"Choose by Taste"... Lotte Department Store Launches 'Meat Sampler' Featuring 8 Cuts of Hanwoo Beef

The Criteria for Choosing Hanwoo Beef Are Diversifying by Cut Preference
Introducing the 'Special Gourmet Gift' Featuring Premium Ingredients

Lotte Department Store announced on the 14th that it will introduce the ‘Meat Sampler,’ which contains all parts of one cow, and the ‘Special Gourmet Gift,’ which includes ingredients that pair well with Hanwoo beef.

Recently, the criteria for selecting Hanwoo beef, which was previously based on ‘grade,’ is shifting to being based on ‘preference.’ Sales of special Hanwoo cuts, popular for grilling, have surged by around 40% compared to the first half of the year. According to this year’s Hanwoo consumption trend monitoring survey, the preference for Hanwoo grilling cuts was the highest at approximately 83%.

Model holding the 'Hanwoo Gourmet Meat Sampler'. Provided by Lotte Department Store.

The Hanwoo Gourmet Meat Sampler contains special cuts that are produced in very small quantities from one Hanwoo cow. It includes 70g each of four special cuts?anchangsal, chimasal, jebichuri, and toshisal?along with popular cuts such as sirloin and striploin. The package was designed with direct input from buyers and is gaining popularity as a convenient hand-carry gift set. The price is 195,000 KRW.

They are also launching a special gourmet gift paired with Hanwoo. A representative product is the ‘Hanwoo X Truffle Omakase (370,000 KRW),’ which combines 1+ grade Hanwoo with three types of Italian truffle (salt, oil, mustard). The truffle mustard sauce is highly favored by steak lovers as it enhances the deep flavor when paired with Hanwoo. Another product is the ‘Hanwoo X Caviar Mix (470,000 KRW),’ which allows you to enjoy domestic ‘Osetra caviar’ together with 1+ grade Hanwoo. This gift set perfectly embodies the ‘Surf & Turf’ style, enjoying both meat and seafood simultaneously.

The consistently popular eco-friendly Hanwoo gift line has also expanded its differentiated items. A representative example is the ‘Animal Welfare Pasture-Raised Hanwoo Royal and Special Selection (720,000 KRW and 420,000 KRW),’ raised through natural grazing methods in the pristine nature of Haenam, the southernmost tip of Korea. This gift set, introduced for the first time this year, is a collaboration with Hanwoo farms that represent only 0.006% of the country and have received low-carbon and organic certifications. Additionally, the ‘Customizing Mixed 5-Pack (280,000 KRW),’ a gift set that allows customers to select Hanwoo cuts and weights, features eco-friendly packaging with paper assembly to reduce unnecessary waste.

Reflecting the growing preference for aged meat, Lotte Department Store is the first distributor to launch the ‘Aged Sirloin Formal Dinner Gift,’ developed in collaboration with the Hanwoo-specialized Michelin restaurant ‘Suksudoga,’ which maximizes the flavor and texture of each cut, including 1++ grade Hanwoo sirloin.

Han Wook-jin, head of the meat and seafood team at Lotte Department Store, said, “Recently, the culture of enjoying Hanwoo has evolved diversely, with preferences for special cuts or pairing with premium ingredients according to taste. In response, we have released various unique ‘Hanwoo gifts’ and plan to continue discovering distinctive farms and offering livestock content that provides novel gourmet experiences.”