Totaranui is a long time Alliance supplier. We were delighted when they came out with their Hand Picked beef programme and invited them to feature it in our catalogue.
As a 100 per cent farmer-owned co-operative, Alliance Group is committed to building a differentiated premium portfolio, providing our farmers with a supply programme that has been shaped by the needs of our customers and markets.
Alliance Group’s world-class award-winning Pure South HANDPICKED Beef brand provides suppliers with a two-tier premium beef supply offer:
- Pure South HANDPICKED 55 Day Aged Beef (winner of gold and bronze awards in the World Steak Challenge in 2018 and 2019)
- Pure South HANDPICKED 21 Day Aged Beef
Pure South HANDPICKED 55 Day Aged Beef and Pure South HANDPICKED 21 Day Aged Beef are breed agnostic, so any shareholder can participate in the programme – it’s all about flavour, tenderness, restaurant quality and consistency.
Assessment
Alliance is utilising an internationally-recognised assessment system to measure eating quality so we can reward our farmers for producing the finest beef and provide our customers with the confidence they will enjoy a quality eating experience each and every time.
Our specially-trained graders handpick beef from prime young cattle from any breed to ensure robust, accurate and consistent outcomes.
The assessors are looking for:
- Marbling – what amount of intramuscular fat there is as flecks between the muscle fibres and cells. This is assessed by comparing the marbling to meat ratio within the eye muscle
- Meat Colour – what the most predominant colour of the rib eye muscle (M. longissimus dorsi) is against the colour reference standards
- Fat Colour – what the colour of the seam fat is as a measure against colour reference standards
Qualifying
To qualify for the Pure South HANDPICKED Beef Programme, carcases must achieve a marbling score of 2 plus, have a fat and meat colour of up to 4 and pH less than or equal to 5.7. All stock must also be Farm Assured, meet the special raising claims programme and be NAIT tagged.
TIER 1 Pure South HANDPICKED Beef
- Prime steer or heifers which are hormone-free and raised without antibiotics (including raw milk powder used in calf feed)
- Grass fed + P1, P2, T1 and T2 grades only
- Within the 270.1kg–370kg weight range
- 2+ marbling
- Fat colour up to 4
- Meat colour up to 4
- pH ≤5.7
- NAIT tagged
- Farm assured
TIER 2 Pure South HANDPICKED 55 Day Aged Beef
- An additional premium will be paid for any animals supplied under the contract, which when graded, are found to qualify for our HANDPICKED 55 Day Aged Beef.
- This requires a 4+ marbling score alongside the specifications needed for HANDPICKED Beef.
Pricing
Alliance Group offers contracted premiums above the ruling schedule at the time of processing. Reports from farmers that have had qualifying stock is that Alliance’s premiums certainly improve returns from beef significantly.
It is exciting to see another premium meat programme coming to the market, it is a sign of the times, and can only continue to improve returns further.