These two brothers want you to pig out on Berkshire pork

Pork is so ubiquitous in China that the word for meat in Mandarin (肉) has become a byword for the pig. Despite its abundance, different breeds of the hog isn't as known or prized as compared to the cow. Challenging this perception is Heartl 39 33979 39 13249 0 0 6906 0 0:00:04 0:00:01 0:00:03 6904and Brothers, a supplier of the Berkshire pork variety. Raised humanely in the US without antibiotics or growth hormones, these pigs produce meat that are juicy and flavorful, comparable to an expensive steak. To find out more, we talk to founders John Zhong and Rex Kuo about what makes the Berkshire pig special, what to look for when buying pork, and how meat suppliers can survive when people are eating more vegetables.

猪肉在中国之常见，以至于“肉”这个字往往就指的是猪肉。尽管中国人爱吃猪肉，但对于猪肉的种类却不像牛肉那样有着详细的区分。专门养殖巴克夏肉猪的谷郡农场则致力于改变这一现状。他们的肉猪在美国饲养，不打任何抗生素或生长激素，肉质鲜美多汁，味道甚至比一块昂贵的牛排还出色。我们访谈了创始人John Zhong和Rex Kuo，一起聊聊巴克夏猪肉有哪些特点、购买猪肉时应当注意什么，以及在当下素食趋势下，肉类供应商该如何生存。

Who are the Heartland Brothers and what brought you to Shanghai?

John Zhong: We are two brothers that embody the Heartland lifestyle. Honesty, hard work, trustworthiness, and pride. Our mission is to represent and support small family farms in the heartland of America, and provide a better option of protein sources for the Chinese people.

谷郡农场是什么？你们是为什么来上海的？

John Zhong: 我们兄弟俩一直身体力行谷郡农场的生活方式，即诚实、努力、可靠及骄傲。我们的目标是代表并支持美洲心脏地带的小型农场家庭，并为中国人提供更优质的蛋白质来源。

From left: Rex Kuo and John Zhong.

Why the pig?

Rex Kuo: Here in China, pigs are a staple of every Chinese family, so much so that the character for “home” (家) is a pig (豕) underneath a roof (宀).  We wanted to challenge the conventional attitude and mindset of what pork is. Our other motivation is to help tell the story of the farmers behind our Berkshire pigs. They are hardworking, honest, and take pride in their work. Traditionally pork is viewed as a commodity protein, but due to Berkshire’s special breed, raising technique, all natural feed, and humane treatment, they produce delicious and mouthwatering pork that is unlike any other option in the market.

为什么选择猪？

Rex Kuo: 猪肉对中国家庭饮食非常重要，“家”这个字就是一头猪 (豕) 在房顶 (宀) 下面。我们想要挑战传统观念对于猪肉的看法，讲述培育这些巴克夏肉猪背后的农民的故事，这些淳朴的农民勤劳能干、为人诚恳，对自己的工作非常自豪。大家往往将猪肉视为再普通不过的蛋白质来源，但巴克夏肉猪品种独特，使用天然的、人道主义的方式饲养，肉质鲜美，是市场上其他的普通猪肉无法媲美的。

What makes Berkshire pork different from other breeds?

RK: Berkshire pork is often compared to Kobe beef, and some refer to it as the other red meat. The Japanese have long recognized the value of Berkshire pork and they call it kurobuta, which means black pig. The meat is highly prized and sought after in Japan, and sells for a premium.

RK: Berkshire pork is unique because of its rich flavored taste, deep coloring, and fine intramuscular marbling, akin to a well marbled steak. Compared to commercial pork, which is dry and bland, Berkshires consistently produce meat that is sweeter, juicier, and more tender. There is no comparison to the pork found in your local supermarket to that of a Berkshire.

JZ: Chefs and culinary experts are demanding Berkshire pork and it can be found in upscale restaurants all across the world. Chefs such as Emeril Lagasse, Thomas Keller and Wolfgang Puck are just a few requesting Berkshire pork.

