C-FAR Connection - Spring 2009

              IN THIS ISSUE:
Illinois Crown Beef .......................................................................1
Chairman Hicks: A Bright Future .............................................2
Welcome New Members ............................................................3
C-FAR Committees ......................................................................4
Solar Robot ....................................................................................6
Get to Know a C-FAR Leader ..................................................7
Websites to Watch .......................................................................7
ILLINOIS CROWN BEEF: MEETING CONSUMER PREFERENCES
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research • Vol. 11, No. 1, Spring 2009
C-FAR
CONNECTION
Today’s consumers are increasingly demanding to know the origin of their food, how it was
produced, and that it’s of high quality. In response to these consumer demands, C-FAR-funded
researchers investigated the receptivity of consumers to a branded meat product and worked toward
developing new marketing networks connecting Illinois livestock producers with local, independent
food retailers and distributors. These efforts have generated a successful branded product –
Illinois Crown Beef. Reaching consumers fi rst in Illinois, and now being sold across the United
States, this Illinois product promises top-quality beef from cattle raised by knowledgeable,
dedicated Illinois beef producers, who are known for consistently producing superior beef.
Premium Beef Project
In 2001, University of Illinois researchers, funded through C-FAR, conducted a survey of grocery store customers to determine
what characteristics they looked for in purchasing meat. The survey demonstrated a great concern for quality when selecting fresh
meat products. After learning the taste, texture, and other characteristics in beef that customers wanted, Richard and Darlene Knipe,
University of Illinois Extension specialists, worked with several Illinois livestock producers to develop a branded beef product that
would meet those specifi cations. Interviews with meat managers, processors, and distributors assisted in identifying food supply chain
participants that would most benefi t from a partnership with Illinois producers to market branded non-commodity meat.
“Our objective was to devise a system where quality is the highest priority, and food producers are more in touch with consum-ers,”
said Darlene Knipe. “In this country we have a great system that allows large blocks of commodity meat to be distributed
throughout the country as effi ciently and affordably as possible; however, it is also a system that fails to reward producers who raise
higher-than-average-quality meat products and that is not very good about adjusting to the changing needs and wants of consumers.”
A platform was developed for pairing small and midsized food-related businesses with Illinois beef producers. Three independent
grocery stores in Chicago formed a partnership with Illinois producers to develop and market high-quality branded beef products
under the Illinois Crown Beef label to better serve their grocery store customers. This partnership, called The Premium Beef Project,
provided an important link between Chicago’s independent grocers and downstate cattle producers. Illinois Crown Beef was fi rst
introduced into the Chicago market in January 2003, and consumer response was very encouraging. However, because of diffi culties
in maintaining a processor able to handle the identity-preserved requirements of a branded product, the partnership ceased doing
business in 2006. This did not deter the initiative’s leaders from pushing forward.