OBE producers are recognized regularly in various media for their contribution to the Australian beef export market, and their commitment to the environment. Please scroll down for recent articles.

 

Roam Free

Appetite Magazine, Singapore

April 2010

Steak lovers rejoice. The tender and juicy steaks from Australia’s OBE Organic has hit our shores.

 

From prime cuts to meatballs – organic meat travels well

Australian Organic Producer Magazine

Autumn 2010

For the first time OBE Organic meat fans in Hong Kong will have an Australian organic meatball as well as prime cuts of organic meat available to them……..

 

OBE takes a shining lead in logistics

Australian Certified Organic Magazine

Summer 2010

OBE Beef’s export market supply chain has seen the company receive a Highly Commended award at the prestigious 2009 Mercury Logistics Awards last month. OBE Organic burgers and meatballs now distributed throughout South Australia through Holco Fine Meats.

 

Bull and burgers: mincing their words

The Age, Melbourne, Australia

December 30, 2009

……… Without doubt the best steak I’ve ever had was in Birdsville while doing a story on the Channel Country’s OBE organic beef. I’ve tasted nothing like it before or since.

 

Romancing the purists in Asia

Courier Mail, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

December 30, 2009

ORGANIC food is a trendy lifestyle choice in Australia. But in the burgeoning China market, it’s a food safety issue …… Affluent consumers there are seeking certified products as a safe option…

 

Australian company seeks to sell organic beef to China

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News(c) 2009

November 4, 2009

An organic beef company from the Queensland’s Channel Country hopes to become the first to sell organic beef into China. The OBE company already exports product around the world, including into Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, but there’s no organic beef available in China.

 

Time to get real with organic beef

Butcher’s Voice

September 2009

Dalene Wray, Regional Manager Asia explains how organic beef represents a great opportunity for retail butchers to generate sales amoung consumers who seek organic food products.

 

Nature’s Feedlot

Sumptuous Magazine

August 2009

Barbara Santich write about the history of OBE Beef.

 

Channel-ing the benefits of clean beef

Queensland Country Life

April 2009

 

OBE Finds room for organic in China

Queensland Country Life

April 2009

 

Singing in the rains

The Australian

January 22, 2009

AS the floods move slowly through the Channel Country in southwest Queensland, the bush telegraph is experiencing its own flood of calls.

 

Youth target opportunities

Queensland Country Life

November 20, 2008

If last week’s Young Beef Producer’s Forum in Roma had to be summed up in just three words, they would surely be “opportunity, optimism and optimum” writes Rebecca Jennings.

 

Roam Free – The world’s largest organic acreage

The Sydney Morning Herald

Good Living Magazine November 11, 2008

Something special is growing in the clean, green outback, writes Sue Williams.

 

Eating Beef from the Channel Country

www.abc.net.au

29th September 2008

People who live and work on grazing properties in western Queensland often eat the meat that they grow themselves. Julia Harris discusses this concept with Dalene Brook & Peter Schmidt from OBE.

 

Green cows beef up the land

www.trustorganicfood.com

9th September 2008

It can be a challenging game running cattle on the rangelands of Australia. Danielle Bender discusses with Scott Fraser what it takes to raise OBE organic livestock in the outback.

 

Contract signed for exclusive sale of organic Australian beef

Korea Economic Daily

04 September 2008

A meat importer has signed a contract for the exclusive sale of Australian OBE organic beef in Korea . Organic beef is environmentally-friendly beef, which is free from pesticides, antibiotics and hormone. Thus far, approximately 80 tonnes of organic Australian beef have passed customs inspections and will be sold in large discount stores, department stores and organic food stores.

 

Race crowd picks winner with OBE

Queensland Country Life

24th July 2008

OBE producer Trader Schmidt enjoys an OBE Organic beef burger at the recent Charleville races.

 

Ten Years for OBE

Western Times, Charleville

July 2008

Western Queensland business success story OBE celebrated 10 years of trading high quality organic beef to the world with a day at the Charleville races on Saturday…OBE’s Chief Executive Officer said the weekend was a chance to recognise the achievements of producers who continually turned out world-class cattle.

 

OBE Beef team visits Asia

QLD Country Life

10th January 2008

Eight women completed a successful business visit to Hong Kong and Taiwan in December 2007. The tour, facilitated by OBE Beef provided both an opportunity for the promotion of OBE organic beef as well as the exchange of ideas and discussion of future business opportunities.

