Time-honored Pingyao beef improves brand reputation

A man prepares beef in a Pingyao beef shop in Pingyao county. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

Pingyao beef in Pingyao county has developed into an important agricultural brand in North China's Shanxi province and throughout the country through the protection and utilization of traditional culture and featured management and development.

Boasting a history of more than 1,000 years, Pingyao beef is a time-honored Chinese brand and has been awarded the title of China's National Geographical Indication Protected Product, according to Wen Jiangping, deputy director of the Pingyao bureau of industry and information technology. 

"Over the years, Pingyao has focused on supporting the local Pingyao beef industry, with overall economic benefits improved and brand building achieving remarkable results," said Wen.

Established in 1995, Pingyao Beef Group Co is a microcosm of the development of Pingyao's beef industry.

For more than two decades, the company has passed down and promoted traditional craftsmanship, improved product quality, and researched and developed a series of beef products, growing into a top national agricultural company engaged in forage grass planting, cattle breeding, deep processing, and cultural tourism, said Wu Genfu, the company's general manager.

Pingyao county is home to 22 beef production enterprises and 24 small beef production and processing workshops, with a total annual processing capacity of 26,000 metric tons.

In 2021, the county's beef output exceeded 8,400 tons and its total sales were valued at 1.11 billion yuan ($165.22 million). In addition to Shanxi, the county's beef products were sold in Beijing, Tianjin, Henan, Hebei, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), the county will further improve the overall quality of the Pingyao beef industry and accelerate industrial upgrading.

The local Pingyao Green Food Processing Park will attract beef enterprises and small workshops from around the country and build a highly competitive Pingyao beef production cluster.