巴克夏猪肉与其他猪肉有什么不同？

RK: 人们往往将巴克夏猪肉与神户牛肉相提并论，一些人甚至将它称为“另一种红肉”。日本人早就意识到了巴克夏猪肉的价值，并将它称为kurobuta，意即“黑猪”。这种猪肉在日本非常受欢迎，价格也更贵。

RK: 巴克夏猪肉的特点在于香味浓郁，颜色较深，有着雪花牛肉般漂亮的大理石纹路。市面上的猪肉往往柴而无味，巴克夏猪肉则更香甜、多汁、鲜嫩。在一般超市里购买的猪肉绝对比不上巴克夏猪肉。

JZ: 巴克夏猪肉深受厨师及美食专家喜爱，往往会出现在全球的高级餐厅里。点名要巴克夏猪肉的大厨就包括Emeril Lagasse、Thomas Keller及Wolfgang Puck。

Who are the niche American family farms you work with, and what makes them different from bigger producers?

JZ: We have formed a family farm cooperative in places like Iowa and other corn belt states in the US. These families dedicate their blood, sweat, and tears through multiple generations to produce a premium product. They grow, harvest, and mix their own feed to our specific requirements. The scale at which the pigs are raised is nearly a fraction in comparison to commercial producers, which translates to more personalized care, treatment, and freedom for the animals to roam in the pastures. Commercial producers have anywhere from 150-300 pigs per pen, where our pens only have between 8-15 pigs. This allows our farmers to ensure the pigs are healthy, spot any issues much quicker, and treat the pigs immediately.

你们合作的美国农民家庭都是什么样的？他们和大规模的供应商有什么不同？

JZ: 我们在美国爱荷华州及玉米带成立了一个家庭农场合作社。这些农民将毕生的心血与汗水，一代又一代持之以恒地生产优质的产品。他们根据我们的要求，亲自种植、收割、调制饲料。与普通的大型猪肉生产商相比，他们的产出量很小，但每一头猪都受到了精心的照料，在草场上自由地生长。大型猪肉生产商往往每栏有150-300头猪，而我们则每栏只有8-15头。这就确保了每一头猪都是健康的，一旦生病也很快能够发现并及时治疗。

How are the pigs raised and slaughtered?

JZ: Our pigs are pasture raised in small litters, and they have the freedom to roam in the grass and eat natural corn, soy beans, and vegetables. They are treated with the upmost respect, as the farmers see them as part of their family. Only humane methods are used during raising and at slaughter. We use no growth hormones or antibiotics.

每一头猪都是如何饲养和宰杀的？

JZ: 我们的猪都是在草场上自由散养的，吃天然的玉米、大豆及蔬菜。这些农民以最大的尊敬对待他们，因为他们把这些猪也看作是家庭成员。所有饲养及宰杀方式都是人道的，并且不使用任何生长激素或抗生素。

What should someone look for when buying pork?

RK: Look for a rich red color and well-defined fat marbling in the meat. Ensure you are buying pasture raised with no antibiotics or growth hormones. And look for naturally raised and fed pigs so there are no chemicals or additives in their feed that ultimately ends up in your body.

购买猪肉的时候应该注意什么？

RK: 注意选择色泽鲜红、有大理石纹路的肉，最好是农场饲养、不含生长激素或抗生素的。应当选择天然饲养的猪，他们的饲料里不应含有化学添加剂，否则这些添加剂将有可能会进入人体。

People gravitate to the more popular cuts like the belly or the loin. What cuts offer a good balance between price and flavor but are overlooked?

RK: Essentially every single cut from Berkshire pigs are terrific, even what many refer to as "secondary cuts." We prefer the term “underappreciated cuts” as they have much to offer. You only need the cooking skill to prepare these cuts to really bring out their juiciness, flavor, and tenderness. One of our favorite cuts is shoulder spare ribs. This is a very meaty rib section towards the top shoulder part of the ribcage. It has ample fat content that renders perfectly when baking, and they make excellent barbeque ribs. It’s also great in soups as the bone flavors the broth and the meat is super tender.

