WOOSTER – In a year marked by shifting marketing dynamics and margin pressure across the supply chain, Certified Angus Beef closed its 2024 fiscal year with its second strongest sales year in the company’s history. With marked growth both domestically and internationally, the global beef brand sold 1.237 billion pounds across the U.S. and 55 other countries.
“Since 1978, Certified Angus Beef’s success has been in large part because of the engaging, forward-thinking and collaborative partners we work with from pasture to plate,” says John Stika, president of Certified Angus Beef. “It’s our shared commitment to quality and drive to meet growing consumer demand for the best beef that we’re celebrating our second-ever best sales year.”
Continued Growth and Demand
The market signals from domestic and international consumers were clear in 2024: high-quality beef is in demand both at restaurants and in the meat case.
Diners continued to find Certified Angus Beef ® offerings from Michelin-star restaurants to barbecue joints and beyond, spurring continued foodservice growth with 415 million pounds sold across independent specialty, broadline and corporate specialty distributors. Domestically, foodservice experienced the second-best year ever, marking 14 years of growth out of the past 15.
At the meat case, shoppers reached for the Certified Angus Beef ® brand. Retail stores recorded 521.5 million pounds sold, a slight 1.7% decline from the previous year. This marked the sixth year of more than 500 million pounds sold across retailers.
International Certified Angus Beef ® product sales grew by 4.6% in 2024 to 194.8 million pounds. At a time when overall U.S. beef exports were down, this huge growth was in large part due to increased sales in Mexico, which grew by 30%, making it the brand’s second-largest international market.
Certified Angus Beef ® value-added products saw its fourth year of continued growth, reaching 45.5 million pounds. The widely popular Certified Angus Beef ® smoked and fully cooked brisket saw 27% growth, and beef bacon remained popular both in the U.S. and internationally.
Certified Angus Beef ® Prime sales marked a new milestone with 50.5 million pounds sold, growing 22.5% from 2023. Given the current market conditions, these record sales are further indication that consumers are not backing down from quality.
The brand continued to embrace consumer choice with three additional line extensions: Certified Angus Beef ® Natural, Certified Angus Beef ® Grass-Fed and Certified Angus Beef ® Ranch to Table.
Family Farmers and Ranchers
“The Angus cattlemen and women who spend every day dedicated to producing the highest quality cattle are the foundation of our brand,” says Stika. “With strong consumer demand, we’re sending back the right signals to them to continue their exceptional work in providing the very best beef available.”
While the total fed cattle supply declined by 1.6%, this year a record 5.96 million carcasses, up 2.4%, were certified for the brand, with 37.4% of all Angus cattle meeting the brand’s strict quality standards. A record 730,000 carcasses qualified for Certified Angus Beef ® Prime.
“We are a brand driven by relationships and quality,” says Stika. “We know that partners across the supply chain who lead with our shared quality promise succeed, even during difficult market dynamics, as proven this past year. Looking ahead, we’ll continue to work together to meet growing demand for high-quality beef.”
