The Dunedin meat co-operative yesterday recruited All Blacks Andrew Hore, Ma'a Nonu and Tony Woodcock to help with the launch in France of its labelled consumer-ready meat packs, which will be sold by Intermarche supermarkets.
Silver Fern Farms (SFF) chief executive Keith Cooper said Intermarche would be supplied with SFF-branded small, single muscle leg roasts, boneless rumps, French racks and lamb stir fry targeted at consumers from small households.
"This initiative is a pure marketing model creating awareness and therefore market demand or pull through," he said.
"Further, it is a great demonstration of growing the pie or market for lamb - in collaboration with French producers - as we strive to increase lamb demand in a complementary manner with other lamb producers."
Intermarche was one of France's largest supermarket chains with 1500 stores and another 500 spread between Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Bosnia and Romania.
All stores were independently owned and part of a co-operative under the Les Mousquetaires Group.
Group turnover last year was 34 billion.
This move was an extension of the SFF's Backbone Partnership Clubs, in which New Zealand farmers supplied the type of meat required by overseas customers when they wanted it.
Through Backbone contracts, SFF recently agreed to supply McDonalds with Angus beef for its new range of burgers and, including Intermarche, it has five others with European retail and food service customers.
Other agreements to supply SFF-branded product were being assessed.
Traditionally New Zealand lamb has been sold as a supermarket house brand and Mr Cooper said the new initiative would enhance the position of lamb and benefit SFF's farmer-owners.
