Liang Jiahao, owner of My Butchery. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Warm reception

On Womai.com, a 180-gram US rib-eye costs 38 yuan ($5.60) in a group-purchase special, almost 50 percent higher than a similar deal for Australian beef of the same cut and size. Despite the price tag, interest in US beef is still high. Both websites sold their first batches of meat, 300 kilos from Womai and 700 kilos from Yiguo, within four days.

"US beef has been one of our top searches on the website over the past week," says Tang Xizhen, director of Womai's fresh produce department.

The two websites say most of their customers are between 30 and 40 years old, have an above-average income, are open-minded about Western lifestyles and culinary habits, and prefer shopping for food and fresh produce on online platforms rather than at traditional wet markets.

The growing trend of healthy eating has also boosted the popularity of beef, because of its higher protein and lower fat content than pork.

Despite robust growth, China's beef market is still in a nascent stage where consumers are unfamiliar with the specifics of the product.

"We still see people comparing the price of US fresh prime cuts with Brazilian frozen flank simply because they are under the same category of beef. Also, the majority of beef sold from our website is still prepared in a Chinese way－cooked in soup, braised or wok-fried," says Yang.

"Chinese consumers don't really care about the type of cut or whether the cow was grass-fed or grain-fed. There is only one criteria when it comes to meat－tenderness, be it pork or lamb or beef."

Contact the writer at xujunqian@chinadaily.com.cn