Specialty Pork: The Success Story in Japan
Specialty Pork from North Carolina gains popularity in Japan thanks to breeding and diet.
00:00:01 Specialty pork from North Carolina gains popularity in Japan thanks to breeding and diet. 40 years of data analysis and genetic experimentation led to a unique crossbreed that stands out in the market.
🐖 Unique breeding and specialized diet have made these specialty pork carcasses popular in Japan.
📈 The use of software and data analysis in the 1970s allowed for precise measurement of economic traits and experimentation with genetics and feed composition.
🥩 The resulting four-way cross hog gained weight well, stood out from other hogs, and had desirable intramuscular fat content.
00:01:05 Japanese wholesaler imports specialty pork with unique marbling and high fat content from US hog houses, leading to a successful partnership and annual shipment of 12,000 metric tons of pork to Japan.
🐖 Japanese wholesaler Sumitomo imports specialty pork from the US with higher fat content and marbling.
🇯🇵 The partnership between Sumitomo and the US hog supplier has resulted in over 12,000 metric tons of pork being shipped to Japan annually.
🦃 The US hog supplier also collaborated with the Maxwell family, the nation's largest turkey processor.
00:02:10 Japanese consumers prefer high-quality pork over domestic options, making Sumitomo-branded silky pork from the Ivy's a sought-after dining experience. The Ivy's focus on quality is evident in their own feed lab and careful monitoring of inputs.
🐖 The Ivy's hog operation in North Carolina grew to over 70,000 breeding sows.
🇯🇵 Sumitomo branded the Ivy's pork as silky pork in Japan.
🍽️ Japanese consumers value high-quality and traceable food.
00:03:14 Japanese consumers' demand for safe and traceable silky pork is increasing due to the westernization of their diet.
🐷 Silky pork processed in a plant in Illinois is inspected for quality and safety by Sumitomo.
🔍 Japanese consumers value safe products and traceability.
🍖 Red meat consumption, including pork, has increased in Japan due to the westernization of the Japanese diet.
00:04:17 Specialty Pork Finds Japanese Audience through precise cuts and high quality. American consumers are now adapting to the Japanese model of knowing the story behind their food production.
🐷 In the United States, the demand for specialty pork is growing as more people want to know the story behind their food production.
🔪 Rantoul Foods, the main supplier of the specialty pork, prioritizes accuracy and quality over volume, resulting in a slower but more precise production process.
📦 Each package of pork goes through individual sealing, cooling, and inspection to ensure it meets the specifications set by Sumitomo.
00:05:21 Specialty pork from Rantoul finds success in Japanese market. Brothers plan to expand to US.
🐷 Specialty pork from Rantoul, Illinois is popular in Japan.
🇯🇵 Japanese consumers slice the belly for cooking.
🌎 The company plans to expand their reach to other markets.
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