“The success of the last 44 years hasn’t come by luck or chance for this brand,” says John Stika, president of Certified Angus Beef. “It’s been achieved through our partners’ hard work and intentionality to continue to plan, prepare and position themselves and our consumers to be successful.”

Marking the second-highest sales year on record, the global beef brand sold 1.234 billion pounds in 54 countries during the 2022 fiscal year. Up 1.6% percent, or 19 million pounds, from fiscal 2021, the brand celebrates its seventh year of over a billion pounds sold and set a new record of a sales month, at 113.8 million pounds sold in March 2022.

Balancing demand

Consumer spending patterns encouraged a more typical distribution of beef sales for foodservice, retail and international businesses this year.

Restaurant dining elevated foodservice to the brand’s second-best year at 405 million pounds, mirroring the previous year’s double-digit gain.

As diners frequented restaurants, sales in retail remained strong. Following two consecutive years with more than 600 million pounds, grocery store meat departments across the U.S. sold 548.5 million pounds of the Certified Angus Beef brand in fiscal 2022.

While U.S. retail dipped slightly, beef sales by global partners grew.

Partners outside of the U.S. increased sales to 178.5 million pounds for the year, with three of the top five markets—Canada, Mexico and Taiwan—growing by more than 24%. To complement international growth in these markets, the Middle East, Central America, Dominican Republic and Qatar each experienced their best year with the brand.

Limits on labor in restaurants and grocery stores, coupled with shoppers seeking prepared and ready-to-cook items, led value-added products to a new annual record. The 40.7 million pounds sold marked a 6.3% increase, with gains in 15 of 23 product categories—especially fully cooked briskets, shaved steak and beef bacon.

These same partners identified opportunities for ground beef, a versatile and less costly item for menus and retail shoppers. Ground beef sales reached a record 261.7 million pounds, 10.7% above 2021.

Certified Angus Beef Natural also grew by 7% year over year to 4.7 million pounds.

Driving value to family farms

“Our diverse, global and growing customer base recognizes the brand’s commitment to quality from the ranch to the plate,” Stika says. “Angus cattlemen and women remain committed to meeting the demand for the best-tasting and best-sourced beef.”

The 5.78 million carcasses achieving the brand’s 10 beef quality specifications provided the second-largest supply in the brand’s history. The year also marked a record 16.38 million Angus-influenced cattle evaluated for the brand.

Cattlemen’s commitment to increasing high-quality beef supply continues to be rewarded through grid premiums.

As reported in March, premiums paid by packers to producers for brand-qualifying cattle totaled $182 million annually or $3.5 million per week.

“Collectively, this brand community influences the direction of an entire industry, building trust and connecting with consumers,” Stika says. “As we look forward, these relationships create a more sustainable, profitable and productive future for our partners and family farmers and ranchers.”

Source: Certified Angus Beef