Case Study - Lamb Shanks head to the UK Pub Market
In 2000 Innovative Foods approached one of Australia's largest Lamb Processors, Tatiara Meat Company to apply the EasyFood process to Lamb Shanks. Until then Lamb Shanks were seen as a low value product. Tatiara sold many thousands of tonnes of frozen meat to the UK market. Their customer in the UK was Oakfield Foods. Oakfield and Tatiara saw an opportunity to sell pre cooked Lamb Shanks to the UK Pub market through Wholesale Supermarket Chain Bookers. As luck would have it IFA approached Tatiara as this concept was being worked on. When Tatiara realised the benefits of the IFA Technology it was a "game changer" for them.
Development Stage
IFA and Tatiara quickly identified the format that the Shank Product was to be in. It was food service targeted, 10 individual serves in a carton. The Sauce flavours where to be "A hint of Mint" & "Red Wine and Rosemary". The product was to have an un refrigerated shelf life of 12 months. IFA called upon our long term team member Kerry Ingredients to refine the sauce mixes. Initial samples were produced at the IFA Pilot Plant and airfreighted to the UK for tasting. Oakfield presented the samples to Bookers and a test run was authorised.
IFA travelled to a German University and with slight modification to test equipment a run of 10,000 Shanks were produced and shipped across to the UK. The results were amazing with the outcome being the decision by Tatiara to enter the License and Royalty agreement with IFA and the establishment of a production facility based in Melbourne.
Production Stage
As part of its License Agreement IFA Project managed the sourcing of all the required production equipment. This included managing the installation, commissioning of highly specialised plant and the validation of the IFA Process meeting AQIS Export conditions.
IFA has as part of its team specialists in thermal processing equipment, packaging equipment, packaging suppliers, CPU programmers and thermal process specialists as well as QA & HACCP professionals. If a problem occurs then we call in the required expert to solve the issue before a bigger problem arises.
In general terms, first production can take place within 4 - 6 months of Licensing.
In Tatiara's case we first set up our equipment on a contract manufacture basis with an EU Licensed facility in Melbourne. IFA acted as project manager between the contract manufacturer and Tatiara, the Licensee.
A new market appears
Tatiara soon had the first Container of Shanks heading to the UK by Sea. It was followed by many more. Bookers UK soon had the product in every store and UK Publicans soon had the product stored "under the Bar Counter". Out the front were signs "A Pint an Aussie Shank". Before long our "Millionth" Shank was finding its way to England.
Soon the Shanks were being sold on Virgin Trains and Hilton Hotel Room Service.
All this because the Shank remained in perfect condition when stored in a "dry, cool , dark place". All the unskilled person had to do was open the pouch and heat it in a Microwave for 3 minutes and serve.