 

Organic Exports – It’s Women’s Business

Australian Certified Organic Magazine

Autumn 2008

Success in exporting to an organic market oveseas is all about relationship management – and all the eveidence suggests it’s something women are well equipped to handle. Two high flying organic groups headed by women agree face to face contact, passion, patience and selling the ‘Australian story’ are the way forward. OBE, Australia’s largest beef co-operative, have a well attunded eye to global market opportunities. They recently sent their first all-female delegation from outback Australia charged with the responsibility of group representation in two important markets – Hong Kong and Taiwan.

 

Coast food firm takes on Hong Kong market

Sunshine Coast Daily Website

27 March 2008

Sunshine Coast company Botanical Foods’ Gourmet Garden product range was officially launched into Hong Kong on Tuesday night. State trade minister John Mickel launched the Gourmet Garden range at the Park N Shop Great Food Hall in Hong Kong with 12 Queensland food producers who are part of a Queensland Fine Food Promotion. Also on show were Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, Golden Circle, Paul’s Milk (Parmalat), Capilano Honey, Suncoast Macadamia, OBE Organic Beef, Ozganics, Norganic, Real, Crows Nest Cordials and Australian Crocodile Traders.

 

Xanadu—Australian for Party

www.epicurious.com

31st January 2008

Amy Albert, Senior Associate Editor writes, “Pulling off a great dinner party is something we here at BA live for. But can you imagine doing it for 1200 people? Not me. Last Saturday night, though, was proof that there are those who can and do. To celebrate Australia Week in Los Angeles there was big, glitzy black tie gala with, yes, dinner for 1200 cooked by superstar chefs Neil Perry and Wolfgang Puck.

Incredibly, every dish—the Moroccan-Spiced Petuna Ocean Trout with eggplant compote, the roast organic OBE sirloin, and the mango pudding with tropical fruit—tasted fantastic, looked beautiful, and was perfectly cooked. Obviously, this also involved a standout catering staff, to which both chefs doffed a cap.

Getting decked out in your beaded-and-black-velvet-best makes for a fun Saturday night. A roomful of handsome men with Australian accents in tuxedos doesn’t hurt, either. Plus, there was star-gazing—John Travolta, Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart, Harry Hamlin, Jason Isaacs, and Kylie Minogue, to name a few.

And the entertainment: Aussie Olivia Newton-John sang some of her hits, including “Magic” from the 1980′s roller disco classic Xanadu. The whole room sang along. I’d like to think it’s because they were thinking the same thing I was: That anyone who can kick out 1200 servings of perfectly seared fish and perfectly roasted OBE sirloin—well, you have to believe they are magic”.

Click to read more from Amy

 

Graziers to swap red dust for red carpet

www.abc.net.au

Posted Mon Jan 14, 2008 3:14pm AEDT

A group of organic beef producers from outback Queensland is about to swap the red dust for Hollywood’s red carpet.

The OBE Beef company has been invited to be the major food sponsor at this month’s ‘G’Day USA: Australia Week’ promotion in Los Angeles and New York.

The promotion includes gala events at which Australian food and wine will be showcased.

Thargomindah grazier Scott Frazer is part of a delegation heading to the US this weekend and says he is looking forward to the experience.

“I must admit I’m a little bit apprehensive but, yes, going over there and mixing with those sort of people it’s always a little bit different,” he said.

“I mean I’ve never stood on red carpet before, I’ve stood on plenty of red sandhills, so we’re hoping it works for us anyway.

“I think promotion is nearly half the game these days – keeping your name up in front of people all the time, there is so much competition out there.”

 

OBE Beef team visits Asia

Queensland Country Life

10th January 2008

Stan Wallace in his regular column “Stan’s say” writes about the successful journey of eight women from the OBE supply chain who embarked on a business development tour to Hong Kong and Taiwan.

 

Outback Farmers take organic beef to Hong Kong

South China Morning Post

9th December 2007

Liz Gooch describes how one group of women look more excited than most other shoppers as they wander through the meat aisles of the Taste supermarket in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. Liz explains how eight women farmers from the OBE supply chain left their remote outback properties to visit Hong Kong and Taiwan to see their produce’s final destination.

 

Women beef up Asia sales

The Sunday Telegraph

9th December 2007

Feed the man meat is the slogan – bu to sell it send a woman. A group of women from outback cattle properties have been knocking on doors in Asia spruiking the benefits of Australian organic beef.

 

Embracing challenges from paddock to plate

Queensland Country Life

8th November 2007

Rebecca Jennings provides an extensive summary of Dalene Brook’s role as Business Development Manager of OBE Aussie Beef. Dalene will provide a presentation to the MLA National Aussie Beef Industry Forum to be held in Rockhampton on 21st November 2007. Her presentation will discuss alternative production systems and the opportunities which organic beef production provides.

