Why Heartland Meadow Meats?
March 9th, 2010 | simcha | No Comments »
By now, many of you are aware that Albert’s will be launching a new line of all natural beef products under the Heartland Meadow label, beginning in mid March. I wanted to make clear through this post (as I have received several emails about this), the difference between the Heartland Meadow line and our already existing Grateful Harvest line of beef. The Grateful Harvest line is an organic, grass-fed beef – as clean as it gets, with a wonderful and unique flavor profile. We could not be more proud to carry a product than we are of this beef. The reason we are launching the Heartland Meadow line is because we are responding to requests and feedback from our retail customers over the past year and a half. As the economy has taken a hard turn, many shoppers are taking a very serious look at how they spend their money. And while shoppers of organic and natural foods would certainly get excited about the organic, grass-fed option, for many shoppers however, the price point simply does not work. Because of this, we are introducing Heartland Meadow all natural beef. This is still a very clean product with amazing flavor, and for all the details and attributes of this beef you can both read about it and watch a short 3 minute video at this link on our website. The price point of the Heartland Meadow product is much closer to the price point of conventional beef, and as a result will allow more people to buy outstanding quality meat that is very clean and very flavorful. So, now we have two meat options at Albert’s: an organic grass-fed option, and an all natural grain-fed option. Enjoy them both!
It seems fair to claim that when most of us are shopping, the analytical portion of our brain is in a fairly relaxed state, and for good reason. It needs a break. How often do you enter a retail store and decide “I’m going to study the underpinnings of this shopping experience and discover the nuances of this store’s marketing strategy?” Without going out too far on a limb, I would guess the answer for most of us to be NEVER! We simply take our shopping excursions at face value – what we see is what it is. Knowing this as consumers should make us wiser when we present our own marketing/merchandising strategy to the public. Is your strategy subtle, confusing, or maybe not even apparent; or is it attractive, obvious and compelling? The answer you give to this question is critical for the success of your department. How compelling is your department? When people first enter into the produce section are they so blown away by your product, merchandising, and marketing efforts that they cannot help but to begin shopping, or does your department simply remind your customers of every other place they shop and you are simply convenient for them today? The key to success in retailing is to avoid ordinary! 
Loving it! Here I am up in the plane again with Rob Wilson. Just flying over his land is amazing! He points out the many, many indigenous plants that cover his acreage. In fact, Rob has won an award in New Zealand for his conservation of the native forest. Now we’re flying towards his orchards, as we cross the beautiful sea. His orchards are stunning, and will soon undergo another thinning so that only the perfect fruit reaches the U.S. and Albert’s Organics. My final day in New Zealand is a Saturday, and apple grower Tom Masterson takes me to a cave underneath Huka Falls, that drains from Lake Taupo. It’s truly an adventure to advance inside a little cave underneath these magnificent falls. It allows me the perfect time to sit and reflect on my New Zealand journey and what a magnificent place it is – this land of the long white cloud. 
On day five of my trek, I meet Rob Wilson – a grower who lives so far away and tucked in the hills that we need to travel via a small airplane to his farm. I am thrilled by the adventure! (see photos below) . As we travel over rolling lush hills of green, I spot acres of sheep, cattle, and deer (which are raised for venison meat). The views up high are magnificent! I am immediately hooked and want to fly the plane myself. Amazingly, Rob hands over the controls and WOW – I am flying. I wanted to do a roll but he kindly discouraged against the maneuver! When it was time to bring the plane down, our airport was a strip of grass by his house! And who said it’s no good living near an airport . . . 
It’s day four in New Zealand, and we’re traveling to the Port of Napier, which is very close to Hawkes Bay, and where all of our apples depart to make their 8,000 mile journey by sea to our continent! This port ships 170,000 containers of apples, beef, and timber, out of a total of 2 million containers that are shipped annually from all of New Zealand. 
From my previous two posts about my New Zealand adventure, you’ve probably come to think that I’m a bit obsessed with soil. In my defense, I believe it would be pretty difficult to visit these orchards and not be. What is going on out here is pretty impressive! Much of what they do here in New Zealand is very cutting edge, and actually growers from all over the world are beginning to pay attention to the soil management strategies that are employed here. One of the leading soil scientists in the world, Frank van Steensel, works with one of our orchards here in New Zealand – Te Moe Orchards. As a result of the work that Frank has done with this orchard, it is one of the most widely studied and followed orchards in the world. 
After beginning day three of my NZ adventure with a rather rigorous two hour hike, we then visit with Kerry Brannigan, the producer of Portsmouth Orchards, which is one of the primary production orchards for Albert’s NZ apple program. Upon arrival, I am first shown these long rows of hot compost. (photo at right) The compost is being cooked (not to put directly onto the soil), but rather to make some kind of special tea! You can really feel how proud they are of this tea-making process. They take the compost and feed it to the worms to digest and the worms in turn make beautiful castings. (photos below)The castings are then made into a tea, constantly being stirred in these great mysterious bins. All of this produces their magical agrarian elixir of compost tea. It’s a bit of a foreign process to me, but soil science is what really puts these growers into the category of being truly amazing! 
On day two of my trip, it becomes clear to me that organic farming in New Zealand is all about the soil. Today I am introduced to a group of very dedicated organic growers (see photos below). Their dedication really focuses on the health of the soil, the trees, and the local environment. They are true stewards of the earth. The sign that you see at the front of one of the orchards really depicts their philosophy, which they describe as “beyond organics.” Of critical importance to these growers is the biological health of the soil – it is paramount to everything they do. As one of the producers, Tom Masterson phrased it, “first you focus on the soil quality, then the variety of trees, followed by the balance of the orchard, energy and water . . . you work from the soil up.” These growers work extremely hard to balance the soil dynamics, thus reducing fungicide use, nitrate leaching, and reducing their overall carbon footprint. 
Over the next couple of weeks I want to share with you my adventures, observations, education and photos (see below) from my travels to New Zealand to meet with our our organic apple growers that we will be working with as we look to start up the New Zealand season in April. Somewhere on the other side of the world at 38 degrees south latitude rests a beautiful bay named Hawkes Bay, nestled on the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Named “land of the long white cloud” by the 
“We cannot live by bread alone; we must have butter.”