Cooking Demonstration in Peru Promotes Taste, Value of U.S. Pork

Recognizing a top U.S. red meat importer in South America and marking the opening of the company’s new distribution center in Chiclayo, Peru, USMEF partnered with Halema for a U.S. pork cooking demonstration and tasting. The event, which highlighted the taste and quality of three U.S. pork cuts, was funded by the National Pork Board.

USMEF Corporate Chef Nicolas Diaz offers instruction on preparing U.S. pork during a cooking demonstration in Chiclayo, Peru, held in partnership with Halema, a top U.S. red meat importer

Halema, a family business that has imported red meat to Peru for 33 years, is based in Lima and has branches in Chiclayo and Trujillo.

According to Jessica Julca, USMEF representative in South America, Halema was the top-ranked importer of U.S. pork and U.S. beef variety meats in 2017, accounting for 11 percent of South America’s U.S. pork imports and 27 percent of its U.S. beef variety meats imports.

“Each year, Halema's sales have grown, and it continues to enhance its resources to reach new cities and new customers across Peru,” said Julca. “To help celebrate the new distribution center that is part of this expansion effort, we invited Halema’s clients – butcher shops, wet markets and foodservice operators – to a cooking demonstration to get a taste of U.S. pork and learn more about the product.”

USMEF Corporate Chef Nicolas Diaz presented an overview of U.S. pork, emphasizing its quality, taste and value. He also discussed opportunities to expand food businesses in Peru by utilizing U.S. pork.

Attendees sample U.S. pork at a cooking demonstration for clients of Halema, a top U.S. red meat importer in Peru

Diaz then prepared three U.S. pork dishes that exemplified the quality and versatility of the product. Participants sampled the dishes to get a better understanding of U.S. pork’s potential. The dishes prepared by Diaz were:

• Tonkatsu made with U.S. boneless pork loin
• Pulled pork made with U.S. boneless pork ham
• Bone-in pork chops prepared with dried fruit and mustard sauce

More than 60 clients and guests were in attendance and were impressed by the pork dishes and the presentation by Diaz.

USMEF Corporate Chef Nicolas Diaz details cuts of U.S. pork during a cooking demonstration in Chiclayo, Peru

“We also shared recipe books and educational materials to help them better understand U.S. pork,” said Julca. “The goal of organizing this event was not only to strengthen our relationship with importers like Halema, but also to create a greater awareness of U.S. products among the businesses that work between the importer and the consumers.”