 

An ode to OBE success

The Land, NSW

August 2007

Matthew Cawood explains how OBE Beef has survived in an industry notorious for small innovative branded aussie beef marketing ventures which fail to survive. OBE has made consistent returns to its producer shareholders over nine years of drought and other market shocks.

 

“Channel Country in Flood” & “The Green Fleece of Home”

RM Williams Outback Magazine

Issue 53 Jun/July 2007

Annabelle Brayley describes how The Mackenzies are capitalizing on the distinctive geology and far-flung location of long-time family property Plevna Downs, in south-west Queensland, for their successful organic wool operation. The Mackenzie’s are members of the OBE group who are making the most of their natural assets to guarantee sales of their product in an ever-changing global market.

Also in this issue, take a look at the magnificent images of the Channel Country in flood, captured by OBE member, Karen Brook.

 

Organic Beef in Longreach

The Longreach Leader

Friday June 22, 2007 Page 11

Queenslanders can now get a taste of organic beef that overseas conoisseurs have been enjoying. OBE Beef Pty Ltd which represents 30 organically certified producers in the Channel Country, has arranged with PFD Foodservices to distribute their burgers and meatballs through-out Queensland. In Longreach they are available from Savage & Co, butchers in Eagle Street.

 

Meating Spot

Brisbane News

May 9-15 2007 issue 635

Kylie Lang in her regular ‘Table Talk’ summary, writes about OBE’s new line of organic beef burgers and meatballs; “Speaking of exports, a little-known success story is Hendra-based OBE Organic Beef. The company has been exporting organic beef for the past 10 years and selling Brisbane-made patties and meatballs to the US for 18 months. Now, spokesperson Dalene Brook says it’s bound for big things here, with its products distributed by PFD Food Services. When you spot organic beef burgers or meatballs on the menu, chances are they’re home grown“.

 

OBE Beef makes its mark

Australian Meat News

February 2007

Stephanie Flynn reports on how Queensland’s OBE Beef, Australia’s biggest organic beef producing co-operative, is set to lauch the first of its ready made organic beef products onto the domestic market through the distribution company PFD Food Services Ltd.

 

Staying power key to OBE’s success

Queensland Country Life

November 30, 2006

Rebecca Jennings reports on the 10-year journey for the original shareholder producers, which has seen OBE Beef become Australia’s most successful organic beef exporters.

 

NAB Agribusiness Awards 2006 highlight the innovation of organic businesses

Australian Organic Journal

No.68 Summer 2006

OBE Beef Pty Ltd, Australia’s largest organic aussie beef export company, was awarded the Monash University Export Award at the NAB Agribusiness Awards for Excellence 2006.

OBE was also a finalist in the leadership, value-adding, and rural enterprise categories.

 

Cyclones trickle down to Outback

The Courier Mail

18th September 2006

Rain has saved the graziers working the usually wide, brown pasures of Queensland’s remote Channel Country. But it wasn’t a recent shower that graziers have to thank.

 

Farmers consider organic livestock

The Southern Weekly Magazine

Monday June 19 2006

More than 280 people flocked to the organic livestock congress in Balranald to discuss organic farming.  Speakers at the conference included Terry Hehir, the chairman of the Victorian Organic Dairy Coop and the CEO of OBE Beef.

 

Queensland organic beef producers a hit in the USA

ABC Radio

Monday 12th June, 2006 Reporter: Arlie Douglas

A western Queensland organic beef company has recorded a milestone with its hamburger patties in the United States. Export company OBE Beef says the supermarket chain which stocks its product has achieved the highest meat sales ever for the month of May. OBE’s chairman says while sending value-added beef products to home of the hamburger has been challenging, there is scope for growth, including new export products.

 

Outback organics a hit in the US

Red & White Magazine – The Austalian Poll Hereford Society Magazine

2006

According to OBE’s business development manager, Dalene Brook, it has taken several years for the compnay to break into the elusive burger market. During the time the company has been selling 100 per cent certified organic vacuum packed primal cuts and trimmings into supermarkets, but at the same time, OBE has been researching new markets.

 

FTA means Aussies can sell hamburgers to the Yanks

The Courier Mail, Brisbane

12th December 2005

Australian industries are taking advantage of the free trade agreement with the US. John Rolfe reports.

Before going to work for OBE Beef, Dalene Brook studied in Seville spit-polishing he Spanish. One night her flatmate, a young man from New York, was cooking an organic chicken. She asked how he new it was organic. It was smaller, and a different colour, the American said, then remarked: ‘When I’m in New York I only eat OBE”.

