Eight of Australia’s most prominent red meat exporters will be showcasing a wide range of premium beef and lamb products, including some new to the market, on the Aussie Beef & Lamb stand at this year’s Hospitality Restaurant and Catering show (HRC) at Excel London 17 – 19 March.

Located on stand H250 in the HRC section of the event, Aussie chef, Graham Green will be cooking up taster samples across the three days, making it a must-visit for red meat lovers. 

This year’s showcase sees even more producers and an excellent mix of new and established brands making the journey from Australia.

Newcomers to this year’s event include Pardoo Wagyu, Stone Axe Pastoral Company and MT Food Group Pty Ltd, all of which are bringing an exciting range of cuts and products, ready to tempt buyers and industry professionals.

Jacks’ Creek, winners of the coveted World’s Best Steak accolade for two years running, which has just launched a new Wagyu X range into Ocado, will also feature, alongside JBS Australia and Thomas Foods International, both returning after a hugely successful show last year.

Official Meat Partners of Salon Culinaire

Aussie Beef & Lamb will for the second year running, be the official meat partner of this year’s Salon Culinaire competition and will be providing lamb racks, Wagyu sirloin, and lamb chumps across the Lamb Challenge, The Beef and Beyond Australian Culinary Challenge and the Junior Lamb Challenge.

Timings of the competitions are below (subject to change).

Monday 17th March

 

LT14 Lamb Challenge 2025 08.15 - 09.00
LT14 Lamb Challenge 2025 09.15 -10.00

LT12 Beef & Beyond, an Australian Culinary Challenge 13.15 - 14.15

Tuesday 18th March

JLT1 Junior Lamb HEAT 1 08.00 - 08.30
JLT1 Junior Lamb HEAT 2 08.45 - 09.15

Representatives from Meat & Livestock Australia, the organisation that uses the Aussie Beef & Lamb brand to promote Australian red meat imports here in the UK will be judging the competitions, Richard Sanders, Country Manager - UK
Meat & Livestock Australia, said:

“This is the second time Aussie Beef & Lamb has been the official meat partner of Salon Culinaire. We find a lot of value in this competition, both supporting local, grass roots talent and the development of skills for up-and-coming chefs. We’re very proud and confident in the quality and consistency of our product, and we’re excited to once again put it in the hands of these talented, motivated chefs. Salon Culinaire is a well-regarded competition that attracts an excellent calibre of chefs and we’re very excited to taste and judge this year’s dishes.”

Australian Red Meat – The Facts to Date

Australian red meat is gaining traction in the UK, particularly among hospitality professionals, as it becomes more well known for excellent eating quality, consistency and superior grading system.

Imports of Australian red meat to the UK increased by 162% the full 2024 calendar year demonstrating its increase in popularity.

Further facts relating to Australian beef and lamb are below:

• In the full 2024 calendar year Australia exported a total of 18852 tonnes of sheep meat (+47% vs YA) to the UK
• This increase comes primarily from growing demand for frozen lamb shanks, which makes up 17% of total volume.
• In the full 2024 calendar year, Australia exporter 6296 tonnes of beef to the UK (+162% vs YA). 
• Topside/inside cut is still the best overall performing cut, but it only makes up a quarter of total exports (vs 32% YA). There is increasing demand for cuts like the rib eye, striploin, rump, and tenderloins demonstrating the UK’s growing preference for premium steaks from a consistent quality supply.
• In terms of production, Australian lamb production is forecast to remain near record levels in 2025 and 2026.
• High carcase weights and stable herd numbers will drive Australian beef production to record highs in 2025 and will remain stable in 2026.

Richard Sanders added: “What these figures demonstrate is what we have said all along, seasonal fluctuations in supply and demand for premium products and cuts is driving sales of Australian beef and lamb in the UK, we’re very pleased with how our products are being received by the foodservice industry and also that we’re now beginning to gain traction in the retail market through Ocado initially, and other retailers to follow.”

Aussie Beef & Lamb Exhibitor Information

HRC, part of Food, Drink & Hospitality Week, will showcase the freshest food and drink products on offer to the hospitality sector to London’s Excel on 17-19 March. Below are more details on each of the exhibitors at the Aussie Beef & Lamb stand

Fletcher International Exports

Family-owned and operated for over 45 years, Fletcher International Exports (FIE) has developed into one of Australia’s most vertically integrated agribusinesses.

Across three states of Australia, FIE has ownership of supply chain assets in breeding, farming, feeding, processing, packing, logistics and marketing.

FIE operates two EU listed abattoirs, which are geographically located on either side of the Australian continent. This diversity of location of its processing facilities allows the company to take advantage of different seasons and growing conditions across Australia.

In addition, the vast farming interests across three states ensures consistent, year-round supply of quality livestock to fulfil global demand for Fletcher Brand’s Chilled and Frozen Lamb and Mutton cuts and associated offals, as well as grains and pulses to over 100 markets worldwide.

