We are delighted to have achieved “Gold Medal Status” at the annual “World Steak Challenge”  for our Rib Eye, for the third year in a row. Once again, we successfully competed with more than 200 participants from all over the world, including Wagyu, Grain Fed and Galician Beef. Winning the award is a fantastic endorsement of the quality of our meat and testament to our heritage and tradition of Dry Ageing. We also added another medal to our cabinet, winning Silver for our Sirloin too. The World Steak Challenge is a great platform for us to highlight the benefits of eating quality Irish beef and the outstanding efforts of the Irish farmers who produce this top-quality product. It also gives us the opportunity to continue to promote our meat to our clients all around the world.

We recently participated in the 2019 Agri-Food trade mission to Japan and the Republic of Korea, organised by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in conjunction with Bord Bia. It was a fantastic opportunity to deepen existing key trade relationships and to create new ones. There is a surging interest in Irish grass-fed beef in Japan due to growing customer appreciation of the provenance of food and the importance of sustainable production. The crowds of visitors queuing to sample our incredible beef was tremendous testament to that.

We attended the prestigious Gourmet Festival in Düsseldorf alongside partner, Albers Food, and Edeka Zurgeide, to showcase our first-class meat to discerning customers. Allan Morris demonstrated his passion and expertise with a butchery masterclass and gave insight into producing exceptional beef. We also had a fantastic time at the opening night of Rudi Kull and Albert Weinzierl’s new hotel restaurant, The Louis Grillroom, Munich. Allan presented expertly butchered cuts of the finest beef to a hungry audience; a carnivore’s delight!

To officially mark our success in Asia, we decided to create a grand tour of our main Asian markets. Accompanying me on this exciting trip was John Stone MBE himself. We spent much of the trip meeting and eating with existing and new customers. 

We exhibited at Gulfood Trade Show, the world’s largest annual food and beverage trade exhibition, showcasing our exceptional produce on the Board Bia Irish exports stand. Our show-stopping stand generated plenty of interest, providing significant opportunity to engage with local and international buyers. We also had the pleasure of visiting 5-star dining destination, Bleu Blanc at the Renaissance Hotel, and discussed meat produce with Head Chef, Alexandre Szkaradkiewicz. 

Our time in Singapore was spent with key partners, building trade relationships and networking. A whole host of exceptional chefs used John Stone produce to create some phenomenal dishes for us to enjoy including; Paul Hallett (SKAI, Swissotel), Isaac Tan (Bedrock Bar & Grill) and Heidi Flanagan (Shangri La, Origin Grill). Some successful meetings were also held with distribution partner, Classic Fine Foods.

As part of their efforts to ensure all ingredients they use are sustainable, ethical and traceable, the Grand Hyatt has launched an insightful ‘Meat the Butcher’ series, bringing in suppliers to educate diners on the produce on their plates. I’ve been invited to talk about how John Stone meat is not only high quality but sustainable too. As a precursor for my talk, I visited the Grand Hyatt to meet talented Head Chef, Fernando Gojan. Whilst in Hong Kong, John and I also took the opportunity to meet with distribution partner, Classic Fine Foods.

We enjoyed some unforgettable dining experiences whilst in Tokyo. At the restaurant Artisan, Head Chef Takeshi Sato demonstrated his originality and excellence in the kitchen with his preparation of John Stone beef. Takeshi grilled the beef with Japanese Whiskey and smoked with Japanese cedar before serving, creating incredibly succulent meat. John and I enjoyed similarly wonderful food at the Ritz Carlton and Ukaitei, courtesy of chefs Thierry Martin and William Khala (Ritz Carlton) and Kenichi Hosobuchi and Daisuke Sato (Ukaitei). Our visit to Tokyo concluded with some productive meetings with Classic Fine Foods.

To strengthen our commercial presence within the Asian market we recently showcased our meat at the inaugural CIIE in Shanghai, which was officially opened by the Chinese President Xi Jinping. John Stone Beef were a part of the BordBia’s Ireland pavilion, where 12 companies participated and demonstrated their commitment to the Chinese market. The exhibition is vast, with numerous halls and companies from a whole host of industries in attendance; visitors could purchase anything from helicopters in Hall 4 to a steak in Hall 8! 

As part of Allan’s recent trip to China, he attended a BoardBia seminar in Tokyo with Executive Chef Liam Crotty where he delighted delegates with a top-class cooking demonstration with John Stone Beef. The seminar really helped to raise awareness of Irish beef in Japan as well as the quality and heritage of John Stone. Allan then followed the successful seminar off with a whistle-stop tour of the city thanks to fellow industry colleague, Hiro from Classic Fine Foods.