Houston-based Tex-Med Beef Co. has inked the largest export deal in
its six-year history by agreeing to provide Libya with halal beef and
lamb.
The contract, worth more than $5 million, calls for Tex-Med to
export about 1,500 head of beef and 15,000 lambs to a Malta-based
company that will distribute the meat in Libya. The product will be
sold in Libyan markets and restaurants.
Les Mallory, managing director and co-founder of Tex-Med, says it
made sense for Libya to approach the U.S. market for halal beef, which
is meat that was blessed by a Muslim and slaughtered following the
regulations of the Muslim community. Although the company regularly
exports to other countries, this is Tex-Med’s first deal to send meat
to Libya.
“Libya’s desire to do more business with the U.S., along with the
(weakening) value of the U.S. dollar, has given us a chance to compete
for this market,” he says.
