Meat + Poultry - October 2007 - 76

BRANDT BEEF

Using software (Data Star), which is based on NASA technology,
Brandt is able to not only trace the animal through the harvesting
process, but continue tracing the various cuts all the way to the
customer.

percent more than traditional products,
the cost of producing the animals is considerably higher, too. "It's not cheap to
do all of the things we are doing. Just the
raising of the animals without hormones
has a huge financial impact itself."
And while Brandt's customers are
willing to pay more for premium beef,
passing along even higher prices due
to rising feed costs or other operational
expenses can be tough for some buyers to swallow. "Chefs who are passionate about the food they are cooking are willing to pay a premium, but it
has to be economically reasonable for
them, too," Brandt says. By marketing
the products to small, specialty-grocery chains and chefs of higher-end
foodservice operations, the company's
branded beef has been on a significant
growth spurt.
As for concerns over food-safety and
source verification, Brandt is able to
trace every animal from its birth until
the meat is packed into the box. Using
software (Data Star), which is based on
NASA technology, Brandt can trace the
animal through the harvesting process
and continue tracing the various cuts all
the way to the customer. "If there ever
was a mad cow discovery we would
be able to identify that herd or animal
within about 45 seconds," he says. By
marketing the Brandt Beef brand and
the consistency of the products, growth
has been fairly consistent. Consumers
becoming more knowledgeable about
the food they eat and the desire to find
out where the food comes from will fuel
82

MEAT&POULTRY

October 2007

"One example of our innovation is that we utilize the Cryovac iBag,"
a high-shrink, individually coded, vacuum-packaging concept that
facilitates longer shelf life and is a vital part of the farm-to-consumer
traceability system.

that growth, says Brandt. The company
has invested in that continued growth
with innovation in the plant to get the
most out of the products. "One example of our innovation is that we utilize
the Cryovac iBag," a high-shrink, individually coded, vacuum-packaging
concept that facilitates longer shelf life
and is a vital part of the farm-to-consumer traceability system.
Like most niche processors preying
on the popularity of natural and organic
meats, Brandt Beef stands to profit from

"I hand-tag beef for
specific customers;
I actually walk the rails
of the coolers every
morning - it's all a
part of our hands-on
approach."
the Food and Drug Administration's decision to mandate what exactly constitutes
"natural" products. "There needs to be a
change," he says, and many companies
are misleading consumers about what
their products don't contain. "But regardless of how the legislation plays out, we
have to continue to build a brand based
on our name and our commitment to
what we do," Brandt says.
Building the brand, however, doesn't
necessarily mean striving for commodity like production and sales. Brandt

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says it is the family's hands-on approach
and direct involvement in the production of the cattle and the processing of
the meat that differentiates its products,
something it couldn't do if the growth
gets out of hand. The feedback from
customers is ultimately the barometer
for how well the company is doing its
job. "As a cattle feeder, you're always
excited when someone says 'hey, that's
a great steak - how can I get some?'"
says Brandt. "And when you take that
to the next level and have some of the
best chefs in the country saying 'hey,
that's the best steak I've ever had,' that
really is what keeps you going."
But because Brandt beef comes from
Holsteins, each on a 65-percent corn-fed
diet for one year to ensure tenderness,
challenges like the recent spike in corn
prices due to the corresponding spike
in ethanol production throughout the
United States, takes its toll on profits.
"What do you do?" laughs Brandt. "You
just have to roll with it," he says of the
corn issue. "It has had a huge financial
impact, but we've been in this industry
for a long time and we'll just sit back
and hang on for the ride." The option
of passing along price increases to customers is a sensitive issue that Brandt
says his customers are agreeable to, but
only to a point. The value of gaining a
new customer isn't something he takes
lightly. "When we get on a menu, we
want to stay there."
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Meat + Poultry - October 2007

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