The Canada Beef Festival, a promotional event to introduce Canadian beef to the Chinese market, was held in Beijing last month.

Chinese consumers, food media and bloggers experienced the Canadian beef brand, joining Guy Saint-Jacques, Canadian ambassador to China; Duane Ellard, Canada Beef director of marketing; and Daisuke Shimojima, Canada Beef Asian director.

The consumers who attended the Beijing event at Sunny Seasons restaurant were selected through Canada Beef’s official social media platform in China, providing another avenue to create loyal brand ambassadors for Canadian beef.

Beef consumption in China has been soaring in recent years. Chinese imports of beef in the first half of this year stood at 184,000 tonnes – up 17 percent, with the same period in 2014.

Australia continues to be the largest supplier of beef to China, with a 38 percent share of the market. However, it appears that other countries are starting to increase their presence in the Chinese market, such as New Zealand, Uruguay and in particular, Argentina and Canada.

Canada is the largest beef and cattle exporter in the world.

Since 2011, Canadian beef sales to China have increased significantly. In China, Canadian beef imports rose 40 percent year-on-year in 2014, reaching C$40.1 million. Canadian beef exports to China in 2015 were 13,429 tonnes from Jan 1 to Aug 31, compared with 4,986 for the same period in 2014.

“The Canadian Beef Branding Series events in China have strengthened brand loyalty with consumers, and this event in Beijing is another opportunity to build meaningful relationships with consumers, our primary target audience,” said President Rob Meijer. “We will highlight Canadian beef through its relevant functional attributes and create an emotional connection to our brand story.”

Canada and China enjoy a growing and ever-more dynamic relationship, with ties expanding year-on-year. China was Canada’s second-largest trading partner and second-largest export market in 2014. Total Canadian exports to China reached $19.4 billion, and two-way trade was valued at $78 billion in 2014 – an increase of 6.6 percent over 2013.

Canada’s pristine environment, cool climate, and fresh water make it an ideal place to raise cattle that produce excellent meat and an outstanding eating experience for consumers.

Canada also has millions of acres of wide-open grasslands and millions more acres of grains that are grown in clean and healthy soil. These capabilities are important building blocks to producing high-quality beef cattle.

Canada is a world leader in feed grain production, including barley, wheat and corn. High-quality feed grains enable Canada to produce well-marbled, flavorful and tender beef, with white-colored fat that consumers around the world prefer.

The Canadian Beef Branding Series has been creating brand ambassadors globally since early 2014, with events held in Canada, Mexico, China, Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Germany and the United Arab Emirates.