On the twentieth of July, I was lucky enough to get new emotions from visiting Russia’s most technologically advanced meat processing plant, Orenbeef, in Orenburg. Together with colleagues from the restaurant industry, with whom we have long been friends.
I think many people are familiar with the plant’s products thanks to Marr Russia, one of the main suppliers of marbled beef to HoReCa and the Vkusno and Tochka. By the way, the return of the triple cheeseburger to the permanent menu is great news for me personally.
The most valuable thing on these trips are the people. When you speak the same language: about slaughtering, ribeye, maturation, quality and market prospects. Each such visit is an opportunity to compare notes, see how production is changing, and make sure once again that a good product always starts with the right processes. Repetition is the mother of learning, so we have gone through the entire production process again: from the acceptance of raw materials to the processing, packaging and storage of beef.
Not so long ago, I visited similar enterprises in the north of Italy, and the same subtle style is immediately felt here. The Orenbeef was also built by Italians, and for a long time it was they who led the production. You can talk about high standards for a long time, but any business is primarily built by people. It is with them that trust, partnership and products are born, which then end up on our plates.
I couldn’t resist taking a film camera with me — I wanted to keep part of the production that way. Thanks to Ruslan, the plant’s director, Ilya, the production manager, and Sergey, the quality director, for the opportunity to do this.
And, of course, many thanks to Vyacheslav Novitsky and the Vinovnik gastropograb team for the warm welcome. Tartars, seafood, steaks, excellent wine and conversations that made four hours at dinner fly by completely unnoticed.
