The Country 10/11/25: Sirma Karapeeva talks to Jamie Mackay

The chief executive of the Meat Industry Association comments on last week’s first in-market activation of the refreshed Taste Pure Nature country-of-origin brand event in Shanghai.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Sirmacara Peaver is the chief executive of the Meat Industry Association.
She's a bit jet lagged because she's just got back
from Shanghai. Big event on there last week. It was
the Meat Industry Association launching the first in market activation
of the Refreshed Taste Pure Nature country of Origin brand.

(00:21):
And you had this exclusive pop up restaurant experience in Shanghai,
Surma and everyone who was anyone was there apparently.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Oh yes, it was a fabulous night out there. Our
hero restaurant team and Tribal Brands Asia did a fabulous
job and putting this together and it really was an
outstanding way to activate the refresh Taste Pure Nature brand

(00:51):
country of Origin brand for the red meat sector in China.
Very exciting, well received. People will feed excellent food prepared
by chef Ben Bailey and they all are left with
very good feelings towards New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
Well, I'm sure I'm sure they did. Getting there. I
looked at the menu. Lumina Lamb. Is that the allion
scroup Lamb? Is it?

Speaker 2 (01:15):
It isn't?

Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yeah, okay, Lumina Lamb's shoulder with Tartua cheese. Silver Fern
Farms tenderloin, tartia and innovation desserts crafted with New Zealand ingredients.
It sounds wonderful. I wonder they were all impressed. But
because this is the refreshed Taste Pure Nature country of
Origin brand, what happened to the old one? Was it stale?

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Well? The old one was the first foray into a
country of origin brand, and as with everything that goes first,
there's lessons learned, and you know, perhaps it didn't resonate
as well and the market as it should have or
could have, And so we were given the challenge to
refresh it and make it more saliens and more applicable

(02:03):
to the value proposition that we are promoting to the
Chinese consumer.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
I get a wee bit cynical when we talk about
telling our stories, or as Dame Nolene would say, telling
her truth. I'm getting away off subject there. But Taste
Pure Nature is a lot more that I'm reading from
the publicity blurb hair Summer than a label or a logo.
It's a promise of naturally raised, hormone free, grass fed

(02:31):
red meat produced with care in one of the world's
most pristine environments. Greenpeace might say otherwise.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
Well, of course they might, but you know, we've got
outstanding farming practices in New Zealand and we should be
very proud of the work that our farmers and processes
do to get this excellent product into market.

Speaker 1 (02:54):
How big a deal is this grass fed brand in
China because obviously most of them they're eating there isn't
they're eating over there is not grass fed.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah. Well, look, it's certainly as an upcoming trend in
China as it is in other parts of the world.
I think with the ongoing trend around health and well being,
consumers are looking for options to meet those needs, and
certainly China is not different to the rest of the world.
The young, mobile, well educated consumers are really looking for

(03:29):
products that are both value and also quality driven and
that meet the brief of wellness and health for them.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
This is funded by the Meat Industry Association, and obviously
under that umbrella you get your alliance groups, your silver
fern Farms, your a FCoS, youranscos. I don't know, all
the big meat companies beef and lamb New Zealand are
in as well, plus the government. So nine point four
million over three years, and I know that sounds about
of money. But when it comes to marketing, that can

(04:02):
disappear pretty quickly on a global stage.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
Oh, absolutely it can, and so we've been very focused
and conscious of that very point. So we are activating
this in the Shanghai market as a trial, as a
pilot for three years, almost a proof of concept to
see that we can stand it up and that it works.
And you know, I'm hoping that it will, and once

(04:30):
that happens, we can start looking to roll it out
in other parts of the world.

Speaker 1 (04:36):
Sirmercarapeaver with this, Chief Executive of the Meat Industry Association,
just quick final question for you. Is the red meat
industry on an all time high? I'm not talking about
the industry per se, because it's got lots of issues,
but I'm talking about from a returns point of view.
I don't know if inflation adjusted it is, but certainly
in dollar terms bear dollar terms, at the moment, it's

(04:59):
never been better.

Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yes, I mean, I think we are very much enjoying
the high global prices and reaping the benefit of that
right back through to the farm gate. Long may it continue.
It really is a situation of supply and demand. Global
supply is tight across beef and sheep meat to a

(05:22):
certain extent, and while our stock numbers are declining, we're
still able to grab those good returns in our global markets.

Speaker 1 (05:33):
Sir McAra Peaver, chief executive of the Meat Industry Association,
Thanks for the work you're doing on our behalf, especially
in Shanghai last week.

Speaker 2 (05:42):
Thank you, Jamie