Two days of “Passion for meat”
When Christoph Grabowski talks about his profession, he brims with passion. The master butcher, certified meat sommelier, and book author is a passionate advocate of the butcher trade. He has made it his calling to strengthen appreciation and respect for food in society and at the same time show new ways how to create more value in the butcher trade. As an internationally sought-after expert, Grabowski is regularly on the road, speaking at various industry events and giving seminars. At the beginning of October, Weber Maschinenbau invited customers from the derinding and skinning sector (so-called Weber Skinner) to such a seminar. Who could participate in this exclusive event was determined by a lottery in advance. During IFFA, Weber Skinner customers had the opportunity to take part in a competition for a chance to win one of the limited spaces.
Under the headline "Respect for food – appreciation through added value", the two day event revolved around modern cutting and the marketing potential of beef and pork cuts. In addition to valuable industry insights and the development of the butcher trade, hands on learning was the main focus of the seminar. Christoph Grabowski cut a half beef and a half pork into a variety of specialty cuts and was able to show participants that far more high-grade pieces than the well-known classics can be produced from just one animal. "With new cuts like these, that can be marketed as a specialty, added value can be generated through craftmanship and within SMEs or the industry. As of today, most of those cuts or pieces end up as minced meat at most companies. The sales price for this is significantly lower than for exclusively prepared, and appealing cuts of meat" emphasizes André Michel, Head of Skinner at Weber.
To ensure that the demonstration was as realistic and practical as possible, the seminar took place at the slaughterhouse and butchery of the Ottillinger family in Pöttmes (Bavaria). Weber has maintained a close, trusting relationship with the Ottillinger farm butchery for about two decades. The traditional Bavarian company is an avid Weber customer and uses numerous Weber skinners with the latest technology. In addition, the Ottillinger meat counters already feature some of the same "special cuts" of beef and pork that Christoph Grabowski highlighted for the seminar participants. One more reason this made the company the perfect seminar venue.
