The ongoing quest for new markets has led New Zealand's biggest sheep meat processor and exporter Alliance Group to test the field for its lamb in India and Brazil.
In India, it has teamed up with marketing company Quality New Zealand, which includes cricketers Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori and Stephen Fleming among its shareholders.
It would launch its Pure South brand there, and it was logical to use the cricketing connection, Alliance general marketing manager Murray Brown said.
Alliance also starts regular lamb shipments to Brazil this month after a trial last year, aiming for top-end supermarkets, hotels and restaurants.
Those countries had similarities to China, which had quickly become New Zealand's biggest market for sheep meat, Mr Brown said.
All had continuing population growth, a growing middle class with disposable income and they were eating more Western-style foods.
"Lamb hopefully just fits in that window," Mr Brown said.
