BLACK MAY BE THE NEW GOLD
By Alan Welburn
Mark Menkens might have been a flier back in the day but he's always had his feet on the ground.
Which probably explains his cautious outlook as prevailing economic headwinds confront the boxed beef delivery-to-the-door enterprise he runs in southern Queensland with Sue, his wife.
Maleny Black Angus, which launched about seven years ago, is a dream fulfilled for Mr Menkens, who once mustered cattle by helicopter in the Northern Territory and later flew as a rescue pilot for Lifeflight/Careflight Queensland. It's doing well enough in a tough business environment but Mr Menkens is not getting ahead of himself.
"I am happy how the business is trending," he said, adding he shared common concerns about rising costs.
"I am worried about the cost of everything from diesel to production on every front and it's going to affect our customer base which is dads and mums trying to feed a family and they're paying more for everything and what we're doing is not a cheap order.
"With us it's not like trotting down to your local butcher shop or budget meat store and parting with a $20 or $50 bill.
"Buying off us is a substantial order.
"And I am always mindful people have got to be able to slot that money aside if that's what they want to do."
Regardless, sales are improving as is the company's recognition in the marketplace and Mr Menkens thinks COVID-19 might have helped as locked-down customers sought new shopping methods.
He confides word-of-mouth referrals from customers might also be fueling growth. But company data suggests the community's appetite for quality Angus beef could be the truly telling factor.
The Menkens grow their own cattle with herds running on some leased country and a familyowned property at Toogoolawah before the carcase is processed and packed for market.
"We're always chasing feedback and asking people how they came to know about us and having people recommend us to people they know is really satisfying," Mr Menkens said.
"We process our cattle at an accredited, local processor. We never freeze our meat. Instead it's cryovaced fresh in meal-sized portions, ready to be stored in your fridge or freezer."
The Maleny Black Angus project began after some investigative work and a chance conversation to find the right article able to survive in coastal country and capable of producing meat consumers would savour. Then he found out about John and Bev Cochrane, Cochrane Angus, Jimboomba, and things fell into place.
Then he was flying …