Ruby Rosedale wins gold at 2018 World Steak Challenge in London
BIG WIN: Rosedale Ruby founders Sam McNiven (centre) and James Millner (second from right) show off their gold medal with some of their European clients.
One of Australia’s highest quality steak brands, Rosedale Ruby, which has strong ties to Moree, has come home with a gold medal from the fourth annual World Steak Challenge held in London.
Taking out top accolades for their pure Australian beef, is a significant win for the family-led business who have been breeding their unique Angus Charolais cattle since the 1960s.
The Ruby Rosedale brand was born eight years ago by cousins, Sam McNiven and James Millner, with a vision to continue to produce the finest beef and sell direct to discerning consumers around the globe.
Sam was born and raised in Moree and all of the family’s cattle are finished at their feedlot “Tallawanta”, located at Garah on Gingham Road.
Bringing home the gold medal is a great win, helping to promote the Moree district’s cattle producing qualities, in an area where cropping is usually the one making the headlines.
For submission into the World Steak competition the duo meticulously selected and trimmed the best cuts they could find, however they never arrived in time as the container they were in got delayed at Rotterdam, so they had to rely on a client in Italy to send to London the Rosedale Ruby cuts he had in stock.
The cuts that were then entered into the competition at the last minute was a striploin and tenderloin.
Remarkably, the striploin received the gold medal and the tenderloin got the bronze.
Mr McNiven said the accolade shows the great consistency of their Angus Charolais beef.
“The team is thrilled to receive this global recognition, confirming Ruby Rosedale and our breed to be truly world class,” he said.
The location of their other farms are in Central and Northern NSW and “Rosedale” where James lives, near the town of Orange, is Australia’s oldest Charolais stud, winning countless awards since the 1970s. Moree local Mary Weal, James’ aunty, also grew up at “Rosedale”. Her father first purchased the property in the 60s.
“Over decades of careful genetic selection enables us to consistently produce high quality beef without compromising on the operational performance, quality and animal welfare,” James Millner said.
“This is and always will be our primary focus. To deliver a unique eating experience we closely control and personally oversee every aspect of our vertically integrated supply chain.”
Two category wins from the World Steak Challenge not only showcases Rosedale Ruby’s success globally but also endorses Australia as a leader in quality beef production.
Domestically, Rosedale Ruby places consistently in the top five per cent of beef produced in Australia. The rigorous testing is undertaken by the MSA (Meat Standards Australia) who determines the leaders based on 16 specifications including, marbling, PH level, fat content and more.
Never faltering in their standards, the cousins have set a new benchmark in the industry for quality control - for example, using ultrasound technology to detect if their cattle have developed certain marbling qualities at just 12 months of age. If the animal does not have the required intramuscular fat they are excluded from the breeding herd in order to protect the unique bloodlines. The end product is beef with the desired marbling effect and the finest flavour profile across all cuts.
From the very beginning the cousins have opted for a wholly honest practice, ensuring all Rosedale Ruby products are 100 per cent hormone and chemical free.
The transparency of their unique paddock to plate process has spiked overseas demand, with exports rising to account now for 80 per cent of their market supplying over 40 countries worldwide.
Twenty per cent of Rosedale Ruby is still being supplied to the high end domestic market in Australia, mainly throughout each of the capital cities.
Receiving the gold medal has topped off a great year for the brand and company who, in February, were also awarded The Weekly Times’ Australian Beef Farmers of the Year.
Rosedale Ruby, took on over 200 entrants from 22 countries at the prestigious international beef awards earlier this year. Global participants in the awards included USA, Argentina, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Denmark, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, France and Uruguay.
Rosedale Ruby is distributed in Moree by South Moree Butchers.
