Hawaii Ranchers Natural Beef made its Oahu debut by hosting a tasting event at Tiki's Grill & Bar in Waikiki. A top quality beef product originating in Hawaii, finished at mainland feed lots and brought back to the islands.In this innovative program, beef cattle born in Hawaii on island ranches throughout the state will be shipped to Country Natural Beef (CNB) in Boardman, Oregon where they will graze on pasture in designated areas, separate from other cattle in CNB's program.
The beef cattle, still owned by Hawaii ranchers, will graze on natural grasses in large pastures for 14 to 18 months. Three months before harvest, the beef cattle feed on cooked potatoes, hay, corn and a vitamin mineral supplement. All feedstuffs are vegetarian and the beef cattle are never administered antibiotics or growth stimulating hormones. Finished beef cattle will be processed and fabricated by AB Foods, Toppenish, Washington, and shipped back to Hawaii for distribution by
HFM Foodservice.
Tiki's Grill & Bar Exec. Chef Ronnie Nasuti created a all beef seven course menu for the event!
"While this program involves many companies and many steps in the process, the resulting Hawaii Ranchers Natural Beef product will be consistent in quality and available throughout the year," said Sara Moore, president of the Hawaii Cattle Producers Cooperative Association (HCPCA) which is spearheading this project.
"CNB meat is on the lean side, reaching USDA grades of "high select" and "low choice" with consistent quality. Our goal is to provide Hawaii consumers with good quality meat that originate on island ranches. This program will help us sustain ranching in the islands," said Moore, who is also the manager for Kealia Ranch on Hawaii Island.
HCPCA and its Hawaii Ranchers brand represents 50 ranches in the state of Hawaii that have more than half of the state's breeding cows and bred heifers on 455,000 acres of grazing lands. A dozen of these ranches belong to Country Natural Beef, a beef marketing cooperative that allow family ranchers to own and control their beef from birth to plate.
Country Natural Beef sells and distributes its members' products to restaurants and supermarkets such as New Seasons Market and Burgerville in Portland, Oregon, Puget Consumer Co-ops in Seattle and Whole Foods.
HFM Foodservice headquartered in Honolulu is the distributor for the Hawaii Ranchers Natural Beef.
