Gold Medal Cropped Banners Josef's Artisan Meats

The Sweet Taste of Victory: Josef’s Award-Winning Meats

by Craig Funk | Apr 19, 2021

With the Olympic games set to begin in Tokyo in just a few short months, this summer is bound to be record-breaking. Here at Josef’s, we have a special affinity for the games, as we compete in an elite, triannual German competition that we affectionately refer to as the “Meat Olympics.”

Yes, you read that right – the Meat Olympics!

You might think we’re kidding, but there really is a competition that takes place in Germany every three years called IFFA (a German abbreviation that roughly translates to International Professional Meat Processors Exhibition).

Our endearing nickname aside, it’s actually a prestigious, week-long showcase of the top butchers and master sausage makers in the world. Competitors enter their best products to be judged by a panel of experts, who use a 10 point scale to score each product. In order to strike gold, the product must receive a perfect score of 10.

Elite Competitors

Just like the real Olympics, IFFA is a competition for truly elite masters, but in the handcrafted meat trade. Craftsmen who have spent their entire lives perfecting their art seek to prove themselves among the best butchers and sausage makers in the world.

In fact, many IFFA competitors cook up special recipes just for the competition to impress the judges. Josef, on the other hand, feels that the products he creates for his customers are good enough for any judge, so he has always entered items from right off the shelf to compete with the world’s finest!

Champion Taste

We have competed twice – first in 2016 and again in 2019. Both times Josef left with a handful of products and swapped them for a handful of gold medals – 24 in total to be exact. With results like these, we must be doing something right!

But the Real Secret? There’s mastery in the making.

Josef isn’t just some sausage slinger serving up street meat.

He’s an authentic Master Sausage Maker with the experience to prove it, and a team of highly-skilled, hand-trained craftsmen working under the guidance of Josef himself.

How can Josef be so confident in his everyday products? It’s simple, yet important things, such as:

Using only real ingredients of the highest quality
Carefully hand trimming all of our meats
Not using cheap cuts of meat, fillers, or additives

Hungry for More?

Want more gold medal glory? Interested in learning more about what it takes to become a Master Sausage Maker? Check out the pages below!

Both are filled with tasty morsels that prove only craftsmen with exacting standards can make products this exceptional. Josef’s Artisan Meats doesn’t just talk a big game – we’ve got the awards to prove it!