Beef provenance and premium are the key

Hosted by CY O'Connor Foundation deputy chairman Alan Peggs, the workshop heard from Wandering Clover Fed Beef owner Nicola Kelliher and director of Tillbrook Melaleuka Group (TMG) John Dawkins, who shared their journeys in developing beef brands.

"There's something special about your beef, it's got some provenance," Mr Peggs said.

He started the workshop by identifying some key points of interest which can be used to market and differentiate beef products to the consumer.

These selling points may be methods of farming, whether it be organic or regenerative, the breed of the animal, the types of feed this animal is eating, and where it is located.

Mr Peggs gave the example of a beef farm in Walpole, Kikuyu Downs, which has the slogan "grazing by the sea".

About 30 people turned out to hear how to develop a beef brand, which went through the processing supply chain, including slaughter, hang time and boning, packaging, distribution, and marketing.

TMG is a parent company encompassing five taverns, two bars, a steakhouse and a butchery, which is supplied by its own farm, Melaleuka Farm located between North Dandalup and Nambeelup.

Mr Dawkins is a third-generation farmer and now hospitality mogul as he creates his own demand for the Melaleuka Farm products.

TMG achieves premium pricing in this way but also by having complete control over its supply chain, is able to offer full traceability.

It is deeply entrenched in research and development, with a family background in both farming and human biology.

The Dawkins family's interest in Wagyu beef came from this interest in health, choosing the Akaushi breed for its composition of healthy fats.

In terms of marketing and storytelling, Mr Dawkins encouraged producers to choose just one unique selling point.

"It's very easy to get excited and want to translate the whole story but the reality is you haven't got enough time," he said.

For Melaleuka Farm, the unique selling point is the quality of its beef, however it also promote the health benefits of its beef as a means of retaining existing customers.

In terms of avenues to sell, retail or wholesale, there's benefits to both.

"In wholesale, when you've got suppliers it's a way to get a large range of consistent customers," Mr Dawkins said.

"When you go into retail, you get a premium price.

"There's significant costs in retailing, it's individually packaged and priced."

In addition to supplying the hospitality side, TMG also sells its meat direct to customers using a refrigerated vehicle, at the Peel Produce Markets.

Over time, Mr Dawkins said he came to realise that customers were interested in where the beef was coming from, and the producer, rather than meat quality, marbling score or fat melting temperature.

"We've really locked in on that region and we're going to start rebranding venues," Mr Dawkins said.

When supplying hospitality, consistency is key.

Mr Dawkins has seen carcase mix ups at abattoirs before.

"If you're going to all the trouble of creating your own brand, you really want to know it's yours, if you provide your customer with quality assurance, and it ends up not being your own meat then that's a different experience," Mr Dawkins said

Ms Kelliher, not previously from an agricultural background, encouraged producers to think more like the consumer, and to break down the information as simply as possible.

She is the chairwoman of Farming Champions, an organisation which hosts the Farmer on Your Plate annual event.

It's a chance for foodies and farmers to come together over a love of local produce.

At this event, Ms Kelliher and her children wear branded T-shirts and explain their farming practices through a miniature toy set.

"I wanted to let people know what it is that we're doing, because agriculture is about consumers," Ms Kelliher said.

"When you as a brand owner get the chance to meet your customer, and have a chef cook your food and let them sample your food, it's the best advertising."

Ms Kelliher also uses herself as the face of the brand, as well as her family to highlight the fact that Wandering Clover Fed Beef is a family-owned business.

"Be a part of your own brand," she said.

Supplying to restaurants, Ms Kelliher emphasised the importance of product placement, and knowing the worth of your product.

"You want to make sure that the chef that is cooking your product is able to highlight the best quality to the consumer," she said.

One of the challenges Ms Kelliher has faced is the difficulty around quantifying the nutritional values for every cut of meat, but if this could be done, nutritional data could be extremely beneficial in marketing.

Meat testing found that Wandering Clover Fed Beef is higher in omega-3s, but to prove this on every single cut would be near impossible.

"When you go to the supermarket and you find maybe a non-meat product, you can see the nutritional value, and that's great, but when you pick up a fresh meat product, you haven't really got anything by comparison," Ms Kelliher said.

"Being able to articulate and scientifically verify what makes our product different, will set us apart and allow customers to understand what they're buying.

"You can increase value just by saying what you do, and farmers often have not had the chance to actually portray what it is they do.

"The value of farmers is left at the farmgate."