Tour an amazing chance
Producers visit Asian cities
QUEENSLAND organic cattle graziers have encouraged other producers to take advantage of market tours offered by farmer-owned OBE Organic to see where their beef is sold.
Sharon and Graham Betts, who run 10,000 head of organic cattle at Epsilon in south-west Queensland and Mungerannie, near Lake Eyre, were among seven rangelands producers who travelled with OBE Organic to see their beef being sold in upmarket retailers and being served in high-end restaurants in Tokyo and Hong Kong.
Mrs Betts, who was also appointed to the OBE Organic Board in 2016, said the visit in early April underlined the importance of knowing the eating habits of target markets.
“This was my first visit to Tokyo and Hong Kong,” she said.
“I’ve heard about the small portion sizes they sell because beef is mainly used in hot-pots and stir-fries, but it’s not until you see the tiny sliced-up beef perfectly presented on the shelves that you understand what the market wants.
“We also got some good market insights. For example in a Hong Kong restaurant we were told customers are increasingly asking for OBE beef over wagyu because it has more flavour, and in Japan the retailer told us the majority of people who bought our beef there were in their 50s or 60s.
“I’d definitely recommend any grazier to talk to OBE about going on a future market tour if you get the chance.
“It opens your eyes to different cultures, reminds you of the need to adapt to meet changing demand, and it’s really good to see your meat in the supermarket and people buying it.”
OBE Organic has previously taken producers on similar tours to Asia, the Middle East
and the United States so they can see first-hand what consumer expectations are.
“We find producers always take a lot of pride in seeing their beef in upmarket supermarkets and glamorous restaurants.
“They learn a lot by interacting with customers, and they also see a side to the destination they never would as a regular tourist,” OBE Organic general manager Dalene Wray said.
“Being a dynamic farmer-owned company, we
are often able to take producers along on our regular overseas market visits. Producers interested in accompanying our sales team on a future trip are encouraged to contact OBE Organic.”
OBE Organic was actively seeking new suppliers to meet booming global demand for its product.
International market tours were one of the ways OBE Organic is working to improve the productivity of its producers.
Other initiatives unique to OBE Organic included developing an improved slaughter data feedback loop to producers with the support of the MLA Donor Company, providing Grazing BMP workshops across western Queensland, partnering with Livestock Biosecurity Network to develop an organic biosecurity workbook, and partnering with Workplace Health and Safety Queensland and WorkCover to deliver farm safety webinars tailored for the beef industry.