Since reopening to U.S. beef last year, South Africa has quickly emerged as a top 10 volume market. This year it is the fifth-largest market for U.S. beef variety meat and second-largest (behind Egypt) for beef livers. Monty Brown, who represents the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) in Africa, explains that while livers currently make up most U.S. beef sales in South Africa, he sees potential for higher-end muscle cuts and a wider range of variety meat – such as kidneys and hearts.
Brown notes that while South Africa’s domestic industry produces beef of relatively high quality, there are still opportunities to differentiate the unique attributes of U.S. beef.