Coastal Club
JULY
Brightening up Winter!
This week, we caught up with our friend, Rob Hope-Ede from Onemata in Auckland. Onemata is a celebration of the rich flavours and diverse ingredients sourced from the land, sea, and soil of New Zealand.
Onemata, Auckland
Rob has been brightening up winter with a phenomenal creation this week. Our Coastal Lamb seared loin, white balsamic compressed watermelon, watermelon molasses buffalo curd and cherry tomatoes, pickled watermelon rind and fig leaf oil….yum! When asked why Coastal Lamb was the perfect partner for this dish, Rob said Coastal Lamb is the perfect balance of flavour and texture for light searing and pairing with summer flavours.
Look at those colours!
Rob gets a lot of satisfaction out of his job, getting a great feeling every time he gets positive feedback from restaurant guests. On top of this, he’s a lover of the kitchen camaraderie – it feels like having a second family.
We can’t wait to try the lamb loin!
We’ve Been Back to Market
Dad and I recently wrapped up the best two weeks in market, reconnecting with Classic Fine Foods, retailers, restaurant owners and Coastal chefs across Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi & Da Nang) and Singapore.
Vietnam was our first global customer, and we have now been consistently exporting to Vietnam for 10 years. Our growth across Vietnam would not be possible without Classic Fine Foods, our loyal in-market partner and distributor. Today, there are 5 Classic Fine Foods branches across Vietnam, servicing a total of 184 Coastal Lamb customers. Vietnam is humming – with 18 million tourists visiting in 2024, Vietnam has been named as the 19th most popular country in the world.
Our time in Ho Chi Minh City started with a training at the Classic Fine Foods Office/Distribution Centre, where we re-pitched the value proposition of Coastal Lamb to the sales staff and reminded the team why their customers should always choose Coastal Lamb;
Our lambs are hand selected and batch processed, together we have a great story to share, we’re family owned, and our lamb has a fresh clean taste with excellent consistency.
Me and Dad at Classic Fine Foods, Ho Chi Minh City
Another highlight of our time in Ho Chi Minh City was our Coastal Table event, organised by Classic Fine Foods & the M Gallery Hotel. The evening consisted of an 8 course meal, with 3 of the courses featuring Coastal Lamb; our lamb tenderloin tartare with kelp puree and seaweed cracker, lamb rack with herb yoghurt and mint sauce and shepherd’s pie – this was our favourite, a clever take on our kiwi classic with slow cooked lamb shank, mash potato and summer truffle.
Coastal Lamb tenderloin taretare with kelp puree and seaweed cracker
We then visited Hanoi. We had a great dinner at a small fine dining restaurant in Hanoi called Etēsia – Coastal Spring Lamb loin with pickled cucumber blueberries, juniper and olives.
Etēsia in Hanoi
Our time in De Nang kicked off with ‘An Evening in Aotearoa’ event hosted at a French restaurant. Another big evening of eating with 6 courses – 4 of which were Coastal Lamb; Lamb Tartare, Lamb Pho Style with Ravioli, Braised lamb shank & roasted lamb rack.
The Craig’s @ Rakautaua
The timing of Dad’s time in Singapore was perfect – as Coastal Farmer’s Rob and Sarah Craig from Rakautaua were there at the same time, joining Dad for dinner at Bakalaki, Greek Taverna.
Coastal Farmers enjoying Coastal Lamb in Singapore
In 2003, Rob and Sarah Craig became the 5th generation to own Rakautaua, with their three children – James, Jessica and Toby. Rakautaua is a coastal property totalling 360 hectares located around the mouth of the Whangaehu River. The farm is a mixture of fertile river flats to rolling sand country and dunes. The Craig’s have a number of enterprises including lamb finishing, beef cattle, cereal and maize cropping, forestry and dairy grazing.
From a banking background Rob loves farming and all the challenges it brings. Farming is in the blood and there is nothing else the Craig’s would rather be doing. They are proud to have the opportunity to be part of the Coastal Lamb family supplying quality lambs grazed on thier coastal pastures.