Second generation Guyra cattle producers Bill and Jacqui Mitchell are among up to 180 Victorian and NSW cattle producers who will supply grass fed beef for a new range which is now available in around 270 Coles supermarkets.
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The Mitchell’s, who made the change to grass-fed cattle three years ago, have welcomed the establishment of the new grass-fed brand.
“We’ve been tailoring our production in this direction for the past three years and it’s great to see Coles launch a grass-fed product,” Bill said.
“I’m very passionate about grass-fed beef – not only is it a great tasting product but there’s also a good story behind how it’s grown.”
Mr Mitchell, who has been supplying Coles for almost five years, said he was pleased to be part of the Coles working group involved in the establishment of GRAZE.
“Working with Coles has taught me a lot about the meat supply chain and meeting consumer demands – and this has helped us to deliver a better quality product,” he said.
The new grass-fed beef range, labelled as GRAZE, is now stocked at more than 70 Coles supermarkets in Victoria and over 200 Coles supermarkets in NSW.
An estimated 18,000 cattle a year will be sourced from around 180 producers in the first year, with the aim to increase this based on sales.
The range will include porterhouse, scotch fillet, rib eye, eye fillet, rump, schnitzel, lean mince, roasts, stir fry, casserole and ribs.
The launch comes nearly 12 months after Coles established a working group with eight farmers representing the different regions and growing conditions where Coles buys its cattle.
The working group provided feedback on supply so Coles could understand the seasonal challenges and opportunities in each region. They also provided feedback on Coles’ quality assurance standard to ensure it could be practically delivered on farm.
About 20 per cent of the 180 producers will be new suppliers to Coles mainly because the retailer is expanding into the central western area of NSW to source cattle. As part of Coles’ focus on sourcing from this region, it has appointed a new regionally-based full time cattle buyer.
Meat and Livestock Australia has supported the establishment of GRAZE beef, which is independently graded under the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) eating quality grading system for beef.
Producers will supply beef for GRAZE according to a national grass-fed beef standard endorsed by the Cattle Council of Australia.
