History
The World’s First Branded Beef Company
A bad steak inspired Angus producer Harold Etling, Marshallville, Ohio, because it was represented as being “Angus.” He conferred with Fred Johnson, of nearby Summitville, who was on the American Angus Association Board of Directors, about creating an Association-backed license for retailers and restaurants to market premium Angus beef.
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| Colvin and members of the Angus Beef Certification Advisory Committee select the organization's logo at the February 1978 meeting. |
The Board considered the idea in October 1975, weighing claims that it would create much needed demand for Angus cattle. Nobody knew enough about the product side to say how or if it could work, but the Board appointed a committee to look into it. Most of them lived in the Eastern Corn belt, and met often to look for ways to make the dream come true.
In late 1976, Angus Regional Manager Louis “Mick” Colvin, West Salem, Ohio, attended one of those meetings and asked questions that cut to the heart of the issue: “ Can you identify Angus cattle in a high-speed packing plant and maintain identity to the consumer? Will the consumer pay more for the product?” The committee asked Colvin to find the answers, and those led to the birth of a brand.