Chance meeting pays off

Southern Meats Goulburn has signed a $340,000 agreement with Shizou Farm Co Ltd, Shibetsu, Japan, a company with its own meat processing plant, catering firm and restaurants in Japan.

Goulburn-Mulwaree mayor Geoff Kettle said Shizou Farm Co Ltd chief executive Yutaka Imai had been sourcing meat from Melbourne as he couldn't meet demand with his own plant.

Cr Kettle and his council group happened to dine in a restaurant owned by Shizou Farm Co on their night-off from their sister-city engagements in the country.

That dinner resulted in Mr Iami wanting to know if he could source lamb from Goulburn instead of Melbourne.

"I encouraged him to visit Goulburn to inspect the quality of the meat that is produced at Southern Meats, to see if he would be interested in importing from here instead of Melbourne - and he was on the plane to Australia within two weeks," Cr Kettle said.

"I was very surprised and overwhelmed with the speed he came to Goulburn.

"I take my hat off to Southern Meats and Pelican Sheep Station where we took the Japanese delegation to see the sheep."

He said Mr Iami was impressed with the quality of the meat, cleanliest of the abattoir, and the quality of the packaging.

An initial 17 tonnes of Southern Meats lamb will be exported to Shibetsu by air and ship.

It will comprise of both frozen and chilled product.

"The cost per kilogram is going to be more for Mr Iami than importing from Melbourne, but that didn't worry him as he liked the quality.

"This first order will lead to more as he wants to import more product (as his business grows)."

Mr Kettle at the moment Shizou Farm Co imported $US26,000 to $US30,000 worth of lamb product from Melbourne - business that would now be conducted in Goulburn.

He said that amount was expected to increase.

"Lamb consumption in Japan is just starting to take off," Cr Kettle said.

Cr Kettle said this was a great result from a trip which had been receiving bad press as a waste of money.

"This is a good news story for something which had been painted by some locals as a council jaunt... but some paid their own way.

"We hope it will help boost further exchanges."

He said Mr Iami was also interested in importing local wine and beer from the Goulburn region as well.

However at the moment Japan had bulk trade restrictions on any wine that had copper sulphate in it, and it was used in wine's made in the region to provide a "robust and sweet flavour".

Cr Kettle said Mr Iami would be talking with the Japanese trade department to see if he could "speed up the removal of the restrictions".

While this was a smaller order for Southern Meats Goulburn, Cr Kettle said it helped the business open up further connections in Japan.

It already exported into Europe and Japan.