Forbes rates NZ beef best in world

Forbes magazine has told its millions of readers to ‘‘run, don’t walk’’ to sample the New Zealand beef it says is the best in the world.

In an article this week, journalist Katie Chang heaped praise on First Light’s premium wagyu beef, and warned readers the grass-fed product could knock their socks off.

‘‘Even the leanest cuts are downright delicious and deeply satisfying,’’ she wrote.

‘‘And if you’re lucky enough to come across a chop with a marbling score of seven or higher, be prepared to put your socks back on.’’

New Yorker Chang was hosted by two of First Light’s owners, Jason Ross and Gerard Hickey, for a week before Christmas and toured several farms which supply beef and venison to the company.

Ross said although the visit had gone smoothly and Chang had been positive during her stay, the extent of her praise was a surprise.

‘‘It’s very humbling. You don’t have this sort of thing happen to you every day and it’s great for us to be featured – and so positively – but it’s also great for New Zealand agriculture in general,’’ he said.

With the Forbes website clocking up 70 million unique visitors every month, the positive exposure for the New Zealand’s beef industry could be huge, Ross said.

‘‘Hopefully readers in the United States will go out and seek out New Zealand beef after this.

‘‘It’s a wonderful [endorsement] on our beef and hopefully New Zealanders will feel better about what we’re doing here and how we’re doing it.’’

First Light was founded in Hawke’s Bay in 2003 by Ross, Hickey and Greg Evans.

The company now has offices in the US, United Kingdom, France and the United Arab Emirates but its products are particularly popular at home, Ross said.

‘‘We’ve been really surprised by how ready New Zealanders were for good steak,’’ he said.

‘‘We thought we’d be a burger and sausage company that sold a few steaks but we’re a steak company that sells a few sausages and burgers.

‘‘New Zealanders have really embraced it and New Zealand is a far bigger proportion of our sales mix than we ever imagined it would be.’’