In late July, I visited Orenbeef, a technologically advanced meat-processing plant in Orenburg, with friends from the restaurant industry. It gave us plenty to take in.
You may know the plant’s products through Marr Russia, one of the main suppliers of marbled beef to the hospitality industry and the Vkusno — i Tochka chain. Personally, I’m very happy to see the triple cheeseburger back on the permanent menu.
The most valuable part of these trips is the people. It’s good to speak the same language about slaughter, ribeye, aging, quality and where the market is heading. Each visit is a chance to compare notes, see how production is changing and remind ourselves that a good product starts with good processes. Revisiting the basics never hurts, so we went through the whole production chain again: receiving the raw materials, then processing, packing and storing the beef.
Not long ago, I visited similar plants in northern Italy, and I could sense the same subtle approach here. Orenbeef was built by Italians too, and they ran production for a long time. We can talk about high standards all day, but every business is built by people. That’s where trust, partnerships and the food on our plates begin.
I couldn’t resist bringing my film camera: I wanted to capture a little of the production process that way. Thank you to Ruslan, the plant director, Ilya, the production manager, and Sergey, the quality director, for making it possible.
And a huge thank you to Vyacheslav Novitsky and the team at Vinovnik for the warm welcome. Tartare, seafood, steaks, excellent wine and conversations that made four hours at dinner fly by.
Film development (push +2 stops) and scanning — fotolab.ru
