By Sophie Johnson

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A Far North Queensland butcher is expanding to provide an “innovative” end-to-end supply chain for beef producers and consumers.

What started as Doug Cross’s small butcher shop seven years ago has since expanded with an on-site boning room and established brand, Altitude Beef, supplying businesses and consumers throughout Queensland and interstate.

Mr Cross said purchasing the meatworks at Innisfail in June — about 100 kilometres away from the Atherton shop — marked the next logical step towards securing the brand’s future.

He said it paved the way for more supply chain control while ensuring the process remained local once the facility was operational.

“I believe just ensuring that continuity of the processing side of it,” he said.

Sourcing premium grass-fed, flat back cattle from about 80 Tablelands and Cassowary Coast graziers, the butcher said acquiring the meatworks presented a unique opportunity.

Mr Cross sends out 20,000 kilograms of meat — or 70 head of cattle — a week.

He hopes to increase that to 100 once the Innisfail meatworks opens.

The brand supplies dozens of retailers and restaurants across Queensland, the Northern Territory and New South Wales.

He said working closely with producers, wholesalers and customers to build the business had resulted in strong support from the community.

“I can tell you in that box [of meat] whose cattle that is, where their farm was from, all their stories, everything.”

‘Innovative’ business model

Industry group Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) said it was unique to see a butcher cover nearly all aspects of the processing supply chain.

“I think it’s a fantastic initiative,” Scott Cameron, MLA Group Industry Insights and Strategy Manager, said.

“It’s very innovative and it’s actually a very interesting way of being able to bring meat to market to consumers having that vertical end-to-end supply chain.”

Mr Cameron said, despite a cost-of-living crisis, retail meat sales had increased domestically along with the price of beef.

He said there were a few reasons for this, including a shift in consumer habits.

“We’re actually seeing bit of a move away from food service into at-home consumption,” he said.

“And because it’s a little bit cheaper to eat at home than going out to dinner and nice restaurants, people are affording to buy high-quality meats and … cooking them at home.”

Local farmers praise

Nick Trompf, a North Queensland stud stock breeder from Tallangalook Santa Gertrudis, Angus and Shorthorns, said accessing the meatworks at Innisfail would save costs and a 500-kilometre round trip to Townsville.

“One of the challenges in the Far North is there’s only one major meatworks here and that’s JBS in Townsville,” he said.

“There’s a fair bit of freight associated with that, obviously.”

Mr Trompf said it had been inspiring to see Mr Cross’s contribution to the growth of the beef industry in the Tropics.

“He’s been at the forefront of the introduction of a lot of new breeds by encouraging people to crossbreed and to build the quality of their beef, and the consumer base from that beef over a number of years,” he said.

“Since he launched his single butcher shop in Atherton and was courageous enough to pitch it at the high end of the market … he’s been incredibly successful.”