What Beef It's What's For Dinner does

Beef It's What's For Dinner is a consumer marketing and education platform operated by the Cattlemen's Beef Board and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association under the federal Beef Checkoff program established by the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1986. The platform delivers a free, content-rich web experience at beefitswhatsfordinner.com organized around recipe collections, cooking technique lessons (grilling, smoking, braising, sous vide, etc.), beef cut selection guides, and nutrition education content. It serves four primary audiences: home consumers seeking recipes and cooking guidance, foodservice professionals (restaurants, caterers) requiring menu and training resources, retail grocery operators, and healthcare/nutrition professionals accessing continuing-education content, alongside beef producers engaged through the Masters of Beef Advocacy program.

Name

Beef It's What's For Dinner

Legal name

Beef It's What's For Dinner (operated by Cattlemen's Beef Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association)

Website

https://beefitswhatsfordinner.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Beef It's What's For Dinner is a Checkoff-funded consumer education website operated by the Cattlemen's Beef Board and NCBA, delivering free beef recipes, cooking lessons, cut guides, and nutrition content to home cooks, foodservice operators, healthcare professionals, and beef producers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Centennial

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Beef Checkoff Program Funding: Funded through the Beef Checkoff program, a mandatory assessment paid by cattle producers on cattle sales. Operated by Cattlemen's Beef Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association for consumer marketing and education.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Beef It's What's For Dinner is a free consumer marketing and education website that publishes beef recipes, cooking technique lessons, cut selection guides, and nutritional information for U.S. home cooks, foodservice operators, retail dietitians, and nutrition professionals. The platform is funded by the federal Beef Checkoff program and operated as a promotional brand for the U.S. beef industry, with no direct product sales.

Product overview

Beef It's What's For Dinner is a consumer marketing and education platform operated by the Cattlemen's Beef Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association. The offering consists of content collections and resources organized around: Recipe Collections featuring themed groupings of beef recipes (Grilling Favorites, Smoked Beef Recipes, Burgers, etc.); Cooking Lessons covering techniques from grilling to sous vide; Beef Cut Guides organized by cooking method and trending cuts; a Nutrition Information Hub including American Heart Association-certified recipes; a Culinary Center with in-house and partner chefs; a Raising Beef education section covering sustainability and cattle care; Foodservice and Retail professional resources; and a Monthly Recipe Newsletter subscription. The portfolio is a unified content platform with multiple thematic sections serving consumers, foodservice professionals, and retail dietitians.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recipe Collections Organized thematic collections of beef recipes including Grilling Favorites, Ground Beef Favorites, Air Fryer Recipes, Taco Recipes, Smoked Beef Recipes, Burgers, Salads, and Summer Sidekicks, built for various occasions and cooking methods and aimed at home cooks looking for meal inspiration.
• Cooking Lessons & Techniques Step-by-step instructional content covering cooking methods including grilling, smoking, broiling, oven roasting, skillet cooking, stir-fry, braising, stewing, sous vide, and pressure cooking, targeted at home cooks and grilling enthusiasts who want to build technique and confidence.
• Beef Cut Guides Comprehensive information about beef primal and sub-primal cuts, including cut collections organized by cooking method (oven roasting, slow cooking, grilling, marinating), plus trending and innovative cuts, helping consumers choose the right cut for their recipe.
• Nutrition Information Hub Educational content about beef's nutritional profile, including protein content, essential nutrients (iron, zinc, B vitamins), health benefits, and diet-specific recipes certified by the American Heart Association, targeted at health-conscious consumers and nutrition professionals.
• Raising Beef Education Information about sustainable beef production, cattle care, Beef Quality Assurance programs, rancher stories, and environmental stewardship in the beef industry, aimed at educating consumers about how beef is raised.
• Culinary Center In-house chef-created recipes and culinary expertise featuring Executive Chef Dagan Lynn and Associate Director Noah Hawkins, plus partner chefs including Brooke Williamson, Tim Hollingsworth, and Erica Blaire, providing authoritative recipe content for home cooks.
• Beef Expert Resources Educational resources helping consumers become beef experts, covering grass-fed vs grain-finished, beef grades (Prime, Choice, Select), aging methods (wet and dry), and marinades and rubs, aimed at consumers who want deeper knowledge.
• Monthly Recipe Newsletter Email newsletter subscription delivering monthly recipes, cooking tips, and beef-related content to subscribers, providing ongoing engagement with home cooks.
• Beef Nutrition Education Hub Education portal for health and nutrition professionals featuring on-demand courses and continuing professional education credits approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration, supporting dietitians in patient counseling and continuing education compliance.
• Foodservice Resources Resources for food service professionals including menu concepts, diner insights, training materials, cut charts, cutting videos, cutting guides, and wholesale price updates, supporting restaurant and catering operations.
• Retail Resources Resources for retail grocery including sales data, shopper insights, training, Beef University, cut charts, cutting videos, and yield data, supporting retail meat operations and in-store dietitians.