FIE is able to supply what the market requires today, and work in collaboration with clients to develop new products to cater for what the market will require tomorrow.

Thomas Foods International

Established in 1988, Thomas Foods International (TFI) has grown to become a vertically integrated business and one of Australia’s largest family-owned red meat processors, supplying Australian beef, lamb and goat to over 85 countries.

From farms where livestock are ensured the best possible start, to strategically located processing operations that provide efficient production, or to well-established distribution channels, TFI has curated every step in the supply chain with the end product and consumer in mind.

With the capability to handle orders of any size to any destination, deliveries vary from large, regular sea freight orders to small air freight consignments.

A demand driven business with family values at its core. TFI operates with safety, sustainability, outstanding customer service and delivering customers with consistent, high- quality products.

JBS Australia

JBS Australia, part of the global JBS business, is one of the largest and most respected beef and lamb processor in Australia and has developed the enviable reputation as the leading supplier of Australian beef and lamb around the world.

Sourcing livestock from far north Queensland’s outback down to the lush rolling hills of Tasmania, it has an extensive range of grain fed and grass-fed products, across a strong portfolio of leading brands

JBS Australia operates ten strategically located beef and lamb processing facilities as well as six feedlots across the east coast. Working with a network of livestock producers provides the ability to meet the specific demands of export markets and customer specifications.

As the major player in the Australian red meat industry, JBS Australia is proud to offer 30 award winning beef and lamb brands for retail, wholesale, and food service customers.

Customers can trust JBS Australia to provide a consistent, reliable, safe quality product, delivering tenderness and eating quality to keep them coming back.

Jack’s Creek

Jack’s Creek is a family run company and a leading producer of Wagyu and Black Angus cattle and high-quality grain-fed beef products.  

In 2024 Jack’s Creek cemented its position as a global leader in premium beef, winning the coveted World’s Best Steak award for its Purebred Wagyu Sirloin, along with 17 medals—including 10 gold—at the prestigious World Steak Challenge 2024. This is the fourth time in 10 years, and the second year in a row, that Jack’s Creek has won this title.

Most recently the brand launched an exclusive range of Wagyu X range into Ocado, a premium cross of two of the most renowned marbling breeds - Wagyu and Black Angus which are raised in raised in the fertile agricultural regions of New South Wales. Nurtured in naturally unspoiled and diverse environments, the cattle have been carefully bred for exceptional taste, tenderness and juiciness to deliver a truly unique dining experience.

Find out more at https://jackscreek.com.au/

Pardoo Wagyu

Pardoo Wagyu is an integrated Australian Wagyu company with properties based in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia. They produce purebred and crossbred Wagyu beef for local and international markets.

The Pilbara region is one of the most remote and remarkable parts of Australia, and Pardoo Station has a unique place within it with a pastoral history tracing back to 1865. Their breeding country now extends to the Kimberley as far north as the Fitzroy Crossing.

Pardoo Beef Corporation has partnered with leading international breeders as well as some of Australia’s finest to build the Pilbara’s first Wagyu herd as well as branded Wagyu programs from other regions.

Going as far afield as Hokkaido, Japan, to achieve purebred perfection within an optimal time frame, Pardoo Beef Corporation has worked with the famed Shogo Takeda from Takeda Farms.

Mr Takeda’s fullblood genetic influence has enabled Pardoo Beef Corporation to establish artesian micro farming practices on Pardoo Station pivots, which collectively create scale.

https://pardoowagyu.com/

Stone Axe Pastoral Company

Australia’s first ever back-to-back grand champion winners of the wagyu branded beef awards, Stone Axe’s herd has been carefully bred to preserve its 100% Full Blood Wagyu genetics.

The brand’s vision is to build one of the largest Full Blood Japanese Black Wagyu herds anywhere outside Japan.

As the company and herd has grown, Stone Axe has focused on suitable, sustainable and reliable breeding country which in term has enabled it to minimise impact on the land and continuously improve.

Stone Axe Wagyu is of the highest possible quality, free from artificial growth hormones and fed quality produce grown by Australian farmers. Supplied in a variety of cuts ideal for thin slicing (for Asian BBQ or Shabu Shabu) as well as whole serve primals, Stone Axe Wagyu is available across the full range of Marble Scores.

https://www.stoneaxepastoral.com.au/

MT Food Group Pty Ltd

Export specialists with more than four decades of industry experience, MT Food Group  is the perfect partner to source an ideal range of premium products for business through its extensive network of suppliers.

It works with some of the world’s leading hotel groups, restaurants, five-star airlines and the retail sector in over twenty countries, providing a comprehensive procurement service delivering red meat, seafood, dairy and other high care products from many of the best producers in the world, directly to the plates of consumers globally.

https://www.mtfoodgroup.com.au/