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October 20, 2000

BRANDED BRAHMAN-
INFLUENCED BEEF

They said it couldn't be done...but now it's a reality!

By Mike Barnett
Editor

Nolan Ryan's Tender Aged Beef—no marketing blunder there, getting one of the most famous sport's figures in Texas history to help market a branded beef product. What Nolan Ryan has lent his name to, however, is the remarkable story.

Branded beef programs are nothing new. Witness the success of Certified Angus Beef. Others have jumped on the bandwagon. These branded products—focusing on non-Brahman type cattle—have done an excellent job of going directly to the consumer, creating value, and then passing that value back through the chain to the producer. That has created a misconception that Texas cattle—specifically Brahman-influenced cattle—won't work in a quality, branded program.

"I didn't realize the impact of this kind of exclusion until I was visiting with a feeder up in Central Kansas. He was telling me that he probably had 70 percent of the cattle in his yard—a small yard—that were what we called `captive supplies.' They were owned by a packer or were under some kind of contract with a packer," said Charlie Bradbury, chief executive officer of Beefmaster Cattlemen LP, a limited partnership that is marketing Nolan Ryan's Tender Aged Beef. "Those cattle were all purchased in the Carolinas. Those cattle were all purchased under specifications to fit one or two branded beef programs. None of those programs would accept any Brahman-influenced cattle. When you get to thinking about that—that one yard alone—that meant that 70 percent of the cattle in that yard were purchased by somebody sitting in a sale barn, with a set of specifications, that didn't include our cattle."

According to Bradbury, this perception and continued growth of branded beef products doesn't leave Texas producers any choice. "We had to do something to come up with a direct market to the consumer, just like the Angus people did first and many other people have done since, to try to bypass these kind of restrictions we are running up against," he said.

Bradbury and the 37 cattleman who have invested in Beefmaster Cattlemen, LP, have proven the Brahman critics wrong. They have an exclusive arrangement to sell their branded product at Randall's food stores in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin. The product, promoted by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan (also one of the partners), is selling well. And judging from the lack of complaints, Bradbury and his partners have proven that Brahman-influenced cattle can consistently produce a tender, lean, flavorful product.

"We have an 800 number on our packages," Bradbury told a huge crowd at the recent Beef Cattle Short Course. "Anyone that has a complaint, they call us, we send them a refund. To date, we have not had a single complaint on the quality of our steaks and roasts. We have not had a single person call in and say `My steak was tough.' "

Bradbury said the Beefmaster Cattlemen group received some sage advice from John Bellinger and his associates at Agri-West International, the firm that introduced Certified Angus Beef into Texas retail markets. Bellinger said success of a Brahman-influence branded program hinged on three things: 1) target the retail grocery consumer; 2) produce a product with absolute consistency and predictability; and 3) find a way to guarantee tenderness.

To this end, the Nolan Ryan-branded product goes through rigorous procedures to ensure quality.

First, a camera has been developed similar to one Levi-Strauss uses to measure the color of stone-washed jeans, that's able to tell by color if a ribeye is tender. That machine, called a "Beef-Cam," is set up at Sam Kane in Corpus Christi, the packer processing the group's cattle.

If a carcass passes this test, it is electro-stimulated with high voltage electricity. "We've known for 15 years in this industry that this has a huge impact on tenderness," Bradbury said.

Third, the carcass is then aged a minimum of 14 days. "And really, this is probably the most powerful tool that we are using to ensure tenderness," Bradbury said. "But the three together—the Beef-Cam, the aging and electro-stimulation—pretty well allow us to guarantee a tender product."

As a result, Nolan Ryan Tender Aged Beef is the first brand that is USDA Certified aged as well as the first USDA Certified tender product.

There are other requirements as well. Only Yield Grade 1 and 2, Select carcasses weighing between 600 and 850 pounds, with ribeye measurements from 11 square inches to 15.5 square inches, are accepted.

Although Nolan Ryan Tender Aged Beef is open to all breeds of cattle, Bradbury said it is the only branded program that says in its specifications that "we accept and prefer Bos Indicus cattle."

Prospects look good for the fledgling brand. Consumers have accepted the product that is priced between Select commodity beef and the Certified Angus Beef.

Premiums, however, have yet to be paid to those producing the cattle. "We fully intend to do so but hope to be able to win the confidence of the consumer and satisfy the question of supply before stepping into that dangerous arena," Bradbury said, noting that hurrying premiums to producers has been the downfall of many branded programs. "Our goal is a satisfied and loyal consumer. When we have accomplished that in sufficient numbers, we can reward our producers."