March 21, 2007

US beef gaining popularity in Guatemala
 

The US Meat Export Federation's (USMEF) efforts in promoting its beef in Guatemala are gradually taking root, according to Ricardo Vernazza-Paganini, USMEF director   of the Central and South American regions.

However, the US still have to hurdle challenges such as high prices of US beef as well as Guatemalans' loyalty to their local products.

To address these problems, Vernazza-Paganini created a three-phased program where the first phase includes training a USMEF partner company in Guatemala to fabricate beef sub-primal or value cuts. The system will result to lower and more affordable price items, he said.

The second phase of the project is to put specific US beef cuts on restaurant menus. USMEF has already met the country's restaurant managers and chefs to showcase US beef cuts and how other restaurants successfully marketed those cuts in a similar fashion conducted by USMEF in Guatemala last year.

The cuts were also renamed to appeal to a Latin American taste of equating high-quality products with Western names such as re-christening flat iron steak into California steak while the ranch cut is identified as Texas fillet.

US beef exports to Guatemala last year increased 52 percent in volume to 787 metric tonnes and 29 percent in value to US$2.85 million compared to 2005.