Zealand beef is proving to be a breakout success in Korea, where a star turn on the menu of the country’s largest food exhibition is helping to overturn the local perception that beef fed on grain is superior.
“Melt in the mouth”, “juicy” and “tender” was the verdict from hundreds of Koreans surveyed at the New Zealand pavilion of Seoul Food & Hotel, held over four days at the end of April.
Roughly 37,000 trade and media representatives visited the exhibition, where they had the opportunity to sample a range of prime steak cuts showcased by Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ).
Visitors tasted Korean-style bulgogi using chuck roll, as well as grass-fed tenderloin and cube roll cooked by New Zealand-born chef and food writer Robert Oliver. The steak was offered with four sauces, including two with Korean flavours.
As well as tastings, B+LNZ also highlighted the breadth of meat New Zealand exports to Korea, with a display of key grass-fed beef cuts as well as a couple of frozen beef offal products and four key chilled lamb cuts. Trade visitors appreciated the opportunity to pick up and inspect cuts of interest to them.
B+LNZ Market Manager – Korea , John Hundleby, said he was delighted by the superb feedback about the taste and quality of New Zealand beef. “NZ occupies an important market niche in South Korea , accounting for roughly 15% of beef imports, but is not as well known as the two bigger suppliers, Australia and the US, so the opportunity to participate in Seoul Food and display and sample NZ grass-fed beef to Korean trade and media visitors was very helpful.
“Koreans have a tendency to view grain-fed beef as superior, so it was particularly gratifying to receive such an overwhelmingly positive response to our grass-fed beef. It will be hugely beneficial in enhancing awareness of the intrinsic merits of NZ grass-fed beef and the product’s competitiveness with other sources of beef supplied to and consumed in the Korean market.”
B+LNZ carries out this type of activitiy on behalf of sheep and beef farmers to increase awareness of NZ grassfed beef in the Korean market.
B+LNZ was one of 10 New Zealand entities including Te Kuiti’s Universal Beef Packers who took part in the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise-organised New Zealand pavilion at Seoul Food.
For more information or high-resolution images for publication, please contact Beef + Lamb New Zealand Communications Manager, Jan Keir-Smith 027 271 7593.
About Beef + Lamb New Zealand:
Beef + Lamb New Zealand Ltd is the farmer owned industry organisation representing New Zealand ’s sheep and beef farmers. Beef + Lamb New Zealand Ltd invests farmer levies to help develop a growing sheep and beef industry providing sustainable returns for future generations. Beef + Lamb New Zealand has four programmes – Farm, Market, People and Information – to deliver innovative tools and services to support informed decision making, and continuous improvement in market access, product positioning and farming systems for New Zealand’s sheep and beef sector.