European spice for the humble sausage

A German trade fair offers butchers a glimpse of the future, writes JANET TYSON*.

New Zealanders are conservative buyers of sausages, unprepared to pay high prices for a gourmet item.

But Todd Heller, of smallgoods company Heller Tasty, believes a lot can still be done with the sausage, and it may be time for another go at getting people to be more adventurous about one of the most protein-packed fast foods available.

Mr Heller has just returned from one of the world's premier displays of sausage and ham, the IFFA/Delicat trade fair in Frankfurt.

More than 1500 varieties of sausage, many of them crafted by hand, are made in Germany alone, and several hundreds more made in other European countries.

IFFA is a showcase and meeting place for the buyers and sellers of meat processing machinery. The Delicat section displays prepared meats and meals centred on meat, as well as flavouring ingredients, packing material and accessories ranging from casings to clips.

Mr Heller was making his third visit to the show, which he says every New Zealand butcher should attend at least once. He also makes a point of going out and about in Frankfurt.

"I go to see as many retail butchers as I can," he said. "I love watching them.

"Butchery is still a significant craft in Germany. New Zealand butchers could learn a lot.

"They're going to have to choose which way they go to build their business. They can become discounters, or be much more specialist.

"Although their numbers have been falling, independent retail butchers still account for 48 per cent of meat sales in Germany."

The typical German butcher shop went well beyond fresh meat, Mr Heller said. Other products included specialist hams and sausages; added value products with flavourings and coatings; bakery goods; and prepared meals.

"At one end of the counter, there's always a place where you can buy something ready to eat - meat sliced in a bun with mustard. They're really in the business of being meal providers."

IFFA, which introduced the Delicat delicatessen section in 1986 and has watched it grow ever since, says 84 per cent of butchers now provide party services.

"In the past, butchers were experts for meat," said Mr Heller. "Now, they are also delicatessen specialists."

That makes IFFA a treasure trove of ideas for people such as Richard Kornmann of Leonard's Superior Smallgoods, also a repeat visitor to the show.

"We eat a lot of sausage while we're there," Mr Kornmann said. "But there's a limit to what you could do for the New Zealand market, with such a small population base.

"In Europe, you can make weird and wonderful things. They have a totally different attitude to sausage.

"They see it as a premium product, and they will pay the equivalent of $12 to $18 a kilogram. People won't do that here."

Networking and a chance to look at developments were the main value he got from attending the show.

"Two shows ago we spent an awful lot of money buying some new plant and equipment, which we hadn't planned to do before we went there," Mr Kornmann said. "But it has proved its worth. It gave us a competitive edge.

"This time, there was nothing that really blew us away. But it was amazing to see the show at all, after the European meat industry has been in such disarray due to BSE and foot and mouth disease."

More than 60,000 visitors attended IFFA over seven days.

Three years ago, Mr Heller was in awe of the scale and scope of ideas at the show. "I was just gobsmacked."

This time, it had a smaller feel to it but he still came away with enough worthwhile ideas to pay for his trip.

"I've seen marvellous machinery in the past, but it's been on a huge scale. This time, it was good to see a lot of machines geared at smaller businesses."

Heller Tasty has just taken over Vienna Sensational Foods, formerly owned by the Wills Family of Dargaville.

That makes the ham and smallgoods business Mr Heller started in Christchurch a nationwide operation. Ultimately, he will make Christchurch the bacon and ham headquarters and Auckland the centre for sausages, but consumers will see little immediate change.

"Nothing is broken that urgently needs fixing, and we'll keep using the Gold Label brand. But we do see opportunities to bring some new ideas to the market."

* Janet Tyson was sponsored by the German New Zealand Business Association to visit the IFFA/Delicat fair in Frankfurt. More information about IFFA, which is held every three years, can be obtained from Monique Surges, phone 09 307-1066.