Beef: National Beef

MATTHEW ENIS

WITH A BROAD portfolio of brands and commodity products that can be tailored to meet the needs of almost any meat department, it was no surprise to see one voter commend National Beef for offering “marketing support consistent with the changing needs of the economic climate.”

This is National Beef's third appearance on SN's Category Excellence report, and the ability to help retailers adapt in a difficult economy has been a regular theme.

Last year, it was selected as the company to watch, partly due to retail-level training programs and marketing materials that help butchers promote new cuts like Denver steaks and Tuscan steaks — maintaining sales of middle meats during the recession for many retailers.

This year, the company's Black Canyon Angus Beef brand celebrated its 10th anniversary, and was once again a seasonal category leader with its summer GrillMasters program which helps retailers establish their stores as summer grilling destinations.

And, National Beef continued to introduce more shoppers to natural beef with its Naturewell, NatureSource and Vintage Natural Beef brands. In fact, Vintage helped one Kansas City restaurant win the “2010 Burger Bracket National Champion” award from Burgerbusiness.com, an authority on burger menus and marketing cited by media outlets such as USA Today and NPR Marketplace.

COMPANY TO WATCH

TYSON FRESH MEAT: Tyson Fresh Meat offers retailers what they want. The company has launched new brands, including Open Prairie Natural Angus. And it has retooled its Emporia, Kan., plant. “This plant gives us the flexibility to work with each customer to create products that fit their needs,” said Chris Benson, vice president of value added meats.