人们往往喜欢腩肉或者里脊肉，有哪些其他部位更具性价比却常常被人们忽略？

RK: 巴克夏猪肉无论哪个部位都非常鲜美，哪怕是那些不怎么受欢迎的部位，我们把那些部位称为“被低估的部位”，只是需要一定的烹饪技巧，才能把它鲜嫩多汁的特点发挥出来。我们最爱的部位之一就是肩膀排骨，即靠近肩膀的排骨，这个部位有很多肉，脂肪丰富，烤的时候会流出香气袭人的肥油，非常适合用来烧烤。此外也适合用来煲汤，猪骨中的精华融入汤中非常鲜美，肉质也鲜嫩可口。

Shoulder spare ribs

According to recent figures, despite massive pork consumption in China, sales have fallen in the last three years. Consumers are also eating less meat and more vegetables. As a company, how do you respond?

JZ: We view this as a positive change in Chinese society. As consumption of pork and meat reduces, people will become more selective about the proteins they intake. Another effect this will have is allowing Chinese consumers to save money by purchasing more vegetables, so that when it comes time to treat themselves to meat, they will have more free cash to spend on quality products, such as Berkshire pork.

根据最新统计数据，尽管中国对猪肉的消费量非常大，近三年来猪肉销售量仍在下滑。消费者们吃的蔬菜也渐渐比肉更多。你们如何应对这一趋势？

JZ: 我们认为中国的这个趋势是很好的。随着消费者吃肉的量减少，他们对质的要求必然提升。此外中国人吃更多蔬菜也更省钱，那么到了吃肉的时候，就有更多钱去购买更贵更高质量的产品，比如说巴克夏猪肉。

With Chinese consumers adopting a more international diet, will producers benefit more from selling Western-style products, like sausage or bacon?

JZ: Yes, we truly believe this will become the new norm here in China. In fact, we are very close to selling our line of Heartland Brothers sausages and American style bacon, made with our American Berkshire pork. The first time we competed in Baconfest last year, we took home first place both in the People’s Choice award and Judges’ award. We also placed third in the Charlotte’s Web category for presentation. We paired our salty, smoky thick-cut bacon with semi-sweet Ghirardelli chocolate, served from a chocolate fountain. Upon first bite, your mouth tastes the mild sweetness of the chocolate, but after a few chews, the mouth is pleasantly overwhelmed with the salty, smoky flavor of the bacon.

随着中国消费者逐渐接受更国际化的餐饮方式，生产商们如果销售更西化的产品，比如说香肠和培根，是否能够获得更多利润？

JZ: 是的，我们相信这将成为中国的新常态。实际上，我们马上就要开始销售用美国巴克夏猪肉制作的谷郡农场香肠及美式培根了。去年我们第一次参加培根大赛Baconfest，就一举获得了人民选择奖及评委奖。我们同时也在Charlotte’s Web 上获得了第三名的位置。我们将烟熏厚切咸培根与半甜吉尔德利巧克力喷泉相搭配，第一口尝下去，最先触碰舌尖的是巧克力的淡淡香甜，再嚼几口，口腔里便充满了培根的烟熏香味。

What is the biggest challenge of being a pork seller in Shanghai?

RK: Education. Teaching consumers that not all pigs are equal, and that there is such a thing as high quality, prime pork: Berkshire pork. Also, teaching consumers the benefits of eating healthy fats as part of a well-balanced diet.

在上海做一个猪肉供应商最大的挑战是什么？

RK: 教育。我们需要教育消费者不是所有的猪肉都一样，这世界上还有一种高质量的猪肉：巴克夏猪肉。此外还有教育消费者，一个健康平衡的膳食方案，也包含健康的脂肪。

Scan QR code to find out more ▼