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Food inspiration

Culinary Lab

From animal welfare to fair trade and from recyclable packaging to the debate on genetically modified food, there are an array of aspects that drive R&D specialists in the food supply chain.

We’re dedicated to constantly delivering what consumers want

Our R&D specialists working in our Culinary Lab track and respond to consumer trends. This involves answering questions such as: “How can we appeal to millennials?”, “How should we respond to changing eating patterns?”, “How can we continue to appeal to flexitarians?”, “How can we respond to the free-from trend?” We continually endeavour to deliver what consumers want. Healthy choices, organic and free-from are all examples of trends to which food companies must adapt.

Our R&D team must, of course, comply with new legal and regulatory requirements:
There is constant pressure on producers to make food healthier, cheaper, free-from, ethical, longer-lasting, organic… Whether this pressure comes from regulators, consumers or other sources, there is always a need to innovate.

Co-creation

Great food starts with great and passionate people. Our relationships with our contracted farmers and partners are the cornerstone of our business. We’re proud to partner with only the major leading companies around the world. We have successfully collaborated with many of them for decades and with some for generations.

We rely on them and work closely with them to provide a fantastic and great product. Inspiring people and being inspired by great people is key to the success of Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat. This is why we work with a number of top restaurants and chefs to continually improve our products.

Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat is proud to work the best restaurants and chefs from around the world. We often invite them to take part in work sessions in our kitchen and culinary lab. This has a dual aim: To be inspired and to inspire them. One of these top chefs is Sergio Herman.

Sergio Herman (1970) has inherited his love for cookery from his father, with whom he worked side by side at the ‘Oud Sluis’ restaurant for several years, before taking it over entirely in 1990. He brought to life the fresh high-quality products from the polders and the waters of Zeeland at this restaurant and laid the foundation of what would become an unparalleled ‘wow’ kitchen and would eventually earn him 3 Michelin stars. Sergio decided to close ‘Oud Sluis’ in 2013 to free up time to pursue his quest for culinary development and evolution.

Sergio has opened four restaurants since 2013: The Jane** in Antwerp and Pure C*, AIRrepublic* and Blueness in Cadzand.

Sergio’s next challenge: to create the ultimate hamburger featuring a distinctive Sergio Herman signature

Sergio has also developed other new businesses during this period. After more than 18 months of testing different potato varieties, researching soil types and other issues related to creating top-quality fries, he opened the first Frites Atelier in The Hague in 2016. The Frites Atelier concept centres on creating a world of food around this typical Dutch street food with the ambition to conquer the world.

After the opening of the first Frites Atelier in The Hague, a number of other outlets were opened in quick succession. The upcoming new restaurants will have more seating and a more extensive menus than the current Frites Ateliers. This has given rise to the next challenge for Sergio: to create the ultimate hamburger featuring a distinctive Sergio Herman signature.

In close collaboration with Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat’s specialists, Sergio has come up with a juicy burger made of special parts of US Angus beef. The 100% US Angus burger is flavoured with smokey barbecue aromas and fresh thyme. The burger keeps its juiciness after grilling and/or frying thanks to the superior quality of meat that has been chosen for Sergio’s burger.

www.fritesatelieramsterdam.com

Sergio Herman, Michelin star chef

'We have leveraged Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat’s expertise to create this 100% US Angus beef burger for Frites Atelier and after continuous testing I know...this one is a winner!'

Chef’s favourites: burger and lobster fine cut prime burger

The team of Burger & Lobster travelled several times to Zandbergen’s head office in the Netherlands to work on what the restaurant’s die-hard fans call the best burger ever: a 280 gram and 140 gram burger made of the finest US beef.

‘We work tirelessly with the families that catch our lobsters and farm our cattle to make sure we get the best quality and cared for ingredients. We couple this with our guys and gals in the restaurant and the result is the greatest burgers and lobsters in town.’

Free(ze) thinking

Our aim is to supply the highest quality of meat and meat products from around the world to our customers in accordance with their specific needs and wishes. The key to delivering the highest quality 365 days a year is not determined by one specific factor. It is the synergy between each link within the entire logistics chain that is at the heart of Zandbergen’s approach to quality and service. Meeting our clients’ differing demands and specifications requires a can-do culture and optimum flexibility. We always find a solution for every request at Zandbergen. We specialise in keeping our head cool when the heat is on: Free(ze) Thinking 24/7, 365 days a year.

Some call it out of the box, we prefer to call it free(ze) thinking

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