News

Meat shop finds value in non-traditional cuts

(Photo L-R: Tammy-Vaasen from-Wisconsin Beef Council, Philip Schmidt from Hahns Meat Packing, Jeff Swenson from Wisconsin Department of Ag Trade and Consumer Protection)

A Wisconsin meat processor says bringing foreign buyers to shops like his helps export business grow. 

Philip Schmidt owns Hahn’s Meat Packing in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. He tells Brownfield, “I think it’s really important that they get to see what we do, how clean our facilities are, how picky we are, how meticulous we are with our trade and how we do, and then it’s always great to see how different cultures and different people use different products.”

Schmidt says as a processor, he’s been able to find a strong market for less popular cuts of meat. “There’s a lot of Brazilian people in the area now, so picanha muscle, which is the top muscle of the top sirloin, which was never even asked about before has become a cut that we can’t keep in our stores. Flank steaks, skirt steaks, even beef tongues.”

Schmidt says he and the staff have learned a lot from various cultures and now provide more products and get more use from the animal, which provides more value to both the meat shop and his farmer producers.

Hahn’s Meat Packing was a stop last week for a tour of Japanese meat buyers who visited eastern Wisconsin.