The Australian company’s organic hamburger patties are stocked by Fairway Market, a gourmet chain based on Broadway.’And New Yorkers just love them,’ OBE Beef General Manager Simone Tully said yesterday from her cattle farm in northern NSW, after recounting the anecdote about Ms Brook.

 

La bio au pays des kangourous – Eleveurs bio dans l’outback australien

Biofil – La revue agricole de la filiere bio

Nov-Dec 2005

Fonde en 1995 par un groupment d’une trentaine d’eleveurs de l’arriere-pays australien, OBE Beef Pty Ltd certifie aujourd’hiu l’integralite du troupou, soit plus de 75000 tetes de betail, sur une surface total de plus de 7 millions d’hectares. C’est probablement le plus grande elevage de boefs bio au monde…Ce groupment de producteurs est situe pres de Birdsville, village de 120 habitants, pas moins de 1,500 km a l’ouest de Brisbane.

Founded in 1995 by a group of 30 beef producers in Australia, OBE Beef Pty Ltd certifies a herd of around 75,000 head of cattle which graze over a surface area of more than 7 million hectares. It is probably the largest herd of organic cattle in the world. This group of producers are located near to Birdsville, a town of 120 people which is about 1,500km west of Brisbane.

 

Marketing Resolve Pays Off

Queensland Country Life

June 30th, 2005

As Director of OBE Beef, Scott Fraser is co-founder of one Australia’s most successful beef brands. Mr Fraser explains how his responsibility ‘certainly added a new dimension to life’. He explained how ‘It’s put a different slant on primary industry and what you can do through marketing etc. It has opened the kid’s eyes. You can tell them don’t take no for an answer and turn all negatives into positives’.

 

Hoofing it, long distance

Business Review Weekly

June 9-15, 2005

Kristen Le Mesurier’s article in the Business Review Weekly’s feature on emerging companies, highlighted Simone Tully’s role as OBE Beef General Manager. It explained how OBE has developed through a strong alliance with beef marketing company Stockyard.

 

Local Burgers go to the US

Queensland Country Life

Thursday Feb 24th 2005

Stan Wallace’s weekly column in the Queensland Country Life celebrates the achievements of the OBE company, describing how they are selling locally made organic beef burgers to the US.

 

Taste of Success

The Courier Mail

Saturday January 22, 2005

OBE General Manager, Simone Tully describes the potential for sales to the US market. ‘There are a billion burgers eaten in the United Sates every week, so the potential is huge’.

 

The Australian Organic Industry – A Summary 2004

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

2004

OBE Beef is featured as one of 5 case studies highlighting those companies who have achieved success in marketing their unique products.

 

Meet the People

Organic Insights Magazine – A quarterly journal of the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia

December 2004

OBE Beef’s unique production region is highlighted in an article which describes the audit process which OBE farmers participate in annually.

 

Aussies steak out new territory

The Courier-Mail

Saturday, July 17, 2004

Des Houghton describes how OBE Beef has made it’s way into the European market.

 

At the cutting edge – How Queensland Beef Producers have raised the bar

Queensland Country Life

Thursday May 20th 2004

OBE Director, Peter Schmidt, a fourth-generation cattleman was highlighted recently in a special feature titled ‘At the cutting edge – How Queensland Beef Producers have raised the bar”. The article appeared in the agricultural weekly “Queensland Country Life”. The author described how Peter’s experience as both a scientist; drought unit advisor and author have been invaluable in his commitment to sustainable management of his 21,060 hectare western Queensland property. A scientific background and willingness to share his knowledge provides a useful local contact to others interested in learning more about Organic certification.

 

Certified Organic OBE Beef proves market winner

The Courier-Mail

Monday May 24th 2004

OBE Director, Scott Fraser found himself on the Business pages of the Courier Mail, when he was recently asked to comment on the success of OBE BEEF. In an article titled ‘Certified Organic Beef proves market winner’; Scott explained how a workshop in the far western Queensland town of Thargomindah in 1995 led to the development of a brand name now known world wide as OBE BEEF.

 

Channel Country bursts into life

Outback Magazine

OBE Chairman, David Brook shares the cover of ‘Outback’ magazine, with a stunning vista of the Channel Country blossoming after recent floods. In an article titled ‘Channel Country bursts into life’ David keenly details his commitment and passion for this special environment. In reference to the river systems which make up this unique area he explains; “I don’t think there’s an irrigation system designed anywhere that does as good a job as what happens naturally here”.

 

The Organic Beef Industry – The choice of long-term success or short term opportunity

Cattle Council of Australia

Yearbook 2000

After years of research and trials, OBE is achieving success in marketing a new product, a new alliance and a new auditable system. Critical to the success have been the deliberate efforts to develop loyal, long term, strategically placed customers.

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