarket chain with 15,500 stores, 330,000 employees and a 51 billon turnover per annum. Butchery manager Heinrich Göttmann says the chain values good partnerships and good products. That is why we like to work with New Zealand lamb. We are doing tastings nearly every day in our store and will continue doing them. Globus Maintal is a supermarket chain with 46 large stores across Germany and a 7 billion annual turnover. Butchery manager Marcel Scholl says New Zealand lamb tastings give his customers a better understanding of quality. I d like to do a tasting every day, because I see how the customers react. New Zealand lamb is a good choice, because we get the same quality with every delivery. Beef + Lamb New Zealand CEO Scott Champion says the impressive outcomes are the result of working closely with people in the market, so that promotional activity is highly targeted. We work with both the exporters and importers of New Zealand lamb and their retail partners to identify the stores where promotional activities will have the greatest impact that is, stores which have high sales of New Zealand lamb already or stores which have a customer base that s consistent with existing buyers of New Zealand lamb. As the sales figures demonstrate, it s an approach that works well for all parties not least of all the consumer who discovers just how good New Zealand lamb is.
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