S. mail survey. Does this mean they don't care? No, but what it does mean, is the consumer wants a good product at a relatively cheap, or affordable price. Which brings me to my next point; is it possible to deviate a beef product from the norm enough, that consumers are willing to pay a premium price? .
The answer is a surprising yes, in some instances. For example, some customers are looking for a beef product that states it's free of hormones, antibiotics, or that it hasn't been genetically modified. This group, which has deviated from the traditional market, demands a product that meets these qualifications. However, with such demands of a specialized product, there comes a premium price. These individuals are willing, and happy to pay for what it is they desire. .
Grassland Beef is a company specializing in this market. They are able to cater to these individuals by providing a product that is different from the standard beef product one might purchase at a local supermarket. They take a cow and never allow it to see a feed lot, nor a anti-biotic. Instead, such a company preserves the natural life of the animal to keep there customers pleased. They then take such an animal and keep extremely efficient records of it from the beginning of its life, until the final product is reached. This gives Grassland Beef an edge, by also being able to track every aspect of this animals life and validate this information to the customer.
One might pose the question of how much is a customer willing to pay for a product that is so different to produce? When comparing rib eye steaks of a local grocery store to that of Grassland's, there was a fourteen dollar per pound difference between the two. Grassland's rib eye sold for twenty one dollars per pound, while Moser's store brand beef rib eye sold for six dollars and fifty-nine cents per pound. Seems to me that the individuals wanting this differentiated product are willing to pay a hefty price tag for such a product.
