New York Veal Tour Helps Educate Key Industry Players
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Suggested Lead: Tony Longino, Director of Sales and Marketing for Catelli Brothers, Inc., one of the largest veal and lamb companies in the U.S., recently took part in the New York Veal/Dairy Tour 2010, hosted by the New York Beef Industry Council and made possible with funding by the beef checkoff. For industry influencers who have a connection with the consumer, this event offered the opportunity to gain a better understanding of animal agriculture from pasture to plate and the relationship between veal and the dairy industry.
Longino 1: “One of the struggles that we always have is that veal is a very…it’s kind of a niche market. So one of the things we always try and do when we first meet with people is just find out if they truly understand what the value of veal can be for their business. And in most cases, it’s the fact that it attracts an important consumer.” (21 seconds)
Longino gives us a snapshot of what the veal consumer might look like:
Longino 2: “The consumer of veal tends to be kind of a ‘foodie’ type which will…they tend to have higher income than the average consumer. And so whether it’s retail or foodservice, they would be the people that would – if on the foodservice side – they’ll be the same people that will order a filet or a strip or another upscale entrée. And they might also be the people that will buy an appetizer or a bottle of wine. On the retail side, same thing. It’s the people that will pick up the other premium meats and the other premium products that they sell in their store, so they’ll get a bigger basket ring if they can attract veal consumers into their stores.” (37 seconds)
Longino says the tour was important in getting key retail and foodservice decision makers to attend, in an effort to enhance the image of the veal industry. Those that came learned the connection between the veal and dairy industries, and gained an appreciation for the sophistication and care that goes into feeding, raising and harvesting the animals.
Longino 3: “I think it was really two-fold. One was just to educate people on what the tie-in is between the dairy industry and the veal industry. I think there are a lot of misperceptions out there and I don’t think people realize that when you talk about sustainability, veal and dairy really feed each other and really, the veal industry is a byproduct of the dairy business. So it really is a full circle of life so to speak.” (29 seconds)
Longino believes that day two of the tour, which gave them a hands-on kitchen experience to create their own veal masterpiece, was beneficial in many ways.
Longino 4: “I think watching some of the people realize how versatile veal is and basically how tasty it is and how good it is – and a lot of times, people are kind of afraid of veal because they’re not sure how to prepare it, but by doing that exercise, I think they realized that everything you do with other proteins is exactly what you can do with veal.” (18 seconds)
For information on other efforts being funded with your beef checkoff investment, visit www.vealmadeeasy.com or www.MyBeefCheckoff.com.
The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
Funded by the Beef Checkoff.
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