Down on the farm
Foodservice distributor celebrates milestone at Virginia Angus ranch
The people of Performance Food Service (PFS) journeyed to farm country to learn more about ranchers who raise high-quality beef for the Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB®) brand. The event marked the company’s 25th year as a licensed CAB distributor.
“My team understands Certified Angus Beef’s quality, but when you can tie that locally to a farmer in Virginia with a stake in what we do, that’s very powerful,” says Eric Shoemaker, president at PFS Virginia. “We need to be able to talk with confidence about that connection with our customers.”
The group gathered at Edgewood Angus, east of Richmond, where the Pete Henderson family shared their passion for raising Angus cattle and how their focus on cattle care at the ranch helps to ensure high-quality steaks. Attendees enjoyed a hay-ride tour of the farm and lunch served by Extra Billy’s, a local CAB partner restaurant.
“We knew there were Angus farms around, but getting there, being there, seeing the cattle and talking to Pete Henderson and his family really rounds out the whole picture and what we try to do for our customer base,” Shoemaker says. “This is a farm that produces good seedstock for beef we have in our warehouse, and it’s just an hour away.”
There are nearly 400 members of the Virginia Angus Association raising purebred cattle in the state. “The consistency, the high quality that the brand provides is exactly what our customers need, especially in this economic environment.”
PFS became a licensed CAB distributor in 1985, making it one of the earliest to offer the brand. Since then, it has sold more than 27 million pounds of CAB product to local restaurants.
“PFS Virginia is the engine that could, always driving forward even through the most challenging economic times with customers,” says John Stika, president of Certified Angus Beef LLC. “This team is leading the charge with more than 36% sales growth during the past 12 months, an amazing accomplishment considering how their market place has been impacted by the recession.”
CAB brand products are featured by more than 12,300 restaurants and retailers around the world.
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