Page 35 - NZ Herefords Magazine 2018

Industry Focus

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Serving

award

winning

beef

Brian, left, and Lyndon Everton are bringing back the real taste of beef WORDS NATALIE CAMPBELL
using their specially designed dry aging process. PHOTOGRAPHS SUPPLIED

A PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS that’s taken longer “Real taste has been forgotten due to processing
than three years to perfect has paid dividends for family-owned efficiencies.”
meat wholesaler, Cabernet Foods Ltd. Brian says they looked at dry aging and how they could
The North Island-based business and lower North Island incorporate it into a sustainable business model and set about
Hereford Prime processor has recently launched its 30-day developing their own technique with minimal waste.
dry aged Everton beef into the marketplace – and it’s already “It needs to be controlled and we need to prove it is fit for
received industry acclaim. purpose.”
The product was named a finalist in two categories of the Careful not to reveal their dry aging secrets, Brian says they
NZ Food Awards – the innovation category and chilled/short remove whole scotch fillets and sirloins from the bone before
shelf life award. the beef cuts enter a closely guarded process to be aged for a
Joint managing director, Brian Everton, said the development minimum of 30 days.
of their 30-day dry aged Everton beef came about after looking Dry aging can be expensive and that’s a challenge for a
at beef trends in Europe and the America. small business in terms of cash flow and holding the beef for
“We noticed a growing demand and interest in traditional that extended length of time.
ways of beef processing,” he says. “We designed our own technique that’s cost-effective,”
Traditionally beef was hung and aged for extended periods Brian says.
of time and he and brother Lyndon grew up with those Cabernet sell about one tonne of 30-day dry aged beef a
enhanced flavours. But he says as meat processing has looked week – comprising the sirloin and scotch fillet. Their partnership
for efficiencies, vacuum packing and wet aging has replaced with Hereford Prime (HP) has seen some HP dry aged and he
traditional techniques. hopes that is an area they’ll expand. They are trialling HP rumps
Dry aging is a method that ages beef and removes a small in their dry aging programme.
percentage of moisture from the beef cut, while enhancing flavour “There is demand (for the dry aged Hereford) but we need
and retaining juiciness in a temperature controlled environment. more supply of cattle,” he says.
Brian says dry aging locks the flavour into the beef cells, The brothers entered the NZ Food Awards with their new
which means taste isn’t lost in the serum (fluid) common product because they saw it as a chance to showcase the
with vacuum packed (wet) aged beef. However, he says the brand and a unique product.
traditional technique came with its own challenges – namely Brian says the awards process was daunting and intense – it
waste from having to trim the inedible outside layer off. took several weeks to prepare the entry.
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