BRISBANE, Queensland -- Australian golfing great Greg
Norman and the world's leading beef producer, Australian Agricultural
Company (AAco), announced the formation of a venture to develop and export
a line of Greg Norman-branded premium steaks and beef products.
Greg Norman Australian Prime (GNAP) will produce an
export line for food service and retail sale starting with two selections:
Greg Norman Signature Wagyu, a super-premium steak produced from 350-day
fed Wagyu cattle; and, Greg Norman Premium, produced from 120-day grain fed
cattle. AAco's properties total more than 20 million acres or nearly 2
percent of Australia's land mass.
"I'm delighted to be working with AAco to expand the
international market of a great Australian product," said World Golf Hall
of Famer Greg Norman. "This venture reconnects me with my early work
experience as a station hand in southeast Queensland."
GNAP teams two of the country's greatest icons: Norman,
one of Australia's most widely recognized sports celebrities, and AAco,
which was founded in 1824.
Said Don Mackay, AAco CEO and managing director, "Greg
Norman Australian Prime is an exciting development for the Australian beef
industry. It marries AAco's quality beef and vast, natural rangeland
production systems with the international branding power of Greg Norman."
The brand is now being launched in the United States by
GNAP's U.S. importer and master distributor, Broadleaf USA. Subsequent
launches are planned for Middle East and Asian markets.
Russ Supplee, a former principal in an Atlanta-based
marketing agency, will now serve as GNAP's general manager.
About AAco (ASX: AAC)
AAco is Australia's oldest surviving company formed by
Royal Decree in 1824. Today the Company owns over 540,000 cattle on 24
properties spread over 20 million acres in Australia's north, and through
its subsidiary Rural Management Partners, manages 70,000 cattle on eleven
properties. AAco beef is exported worldwide and is distributed through the
AAco group of companies and alliance partners.
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