Nearly 8 million residents across the Dallas-Ft. Worth metropolitan area now have the opportunity to indulge in America’s best beef eating experience; Certified Hereford Beef has officially launched distribution in North Texas.
U.S. Foods® Dallas, located in Garland, Texas, added the Certified Hereford Beef program to their portfolio during the official program launch on July 13.
“US Foods® Dallas is very excited to partner with Certified Hereford Beef,” says Mike Walls, US Foods® Dallas vice president of local sales. “We feel it fits in perfectly with our strategy of great food, made easy. These products will help US Foods® grow the independent restaurant segment across our footprint. We are very excited to be able to bring Certified Hereford Beef to the tables of the finest restaurants across North Texas.”
Amari Seiferman, CHB chief operating officer; Ty Ragsdale, CHB regional brand manager, Kevin Rauschelbach, National Beef Packing field manager; and Wes Steimel, National Beef Packing branded beef business manager, were on hand to train an elite selection of the US Foods® sales team for the soft launch in July.
“We value the partnership with US Foods® Dallas to provide a unique opportunity to deliver high-quality CHB products to customers in their extensive distribution area,” Seiferman says. “We are excited to welcome US Foods® Dallas to the Certified Hereford Beef family.”
While US Foods® Dallas may be new to the CHB program, they are already proud of the brand and plan to hit the ground running.
“The Certified Hereford Beef program gives our sellers the powerful tool of telling the story of the more than 7,000 local American Hereford farmers and ranchers,” says Tracy Osborne, US Foods® Texhoma area president. “The fact that CHB is a rancher –owned program, the elite genetics and demeanor within the Hereford breed, the stringent USDA graded and certified standards and the ability for our sellers to call this program our own are all reasons our team is proud to stand behind Certified Hereford Beef.”
In addition to an in-depth Certified Hereford Beef training about the brand and program, the US Foods team, along with a hand-selected group of restaurant owners and chefs, experienced an immersive farm-to-fork tour hosted by Gary and Kathy Buchholz of GKB Cattle in Waxahachie, Texas.
A full Certified Hereford Beef meal was prepared for the group to enjoy, including a sampling of CHB ribeyes, strip steaks and brisket.
Gary and Kathy capped off the farm to table experience by welcoming the group, sharing the story of their operation and how they care for their Hereford cattle.
“A few things we hope the US Foods team gained by visiting our operation is the credibility of the Certified Hereford Beef program, the consistency of the product and the integrity that goes into raising the product,” says Kathy Buchholz. “Gary and I feel that Certified Hereford Beef will fit into US Foods’ high-quality product line very well. We think the Certified Hereford Beef team and US Foods will compliment each other well, making this partnership a win for both entities.”
By the end of the training and tour, the bottom line was clear: the US Foods® Dallas team is prepared to succeed.
“We are in the infancy stages of our partnership, so the initial successes with the Certified Hereford Beef program involve the professionalism of the CHB team, the pride the CHB ranchers share and the complete training efforts for our sellers that set the stage for controlled growth,” says Osborne. “There is a very real excitement from both the US Foods® Dallas team and our new friends at CHB to set the table with the quality and recognition of this brand in our market that sets the bar for success.”