In 2018, butcher Doug Cross opened a new, state-of-the-art butcher shop in Atherton, west of Cairns.
It was a bold move in an industry that nationwide has witnessed the demise of the independent butcher shop as competition from supermarket chains strengthens.
Having conquered the challenge - and buoyed by the local support - Mr Cross has taken it a step further, with the launch of his own beef brand, Altitude, in December last year.
His vision is simple - provide consistent good quality, grassfed beef from Tableland producers.
"There are a lot of good beef producers on the Tableland who raise soft cattle on good pastures," Mr Cross said.
"I was watching customers come into my shop and choose Tableland beef over some of the other well marketed meat.
"For 2022, I spent about $1 million on buying Tableland cattle to put through the shop, however, I spent a touch more on buying beef from down south, which didn't sit well with me as the money was not staying in the local economy.
"We saw an opportunity to pull it all together and market it properly."
The name Altitude was chosen for its relevance to the Atherton Tablelands - which boasts some of the highest towns in Queensland - and inference to quality.
Altitude is very much in its infancy but has certainly piqued consumer interest.
"There are a few butchers in Cairns that have joined to take Altitude beef which is good," Mr Cross said. "We are killing up to 20 head a week at the moment and hope to increase that."
The preference is on flatback cattle - black is better, but Mr Cross acknowledges finding black cattle is not always easy - with low Brahman content and no HGP.
"At the moment, we have 20 producers across the Atherton Tableland," Mr Cross said.
He said the response from the wholesale trade had been good.
"We are finding our feet with the wholesale trade and have had to implement some changes in the boning room to meet the market requirements," Mr Cross said.
"Good quality grassfed beef has fat on it and the butcher shops are not use to having that much fat on a cut so we are changing trim specifications to meet the requirements."
Russell Geraghty has been supplying Cross Custom Meats since it opened, and believes a Tableland beef brand has great merit.
Mr Geraghty's family has been in the cattle industry since 1932 and he remembers a time when his family supplied most of the butcher shops in Cairns. He runs cattle on a block of land at Tinaroo near Atherton.
"I like the idea of growing them here, getting them killed at Rocky Creek Abattoirs and eating them here," Mr Geraghty said.
He said quality starts with genetics.
"You have to buy a genetically superior calf," Mr Geraghty said. "If you can grow them at the optimum rate - without a setback - they'll be good eating quality."
Mr Cross likes to focus on 360kg carcass weight, with good, even fat coverage.
He said it can be challenging for grassfed producers to achieve even fat coverage and colour consistently, particularly during the wet season when conditions can be unpredictable and change daily.
"However, we are confident of the quality in Altitude beef."
He is also working to ensure there is a market for the secondary cuts, which account for 37 per cent of the animal, making this market just as crucial in the success of a branded beef product.
Mr Cross acknowledges consistency is the key, in both quality and supply.
That's why he is content to build the brand, one step at a time.
He has engaged the services of respected beef cattle industry identify, Bernie English, to help source cattle.
Already, Altitude beef is making its way south, with a shipment of meat on its way to Roma.
Mr Cross believes Tableland beef, if marketed properly, can compete with the likes of the much fancied, King Island Beef.
"We had a carcass competition recently at Rocky Creek Abattoirs and our cattle graded very well," Mr Cross said.
"My producers entered 21 head in the competition under the Cross Custom Meats name and the average MSA index score was 58.
"One of the beasts entered from Telpara Hills achieved a MSA index score of 68.7, placing it in the top 1% of Australia.
"The MSA Index in Australia pays on scores 54 and over so our grassfed cattle are well and truly in the game."
