Alliance Group wins gold at World Steak Challenge in the Netherlands

Alliance Group’s Pure South Handpicked 55 Day Aged Beef won top honours in the Netherlands.

Alliance Group’s Pure South Handpicked 55 Day Aged Beef has been recognised on the world stage, securing top honours at the World Steak Challenge in the Netherlands.

The company was awarded one gold medal and two silver medals by a panel of more than 80 independent expert judges, who assessed over 500 entries from 25 countries during two days of judging.

Alliance’s gold medal was awarded for a ribeye (cube roll) with a marble score of eight, while ribeye and fillet steaks also earned silver medals.

The medal-winning entries were processed at the company’s Mataura plant in Southland.

Wayne Rollinson, global sales director, beef at Alliance Group, said the recognition highlighted the strength of the company’s premium beef programme.

“Winning gold and silver at this highly respected global competition reinforces Alliance’s focus on excellence and innovation in beef production,” he said.

Rollinson said the medals reflected the skill and dedication of Alliance Group’s farmer-shareholders, whose livestock underpinned the Pure South Handpicked 55 Day Aged Beef range.

“We are building a strong reputation in international markets for delivering consistently outstanding eating experiences, and these results provide further proof of the world-class quality of our product.”

Alliance Group said internationally accredited assessors carefully selected Pure South Handpicked 55 Day Aged Beef from prime cattle of any breed, and only a fraction of the finest beef made the grade.

The selection is based on quantifiable meat quality characteristics including marbling, fat colour and pH.

Selected cuts are then aged in vacuum bags.

Alliance group said the quality of the product and the ageing process resulted in a milder beef profile with “exceptional levels of tenderness”.