The closing event of a series of regional cooking contests ‘Taste of the Region’ (‘Novada Garša’) took place on 2 October 2020 in the premises of ‘Hanzas perons’ organised by the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre in collaboration with the Chef’s Club and the Ministry of Agriculture. Also we, beef cattle farm KOLUMBI (Lāses AM, SIA), were privileged to be among the participants of the contest ‘Product Quality Contest for Small Producers and Domestic Producers’ which was organised for the first time by ‘Taste of the Region’. In total, we registered three products in the meat category of the contest — T-bone steak, rib-eye steak, and minced beef for burgers.
All three products received the Golden Diploma alongside positive reviews from the professionals of the Chef’s Club. In addition, it is worth mentioning that the contest was anonymous — the brand names of the products were not disclosed to the jury panel. Thank you, ‘Taste of the Region Latvia’ (‘Novada Garša Latvija’), for the opportunity to be among the participants and for being recognised as a brand.
In total, 31 producers representing 76 products entered the competition. The winner of each category received a medal, a diploma, and golden labels which may be used in the future as an additional element on the labelling of the product. The second and third prize-winners received diplomas and also the silver and bronze labels.
Our main lesson and also advice from this event — to have a clear vision of the purpose of the product before placing it on the market, i.e., will it be a product for farmers’ market, restaurants, or supermarkets!
