A Queensland farming family's new export beef business has been hit hard by the coronavirus.

Key points: A Queensland beef producer has more than $600,000 worth of beef stuck in a Shanghai port

A Queensland beef producer has more than $600,000 worth of beef stuck in a Shanghai port The product was meant for Wuhan, the epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak

The product was meant for Wuhan, the epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak Four Daughters beef has won over Chinese shoppers with its story of four red-headed sisters

The Penfold family from Meandarra, 400 kilometres west of Brisbane, has been exporting to Wuhan, a city of 16 million in central China, for the past year.

"No-one in the Australian beef industry knew where Wuhan was when we started exporting there," Karen Penfold said.

"Now they do, unfortunately."

The epicentre of the novel coronavirus, Wuhan is in lockdown.

Two containers of the Penfolds' beef arrived at the Port of Shanghai on Thursday, but won't be released until quarantine restrictions in Wuhan are lifted.

Two other containers, which landed late last year and weren't cleared in time to be trucked to Wuhan, are also being held.

The Penfold family has been hit with unforeseen costs as their beef waits in Shanghai. ( Supplied: Penfold family )

"That means we'll have nearly $600,000 worth of beef sitting in Shanghai," Ms Penfold said.

"We don't know when it will be cleared to leave.

"We also have to pay a new port congestion fee of US$1,250 for each one.

"There's no easy answer; we're taking it day by day, morning by morning, afternoon by afternoon."

The stakes are high

It's an expensive dilemma facing the family, which spent a year developing the Four Daughters export brand for Chinese customer ANZJoy International.

"Our whole production chain has been compromised with over $1.5 million worth of cattle in our two feedlots," Ms Penfold said.

"Do we postpone our abattoir bookings and keep feeding, or slaughter the cattle and put the meat in storage?"

The Penfolds' Chinese buyer foresees high demand for their product, despite the challenges posed by COVID-19. ( Supplied: Penfold family )

The good news is their beef is still being sold in the locked-down city.

ANZJoy International recently joined a community buying group on social media site WeChat.

"Most Wuhanese are not allowed to go out, walk in the street, drive around and shop in supermarkets," company spokeswoman Nisha Wang said.

"The community group is the only way to purchase groceries."

When normal trading resumes in Wuhan, Ms Wang wants supply to increase five-fold, but conditions back home might prove challenging.

"That's possible, but only when the drought breaks," said Bonnie Penfold, the eldest daughter in the cattle-producing family.

Red-headed Aussie farming sisters win over Chinese shoppers

A chance meeting with Nisha Wang in Rockhampton two years ago changed the lives of Karen and Dan Penfold and their four young daughters.

Ms Wang was intrigued by photos of Bonnie, 22, Molly, 20, Jemima, 18, and Matilda, 16, working on the family's cattle property .

She was also struck by something rarely seen in China: their red curly hair.

Ms Wang believed the four redheads would be the perfect faces for a new Australian beef brand.

The four Penfield daughters have always been involved in the family's cattle operation, but only recently have their livestock skills and red hair gained considerable interest from Chinese consumers. ( Supplied: Penfold family )

The Penfolds created the Four Daughters beef brand for ANZJoy and had been increasing cattle numbers to meet rising demand.

The four sisters have worked alongside their father since they were little.

They do everything he does with livestock and machinery, except fly a helicopter.

"Dad's taught us so much, from how to put a new poly fitting on, to feeding, fixing oil leaks and everything in between," Bonnie Penfold said.

"We're slowly getting more and more capable and less reliant on him."

The family was wary about venturing into the notoriously difficult Chinese market.

Bonnie Penfold stands beside a large advertisement for Four Daughters beef in China. ( Supplied: Penfold family )

"It was exciting, but also you couldn't get too excited because these things happen and fall down all the time," Jemima Penfold said.

"We spent 12 months talking to them about what they wanted before we ever even agreed to send the beef," Karen Penfold said.

"They came here twice [and] we went to China before any meat or any money ever changed hands."

When visiting China, Bonnie and Molly were surprised when strangers took photos of them because of their striking red hair.

When their first shipment went missing at the Port of Shanghai last year, the family thought its exporting days were over.

The consignment, worth six figures, was eventually found, and by the end of 2019 the Penfolds were sending 150 head a month.

Each of the four Penfold daughters intends to keep working in the family business, gradually expanding it to meet Chinese demand. ( ABC Landline: Pip Courtney )

When business in Wuhan returns to normal, the family plans to build two more feedlots to provide 500 head a month, which will mean more than enough work for the four sisters.

"The dream is to work together and to build the business up so we all have a little bit of our own part in it, but we'll run it together," Molly Penfold said.

"It's all about working smarter, not harder; there's nothing girls can't do," Bonnie Penfold said.

"Hopefully we've inspired a few younger girls because it's a great industry to be in."

Watch this story on ABC TV's Landline this Sunday at 12:30pm or on iview.