USMEF Mexico Sales Seminar Covers Wide Range of Topics
Cutting, Cooking, Marketing and Sales – USMEF Mexico Sales Seminar Covers It All
Educating meat industry customers to expand sales of U.S. beef and pork is a strategy USMEF-Mexico has employed for several years. Working in collaboration with Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM), a prominent Mexican university with branches in Monterrey and Mexico City, USMEF continues to refine the program and win new converts for U.S. meat.
Nearly 250 employees of 97 Mexican companies, including importers, retailers and meat processors, have participated in this innovative USMEF program over the past two years. Participants learn everything from cutting, handling and cooking meat to developing marketing and sales strategies to maximize profitability.
This year, Wal-Mart and Soriana were added to the roster of participants for beef and pork. Checkoff-supported seminars also have included Sigma Alimentos, BPI and SuKarne, among others.
Training is highlighted by a hands-on cutting exercise
“The skills that our customers learn in these sessions help make them more effective business people, and those skills help build a deeper relationship between them, USMEF and U.S. products,” said Chad Russell, USMEF regional director for Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
The seminars are managed by Gerardo Rodríguez, USMEF-Mexico’s regional marketing manager, who this year doubled the number of training sessions. USMEF and Monterrey Institute of Technology will offer eight sessions in Mexico City and another eight in Monterrey in 2009, with participating companies representing the entire length and breadth of Mexico.
“The companies that participate in these seminars must be purchasers of U.S. meat,” said Rodriguez. “In return, we offer them skills to maximize their investment.”
On the first day of the seminar, faculty from Monterrey Institute of Technology discuss technical aspects of the meat business, covering everything from fat content and correct handling to packaging and shelf life. Next is a hands-on cutting session for beef and pork designed to help participants maximize the amount of saleable product by determining the appropriate portion size while minimizing waste. Then, attendees get to cook and taste their work.
The combined USMEF and Monterrey Institute of Technology faculty run the participants through a rigorous schedule. In the cutting exercise, each team receives a beef chuck roll, from which they must cut a Delmonico steak, American roast and boneless ribs. Then, from the Underblade they must make the following cuts: Sierra, Denver cut and Romboideo.
In pork, the teams each receive one boneless pork leg and are instructed to identify and cut the inside round, outside round, eye of round and knuckle. They also must cut the Milanesa from the rounds. In addition, each team must develop a new pork cut, such as pork kabobs from the round, with an eye toward the merchandising exercise the following day.
On the second day, participants receive a one-day business school education where they review marketing and finance principles. Later in the day, they combine this information from their meat cutting experience of the previous day to develop a pricing and selling strategy with consideration given to new and value-added products as well as distribution channels. “Winners” in the competitive exercise are judged by the selling strategies and arguments they create.
In addition to technical training, sessions explore principles of marketing and finance
An important part of the program is educating participants on specific products, such as new chuck cuts developed through the Beef Checkoff Program as well as specific pork cuts that have strong appeal for the Mexican retail sector.
“The response we’ve seen from the trade has been extremely positive,” said Rodriguez. “What helps our meat industry partners in Mexico benefits beef and pork producers in the United States, so we will continue to refine and improve this program.”
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The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn and soybean checkoff programs.
For more information, contact Jim Herlihy at jherlihy@usmef.org.
Cutting, Cooking, Marketing and Sales – USMEF Mexico Sales Seminar Covers It All
Educating meat industry customers to expand sales of U.S. beef and pork is a strategy USMEF-Mexico has employed for several years. Working in collaboration with Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM), a prominent Mexican university with branches in Monterrey and Mexico City, USMEF continues to refine the program and win new converts for U.S. meat.
Nearly 250 employees of 97 Mexican companies, including importers, retailers and meat processors, have participated in this innovative USMEF program over the past two years. Participants learn everything from cutting, handling and cooking meat to developing marketing and sales strategies to maximize profitability.
This year, Wal-Mart and Soriana were added to the roster of participants for beef and pork. Checkoff-supported seminars also have included Sigma Alimentos, BPI and SuKarne, among others.
Training is highlighted by a hands-on cutting exercise
“The skills that our customers learn in these sessions help make them more effective business people, and those skills help build a deeper relationship between them, USMEF and U.S. products,” said Chad Russell, USMEF regional director for Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
The seminars are managed by Gerardo Rodríguez, USMEF-Mexico’s regional marketing manager, who this year doubled the number of training sessions. USMEF and Monterrey Institute of Technology will offer eight sessions in Mexico City and another eight in Monterrey in 2009, with participating companies representing the entire length and breadth of Mexico.
“The companies that participate in these seminars must be purchasers of U.S. meat,” said Rodriguez. “In return, we offer them skills to maximize their investment.”
On the first day of the seminar, faculty from Monterrey Institute of Technology discuss technical aspects of the meat business, covering everything from fat content and correct handling to packaging and shelf life. Next is a hands-on cutting session for beef and pork designed to help participants maximize the amount of saleable product by determining the appropriate portion size while minimizing waste. Then, attendees get to cook and taste their work.
The combined USMEF and Monterrey Institute of Technology faculty run the participants through a rigorous schedule. In the cutting exercise, each team receives a beef chuck roll, from which they must cut a Delmonico steak, American roast and boneless ribs. Then, from the Underblade they must make the following cuts: Sierra, Denver cut and Romboideo.
In pork, the teams each receive one boneless pork leg and are instructed to identify and cut the inside round, outside round, eye of round and knuckle. They also must cut the Milanesa from the rounds. In addition, each team must develop a new pork cut, such as pork kabobs from the round, with an eye toward the merchandising exercise the following day.
On the second day, participants receive a one-day business school education where they review marketing and finance principles. Later in the day, they combine this information from their meat cutting experience of the previous day to develop a pricing and selling strategy with consideration given to new and value-added products as well as distribution channels. “Winners” in the competitive exercise are judged by the selling strategies and arguments they create.
In addition to technical training, sessions explore principles of marketing and finance
An important part of the program is educating participants on specific products, such as new chuck cuts developed through the Beef Checkoff Program as well as specific pork cuts that have strong appeal for the Mexican retail sector.
“The response we’ve seen from the trade has been extremely positive,” said Rodriguez. “What helps our meat industry partners in Mexico benefits beef and pork producers in the United States, so we will continue to refine and improve this program.”
# # #
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn and soybean checkoff programs.
For more information, contact Jim Herlihy at jherlihy@usmef.org.