NZ ostrich farmer targets Korea

By LIAM DANN

Susan Binks is creating a market for New Zealand ostrich meat in Korea.

It might seem an unlikely proposition but it makes a lot more sense than most of the over-hyped ostrich farming schemes that crashed and burned in the 1990s.

Binks has been involved in ostrich farming right through the boom and bust period.

She is under no illusions about what wrong. "There was no market."

The sector began as an investment industry when it is really a farming operation, she says.

People were pouring money into a sector without stopping to think about where the end product was going to go. At its height in the mid-1990s, investors were paying $30,000 to $50,000 for breeding pairs.

"There were a lot of sharks out there looking for a quick buck," she says. "They left a lot of disgruntled people."

As the market collapsed people couldn't afford to feed the birds properly and some farmers started selling sub-standard meat.

That in turn did more damage to the reputation of the product.

When farmed properly ostrich meat is similar to lean and tender beef. It is safe to eat rare and can even be eaten raw.

Binks comes from a family with a long history of beef farming.

Kadesh Ostrich Farms was founded and is largely owned by Korean New Zealander Hyo Sup Bae. He was one of the first in the world to identify the potential for the meat in Asia.

Though it is new to consumers there, those markets are crying out for healthy alternatives to chicken and beef, Binks says.

Last year's BSE (mad cow disease) and bird flu scares around beef and chicken make now a perfect time to start promoting the meat there.

Kadesh is following the lead of New Zealand's other successful primary exporters. It is steering clear of commodity markets and selling its meat as a high-quality branded product. Last month the company began a promotion which involved New Zealand's Korean ambassador.

David Taylor served ostrich meat to customers in the Shingasae Department Store in Korea. The locals there loved it, Binks says.

Kadesh has created the Tajo brand and sells processed and packaged cuts designed for Korean barbecues and Japanese sashimi.

To get around tariff restrictions the product is exported in a basic state and most of the processing and packaging is done in the destination country.

The farm itself is based at Galatea, near Rotorua, and has about 2000 birds. It also runs a tourist operation which allows Korean and Japanese visitors to experience ostrich farming first hand and try the meat and hopefully take a taste for it back home with them.

It is early days for Kadesh in exporting. Most of its product is still sold in New Zealand, supplying over 100 restaurants in the North Island.

But all going well, Binks says, Kadesh could export several tonnes of meat to Asia this year.

Ultimately the potential in Asia is enormous, Binks says.

Eventually when the market outgrows what Kadesh can cope with Binks would like to bring in other good local farmers to supply the Tajo brand.

Ostrich facts

Ostriches have a red meat far closer to beef than it is to poultry. The meat can be served rare or even eaten raw as sashimi.

Ostriches were first farmed in New Zealand in the 19th Century, mainly for their feathers. The industry continued until the 1920s in Northland, when changing fashions led to a fall in demand for ostrich feathers.

The ostrich species has existed for 120 million years, making it one of the world's oldest. When fully grown, ostriches have one of the most advanced immune systems of any animal.

It is the second-fastest animal in the world and can run at 64km/h, maintaining the speed for at least 30 minutes.