Demand-building initiatives for Canadian beef were a priority focus for Canada Beef during the third quarter of our fiscal year. The team presented several workshops to partners visiting Canada from major export markets in Latin America and Asia, led a roadshow tour of Japan and Korea, and participated in the Team Canada trade mission to Indonesia and the Philippines, with Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development Minister Mary Ng.
Restaurant recruitment for the 2025 “Burger it Forward” campaign kicked into high gear, well ahead of the February 1 launch, to ensure this important giveback created by Canada’s beef farmers and ranchers will be the biggest effort yet. The team also continued to foster educational enrichment with the Canadian culinary community through its partnership with Taste Canada.
All of these initiatives are part of a multi-pronged approach to build demand for Canadian beef at home and abroad through education and awareness.
For example, the Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence collaborates with Canada Beef’s export market development team to provide product familiarization workshops to partners visiting Canada on inbound trade missions. These partners include buyers, distributors, and retail and food service operators.
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In October and November, the Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence’s presentation to visitors from Latin America and Asia featured a comprehensive overview of the Canadian beef advantage. These familiarizations also include butchery demonstrations and product samplings that showcase Canadian beef’s differentiating attributes and versatility to broaden use.
The workshops were enhanced by the centre’s sophisticated visual displays and audio equipment, which now offer simultaneous translation. This newly available tool was offered for the first time in November 2024. The centre’s ability to minimize language barriers enhances inclusivity and understanding of Canadian beef advantage messaging, partnership opportunities and product attributes.
In November, Albert Eringfeld, Canada Beef vice-president of export market development, led the roadshow to Japan and Korea, Canada’s third- and fourth-largest export markets for beef, respectively. Eringfeld was joined on the roadshow by cattle ranchers Crystal and Chad Ross from L-7 Land and Cattle Co. in Saskatchewan. As producers, the Rosses provided a unique and important perspective during Canada Beef’s seminars and meetings with partners in the market. The team visited Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima and Fukuoka with support from Canada Beef Japan’s local team.
In Seoul, South Korea, about 140 local meat and food industry representatives attended the Canada Beef seminar where presentations on the Canadian beef advantage, the Canadian beef production industry and Canadian beef supply options to Korea were provided. A beef cutting demo focused on an underused cut was also provided by chef Kim of Chungbuk Provincial University. The team also met with Canadian beef suppliers, importers, distributors and retailers, and joined the Coex Food Week tradeshow where Canada Beef was exhibiting. “It was great to see the strong interest in the South Korean market for our beef and export growth opportunities,” noted Eringfeld.
Back in Canada, preparations for the third annual Burger it Forward campaign were in full swing. The month-long campaign, which will launch on February 1, 2025, strives to support community restaurants and Canadian ground beef supply while raising funds for food banks at local, regional and national levels. Canada Beef works with provincial producer associations for consumer engagement and food bank contributions.
Canada Beef’s goal is to increase restaurant participation in Burger it Forward every year, making active participation from restaurants essential for this giveback’s success. The 2024 campaign raised more than $67,000 for food banks across the country and sold over 59,000 burgers at 199 participating restaurants across Canada.
The partnership between Taste Canada and Canada Beef supports culinary excellence, bridges the gap between classroom education and real-world application and inspires aspiring chefs nationwide. The Cooks the Books student cooking competition is core to this collaboration. Now in its third year with Canada Beef as the presenting sponsor, the partnership brings together events and initiatives that reach culinary educators, students and Canadian culinary writers with educational information on the Canadian beef advantage and the Canadian Beef Information Gateway.
For instance, the 2024 Cooks the Books competition featured the theme “global flavours grow in Canada.” Student chefs from culinary schools across Canada were tasked with crafting unique recipes with premium Canadian ingredients, using a special cut of Canadian beef each team selected from the Canadian Beef Information Gateway — food service edition.
As part of the competition, Mathieu Paré, chef and Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence executive director, hosted a virtual “Graded for Greatness” workshop. The online session provided Cooks the Books participants, college faculty and industry professionals with an in-depth understanding of Canadian beef grading, its importance to chefs and how various grades can be best used in the kitchen. This educational element underscored Canada Beef’s dedication to enhancing students’ knowledge and practical skills.
Other co-sponsored related activities included a field trip to the University of Guelph’s Beef Research Centre in Elora, Ont., for a field-to-table experience that showcased the connection between sustainable agricultural practices and the culinary industry, and hosting a chef station showcasing recipes featuring oxtail, prepared by chef Bradley Yip. This event brought together industry leaders, chefs, authors and media to celebrate the richness of Canadian food culture.
For the latest information on Canada Beef’s domestic and international efforts to increase demand for Canadian beef while ensuring the maximum value for producer dollars, please subscribe to Canada Beef Performs (canadabeef.ca/canadabeefperforms). c
Eric Bienvenue is a strategic leader with more than 25 years of senior leadership experience in Canada’s animal protein sectors. A native of Saint-Valérien, Que., Bienvenue is based out of Canada Beef’s Calgary headquarters and resides in Airdrie, Alta. Gina Teel is the director of stakeholder communications for Canada Beef, where she provides timely and effective communication of all Canada Beef initiatives and outcomes to funding partners and industry stakeholders, media, consumers, and other external audiences.
