New U.S. Pork Products Launched for Foodservice Sector in Colombia

At the launch event in Medellin, 83 Colombian traders viewed new product and packaging ideas for eight U.S. pork products from the Boston butt.

New product ideas with the U.S. Boston butt were launched this month with importers, distributors and processors in four major Colombian cities.

As part of the industry's strategy to introduce new U.S. pork cuts into the Colombian market, USMEF held October launch events in Medellin, Bogota, Cali and Cartagena for new product ideas developed from the Boston butt. USMEF highlighted the quality attributes of the cut while discussing its market potential with Colombian importers, distributors and processors.

The Boston butt's versatility, a key to the cut's market potential, was on display with a presentation of eight innovative product ideas: Ribs, steak, meatballs, sausage, cubes, pulled pork, ground pork and burger patties.

See photos: Medellin launch event

"The trade's response to the product ideas was outstanding but the work has really just begun," says USMEF Colombia Representative María Ruíz. "We will work closely with the companies who have interest in developing these new products."

The new product with the most immediate potential in Colombia's foodservice sector may be the Boston butt burger. Ruiz and USMEF Latin America Representative Homero Recio had brainstormed the potential of a ground pork burger and invited certain Colombian processors to USMEF's Global Processing Seminar in Nebraska to help develop a such a product.

"Three Colombian importer/processors joined us at the seminar in Nebraska where we developed a ground pork burger from the Boston butt. We have since tested it in Colombia and it has a flavor that consumers like and we believe it can be profitable for foodservice and retail. We are now promoting it to the trade as BBB, for Boston butt burger," says Ruiz.

Funding support was provided by the National Pork Board, Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council and USDA's Regional Agricultural Promotion Program.

During USMEF's Global Processing Seminar in Nebraska, USMEF's María Ruíz (second from left) worked with a team of Colombian processors to develop a ground pork burger with the Boston butt.

USMEF is now introducing this and other pork product ideas to the trade in Colombia.