Profiles in Quality: Beef Marketing Group

Wendy’s® is proud to partner with progressive protein partners who share our passion for high-quality meat.

John Butler, CEO of the Beef Marketing Group, founder of the beef quality management system, Progressive Beef® and Wendy’s Animal Welfare Council member, knows good beef. In fact, he knows the cattle industry like the back of his hand.

John has been instrumental in bringing high-quality beef to the Wendy’s system. Read on for our conversation with John and learn how he is helping to transform how beef is raised in the U.S. to better meet customer demand for traceable, sustainable beef from humanely raised animals.

Q: Hi, John! Can you tell us about your background in the beef industry?

Sure thing. I’m a second generation cattleman and have been involved in the cattle industry for more than 40 years. For the past 15 of those years, I’ve served as the CEO of Beef Marketing Group (BMG). I’ve always had an interest in the industry, specifically the beef supply chain. I’m personally committed to better connecting the dots from the cattle themselves to delivering a safe, wholesome product to the customer. My goal is always to start with the end customer in mind.

Q: What makes Beef Marketing Group unique or different from other beef producers?

BMG is, in short, a cooperative of cattle feeding and growing operations; we’ve been in place for 25 years. BMG members have come together from our various family operations to coalesce around a common vision – to preserve the livelihood we enjoy as cattle producers, and to do it in a way that is focused on improving our product and meeting customer expectations.

All members of BMG operate around a set of strict rules, including guidance for the care, feeding and merchandising of our cattle. This allows us to preserve the smaller-operation structure that affords us better oversight of our operations, while scaling our sourcing capabilities to be able to stay relevant and work with big customers, like Wendy’s.

Some of these operating rules set us apart from our peers. Our Progressive Beef® program includes best management practices developed by animal care experts and helps us stay focused on animal care and verify it. This program is in place in all 17 of the BMG operations and is continuously audited by the USDA. Our audit system has a scorecard function, so that we can always be looking for ways to improve.

Q: At Wendy’s, Quality Is Our Recipe® – and we love to work with suppliers who uphold that commitment to quality. What do you most appreciate about your relationship with Wendy’s? Do you think the two share similar values? 

We’re very proud of our partnership with Wendy’s, which is now going on ten years. Wendy’s has stepped out to play a leadership role in the food service industry, championing supply chain topics that are important to customers. This is testament to Wendy’s commitment to their supply chain – beef and beyond. Wendy’s is invested in knowing where all their products are sourced from. 

Wendy’s and BMG have a shared vision when it comes to the supply chain, especially animal welfare – from topics like cleanliness of animal water and pens to judicious use of antibiotics with veterinary oversight. We both want to be the very best when it comes to supplying beef, and we’re committed to helping one another continue to learn and grow in this capacity. We feel our partnership continues to grow and get stronger, too. 

Q: How did the two parties come together for Progressive Beef?

Late last year, Wendy’s became the first restaurant chain to endorse the Progressive Beef® program. This wasn’t a partnership that happened overnight – it was done with a lot of careful thought and supports our long-standing relationship. The Wendy’s team was able to come out and see our operations and how we uphold our values – like the involvement of our veterinarians who ensure we’re using only the gold standard of care. From that visit, our innovative partnership was born. 

Our animal care and sustainability program is built on proven-best practices and third-party verification and ultimately will help Wendy’s make good on its commitment to get closer to the farm and ensure antibiotics are used responsibly along the way.

Q: Wendy’s has a rigorous supplier auditing program in place. Can you share about your participation in Wendy’s auditing, and/or any auditing practices of your own that help provide customer assurances?

Auditing is so important; it keeps us accountable and helps us identify areas we can continue to improve upon. BMG is routinely audited to ensure our operations are up to the Progressive Beef standard. The Progressive Beef program alone has 43 standard operating procedures within it – all are required and audited by an independent USDA approved auditor. The feed yards must go through this audit for the animals to even be considered eligible to enter the Wendy’s supply chain.

Q: What’s next for Beef Marketing Group? Are you working on any ongoing or upcoming trials / test-and-learn programs that demonstrate progressiveness? 

Traceability is on the horizon. Today, BMG traces cattle on an individual basis from when we take ownership. Our goal is to expand our capabilities to be able to trace the individual cattle from birth to consumable product. This will enable us greater transparency of the supply chain. Right now, we have a couple of pilot projects underway to evaluate the best path forward.

We’re also continuing to advance antibiotic stewardship and are working with Wendy’s to review and implement insights from data on judicious antibiotic use. 

Finally, I am humbled to have been asked to represent BMG and serve as an adviser on Wendy’s Animal Welfare Council (AWC). The AWC meets regularly to review Wendy’s animal welfare program and discuss emerging issues and opportunities. We’ve been making progress on the issues of traceability and antibiotics and are excited to share more on that soon.

Q: Okay, we have to ask. What’s your favorite Wendy’s burger? 

Call me simple, but I love the Dave’s Single® – hold the cheese.