Quantifiable outcome

• Heart-Healthy certified recipes by American Heart Association
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Little LeagueminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to share recipes that keep young athletes fueled for baseball and sports activities. Team up to provide home run recipes for youth sports families.
• T.C. TurnerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerButcher partnership for grilling season tips. T.C. Turner provides insider information on getting the most value from beef cuts for the 'Beef. It's What's For Dinner.' brand.
• Brooke WilliamsoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning chef and restauranteur creating recipes for the brand. Known for reimagining everyday meals with fresh produce and bold, vibrant flavors.
• Tim HollingsworthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcclaimed chef and founder creating culinary content. Known for cooking rooted in French technique, but approachable for the everyday home cook.
• Erica Blaire (Erica Roby)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading female pitmaster and 'Master of Cue' creating smoked beef recipes. Infuses global flavors into American cuisine with Creole roots.
• American Heart AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeart-Healthy recipe certification program. Selected 'Beef. It's What's For Dinner.' recipes are certified heart-healthy by the AHA.
• Beef AficionadoscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline community of nutrition professionals supporting beef in healthy eating patterns. Managed separately at beefaficionados.org as an education and networking platform.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National Chicken Council: Trade association representing the U.S. broiler chicken industry with consumer outreach and nutrition education. Overlaps with beef as a competing protein's promotional vehicle and shares the producer-funded marketing orientation.
• North American Meat Institute: Trade association representing meat and poultry processors. Differs from Beef It's What's For Dinner in being processor-funded rather than producer-funded and policy-oriented rather than consumer-marketing-oriented, but overlaps as a beef industry voice.

Others

• U.S. Cattlemen's Association: Independent cattle producer advocacy organization focused on policy and market structure rather than consumer marketing. Operates in the same cattle industry ecosystem but is advocacy-focused rather than consumer-education-focused.

Direct peers

• American Egg Board: Egg industry checkoff program under the Egg Research and Consumer Information Act. Operates a consumer marketing website with recipes, nutrition, and producer education, mirroring the beef checkoff's structure and consumer engagement model.
• National Pork Board (Pork Checkoff): The pork industry's parallel checkoff program under the Pork Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act. Operates a similar consumer education, recipe, and nutrition website (pork.org) funded by mandatory producer assessments, making it the closest structural and functional peer.
• Dairy Management Inc. / National Dairy Council: Manages the dairy checkoff program with consumer-facing education platforms including recipes and nutrition content funded by mandatory milk producer assessments. Comparable checkoff structure, content-driven GTM motion, and multi-stakeholder value proposition.
• Cattlemen's Beef Board: The producer-run board that administers the Beef Checkoff program, including oversight of the consumer marketing brand 'Beef. It's What's For Dinner.' Operationally linked to the subject company as its governing body.
• American Lamb Board (Lamb Checkoff): Lamb industry checkoff program operating a consumer-facing website with recipes, cooking tips, and nutrition information funded by mandatory producer assessments. Smaller in scale but structurally identical peer.
• Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board (MilkPEP): Manages the "Got Milk?" fluid milk processor checkoff. Operates iconic consumer marketing campaigns funded by per-pound assessments on fluid milk processors, structurally identical to Beef Checkoff and a direct peer in protein marketing.
• United Soybean Board (Soy Checkoff): Soybean checkoff program under the Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act. Operates consumer and producer education programs funded by mandatory assessments, structurally analogous to Beef Checkoff though its focus is feed/fuel markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Beef
• Facebookfacebook.com/BeefItsWhatsForDinner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Beef It's What's For Dinner