BACK TO ASIA
We are back from our whirlwind trip to Asia – and wow, what an incredible experience we had.
We spent our first two nights in Nagoya, Japan, where we caught up with the Innoue Family – who visited Tunnel Hill back in June. This included a long awaited visit to Takehiro’s restaurant, Innover.
Ruby, Takehiro & Rich
Next stop – Tokyo, where we spent time leading brand + marketing training with the team at Classic Fine Foods and visiting a selection of our customer chefs.
Training with the Sales Team at Classic Fine Foods, Tokyo
A highlight of being in Tokyo was experiencing Shibuya Crossing – the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing. It was hard to comprehend that there are as many as 3000 people crossing at any given time.
Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo
We then headed for Hong Kong – a 5-hour flight from Tokyo. We again connected with the Classic Fine Foods team in Hong Kong and a selection of our customer chefs.
From left to right – Kimi Ho (Director of Sales), Rich, Head Chef, Nicolas (General Manager), Laurant Varachaid (Director of Brands Development) and Alexios Stefanidis (Head of Meat Section)
Coastal Lamb rack @ Felix, Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong
Rich & Aurelie Altemaire, Executive Chef @ Felix, Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong
Hong Kong reached a near standstill in our final few days as Super Typhoon Saola loomed. We were under what was classified as Typhoon Signal No. 10 which meant public transport shut down and business, with the exception for hospitality services, were paused until restrictions were lifted.
It was incredible to see Coastal Lamb on the plate at some of the world’s best restaurants, and hear such positive feedback about our lamb. Most importantly it was so refreshing to hear the huge appreciation our international chefs have for our New Zealand farmers!