05/26/08 Branded Beef

If Memorial Day finds you flipping burgers or steaks I like you to stop and think for a moment about success of branded beef. I'm Susan Allen with today's American Rancher, after the break we will be "talkin" beef. Typically Jeff Keane is in studio with me but he is taking a well deserved break from ranching and is on a cruise ship somewhere in Alaska so I'm flying solo and for someone who is married to a marketing aficionado believe me I have been well schooled in the art of branding products. I have been told that if Morton's ® can brand salt, literally anything can be branded. Yet to my husbands frustration, branded beef seemed to take forever to catch on. Today it is a smashing success. I would guess that the most recognized branded beef is Certified Angus. It is far from the only option, a variety of gourmet cuts, cows and companies exist from Wagyu to Allen Brothers, naturally fed to hormone free. (Yes I am married to one of the two authentic Allen Brothers whose Grandfather founded the company, Hum&why no royalties!) Steak Houses are back in vogue, so are gourmet burgers. One of the top sellers at the Burger Bar in LA is a sixteen dollar "Kobe style" patty. Would that be Kobe beef or Kobe Bryant sized burger? For over a century American cattlemen have diligently branded their cattle who would have ever guessed that ultimately it would end up benefiting the consumer. Happy Memorial Day.