Kepak Group achieved a stellar 13 awards, including six golds at the sixth-annual World Steak Challenge. Leading sustainable beef products from the Twenty20 Beef Club programme, in collaboration with Glanbia Ireland, achieved gold and bronze awards in their first outing at the global competition for their exceptional taste and quality.
The Twenty20 Beef Club represents a clear vision for the future of the industry towards producing more economically and environmentally sustainable beef with complete traceability and transparency. The product’s supreme flavour and taste was cited as the reason for its wonderful success at the World Steak Challenge.
As one of Europe’s leading food innovators, Kepak was up against a high calibre of Irish processers at the world’s most prestigious steak competition which puts the world’s finest cuts to the test. Kepak triumphed with over 13 award wins on home soil over stiff competition, not only from Ireland but from large beef-producing countries around the globe.
In addition, Kepak’s premium PGI Scotch Beef brand, McIntosh Donald brand, which supplies Kepak’s own butcher shops in both Portlethen in Scotland and its own branded butcher counter in Tesco Kensington, also won big at the awards, securing two gold awards for its Sirloin and Ribeye beef products.
The World Steak Challenge offers suppliers the opportunity to showcase product quality, breed credentials, processing standards and flavour on a global stage, as well as competing against rivals from all corners of the world. The prestigious competition also gives the industry to showcase the benefits of eating steak as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
Hosted in Dublin’s Mansion House, this year’s challenge was sponsored by Bord Bia and entries were judged by a panel of industry experts such as top butchers, food journalists and meat scientists.
Commenting on the achievement, Tom Finn, Chief Commercial Officer, Kepak Meat Division said: “Kepak is very proud of its success at this year’s World Steak Challenge which sets the standard for world class steak products globally. The awards are a testament to Kepak’s commitment to producing high quality, sustainable meat for all our customers in line with strict safety and selection measures, best in class butchering and excellent maturation expertise which are at the core of how our business operates. The award highlights the hard work of our suppliers and the strong sustainability and traceability credentials of our excellent product mix which is among the best globally”
“The success of Twenty20 Beef Club at the awards reaffirms the importance of this sustainability programme in collaboration with Glanbia Ireland and it’s contribution to increased environmental efficiency and enhanced product taste.”