NEW YORK — Silver Fern Farms, New Zealand’s largest red meat producer and exporter, is collaborating with their longstanding distribution partner Marx Companies and Beef + Lamb New Zealand, the farmer-owned industry organization representing New Zealand’s sheep and beef farmers, to launch a line of Angus beef sampler boxes that will be available for purchase online.

The collaboration meets the growing consumer demand for online food shopping and high-quality, responsibly raised red meat. The pandemic has led customers to choose online alternatives and contactless delivery like never before – with ecommerce spending hitting $82.5 billion in May 2020, an increase of 77% year-over-year. This trend is expected to continue as a recent McKinsey study predicts a 41% increase in customers purchasing groceries online following Covid-19.

The three new sampler boxes will feature a selection of premium Silver Fern Farms cuts of New Zealand grass-fed and pasture-raised Angus beef that is expertly raised with bold-full bodied flavor, sustainably produced, safely packaged, and conveniently delivered straight to customers’ doors:

• The Butcher’s Favorites Box includes four 12 oz. strip steaks, four 8 oz. flat iron steaks and six 6oz. hanger steaks ($179).
• The Beef Steakhouse Box contains four 6 oz. tenderloin steaks, four 10 oz. ribeye steaks and four 12 oz. strip steaks ($199).
• The Big Beef Box features three 1 lb. packs of ground beef, two 2 lb. packs of boneless short ribs and four 12 oz. strip steaks ($189).

“Sampler box sales have been strong during the pandemic among customers that are looking to stock up or discover a range of new ingredients and techniques in their kitchen,” said Justin Marx, VP of Marx Companies. “Silver Fern Farms produces some of the highest-quality, purest beef in the world and our customers know it.  We’re expecting these new sampler boxes to be very popular among those who want it all: impeccable eating quality, purity, sustainability and the highest animal welfare standards.”

In New Zealand, the climate, clean air and plentiful pure water fuels year-round growth of lush, green pastures, the natural diet of cattle. The animals graze naturally, roaming freely and happily, as nature intended, thereby reducing stress and promoting better animal welfare. Compared to grain-fed, grass-fed meat is lower in saturated fat, and higher in vitamins A and E, conjugated linoleic acid and omega-3 fatty acids.

The result is that grass-fed and pasture-raised meat has a consistently delicious, distinctive flavor – the mark of red meat as it naturally should be. The seven cuts in the Silver Fern Farms sampler boxes from MarxFoods.com contain grass-fed meat that is leaner, more finely textured and nutritionally superior.

As part of this launch, Beef + Lamb New Zealand will invest in a paid digital media campaign and engage social media influencers, foodies and content creators to develop recipes featuring the various Angus beef cuts available in the sampler boxes.

Together, the brands hope to inspire home cooks to spend time in the kitchen or in the backyard for late summer barbequing, innovating with delicious, bold flavored, grass-fed, and sustainably raised Angus beef from New Zealand.

A multitude of cooking instructions, recipe options and wine pairings can be found on the Marx Foods and Silver Fern Farms websites.

ABOUT SILVER FERN FARMS: Silver Fern Farms is New Zealand’s largest grass-fed lamb, beef and venison producer, supplying the United States from the rolling pastures in New Zealand and striving to set the world standard in red meat. Starting as a small farm cooperative in 1948, Silver Fern Farms produces 30% of all New Zealand lamb, beef and venison in partnership with 16,000 farmers, and exports to over 60 countries. New Zealand is the USA’s fourth largest source of imported red meat.

ABOUT MARX FOODS: Founded five generations ago in Brooklyn in 1895, Marx Foods sources, processes, curates and distributes a wide range of ultra-premium specialty meats, poultry, seafood and artisanal produce from farmers in the U.S. and around the world. With coastal operations based in Seattle WA and Atlantic Highlands NJ, Marx Foods can deliver to customers in all 50 states.

ABOUT BEEF + LAMB NEW ZEALAND: Beef + Lamb New Zealand is an industry organization representing and supporting New Zealand’s beef and sheep farmers. The organization aims to raise awareness for grass-fed and pasture-raised meat from New Zealand, with a focus on delivering information and education on its benefits under the Taste Pure Nature origin brand. When consumers see the Taste Pure Nature logo, they can expect the best of New Zealand grass-fed beef and lamb. For more information, visit www.beefandlambnz.com and follow us on social media, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @beefandlambnz.