What Colorado Beef Council does

The Colorado Beef Council (CBC) is the state-chartered Qualified State Beef Council for Colorado, established by state law in 1965 (originally as the Colorado Beef Board) and reauthorized under the federal Beef Promotion and Research Act in July 1985. The organization is funded by the mandatory $1 per head beef checkoff assessment levied on every head of cattle sold in Colorado; it retains approximately $0.50 per head for state-level demand-building programs and forwards the remaining $0.50 to the Cattlemen's Beef Board for national programs. Governance is provided by a governor-appointed Board of Directors representing cow/calf, feeder, dairy, marketer, distributor, and processor segments of the Colorado industry.

CBC's operational core is a marketing and education platform rather than a product business. Core programs include the Local Beef Directory (an online marketplace linking consumers to 100+ Colorado farms, ranches, and butcher shops, filterable by BQA, Natural, USDA Organic, Grass Fed, and Grain Finished certifications), the Beef for the Classroom program (running since 2001 with grants for high school Family and Consumer Science and ProStart courses), the Sports Nutrition Game Plan (delivered through a partnership with the Colorado High School Activities Association to nearly 200 school districts and 280,000+ students), the Beef Sticks for Backpacks hunger-relief program, the Beef Aficionados community for health professionals, and the Masters of Beef Advocacy producer training program. Supporting assets include recipe collections, step-by-step cooking lessons, and free printed educational materials distributed to Colorado residents.

Revenue mechanics are statutory rather than commercial: CBC neither sells beef products directly nor charges consumers for educational materials. Pricing to producers is effectively a tax ($1/head), and pricing downstream is zero-rated. The organization operates from a single headquarters at 4777 National Western Dr, Denver, with 1–10 employees and no disclosed subsidiaries, outside investors, or M&A activity. Its customer base is bipartite — Colorado cattle producers as funders and Colorado consumers, educators, athletes, and health professionals as program recipients — and its competitive position is anchored by state law authorization and the national "Beef. It's What's For Dinner." brand.

Name

Colorado Beef Council

Legal name

Colorado Beef Council

Website

https://cobeef.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Colorado Beef Council is the state-chartered Qualified State Beef Council for Colorado, funded by the mandatory $1/head federal beef checkoff assessment. It promotes beef demand through producer communications, the Local Beef Directory, school and athlete nutrition programs, and consumer education resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Marketing and Promotion

NAICS

Support Activities for Animal Production (11521), Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Welfare & Advocacy Organizations (AFAEALAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Livestock Showing, Training & Performance Support Services (Non-veterinary) (AFAEALAM)

Keywords

• Beef industry promotion
• Agricultural checkoff programs
• Consumer nutrition education
• Producer communications
• Beef marketing campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Englewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Beef Checkoff Assessment: The Colorado Beef Council manages demand-building programs funded by the $1 per head beef checkoff assessment on all cattle sold in Colorado. The council retains half of each dollar collected for state-level programs and forwards the other half to the Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB) for national-level programs. The organization also manages the Colorado Beef Council Authority (CBC), the Qualified State Beef Council for the state.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Colorado Beef Council manages demand-building programs for Colorado's $3.4 billion beef industry, funded by a mandatory $1 per head beef checkoff assessment on all cattle sold in the state (with half retained for state programs and half forwarded to the Cattlemen's Beef Board). The council delivers consumer education, marketing, nutrition outreach, and producer communications through programs including the Local Beef Directory, Beef for the Classroom, Sports Nutrition Game Plan, Beef Sticks for Backpacks, recipe collections, cooking lessons, and free educational materials.

Product overview

Colorado Beef Council operates as a marketing and education organization for Colorado's beef industry, offering a suite of programs and resources. The core offerings include the Local Beef Directory for connecting consumers with producers, the Beef for the Classroom educational program, the Sports Nutrition Game Plan for high school athletes, and the Beef Sticks for Backpacks community program. Supporting these are Recipe Collections featuring multiple themed recipe sets, free Educational Materials for Colorado residents, and Cooking Lessons covering various beef preparation methods. The organization is funded by the $1 per head beef checkoff assessment and manages programs for Colorado's $3.4 billion beef industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Local Beef Directory An online directory that connects Colorado consumers with local beef farmers, ranchers, and butcher shops selling beef directly. Users can search by location and filter by certifications such as BQA Certified, Natural, USDA Organic, Grass Fed, and Grain Finished.
• Beef for the Classroom An educational program that provides financial support for beef products in senior high school Family and Consumer Science and Catering/ProStart courses, along with free educational materials for Colorado teachers. Reinforces lessons about lean beef selection, storage, preparation, and nutrition.
• Sports Nutrition Game Plan A sports nutrition program designed for high school athletes, created by a sports dietitian and delivered in partnership with the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) to deliver nutritional information to nearly 200 school districts and over 280,000 students across Colorado.
• Beef Sticks for Backpacks A community program that helps provide food-insecure children with high-quality, high-protein beef sticks via backpack programs throughout Colorado. The council sells supporting merchandise with proceeds funding the program.
• Recipe Collections Curated themed collections of beef recipes published on the council website, spanning Sizzlin' Steaks, Grilling Favorites, Not Your Average Salad, 30 Minutes or Less, Mediterranean Diet-Inspired Recipes, Beef on a Budget, One Dish Meals, Ground Beef Favorites, Simple Pressure Cooker Recipes, Well-Balanced Meals, and Easy Homemade Meatballs.
• Educational Materials Free educational materials available to Colorado residents and educators, including nutrition guides, recipe booklets, beef cooking guides, beef lifecycle materials, sustainability facts, and cut charts. Titles include 'Powerful Protein', 'Beef's Top 10', 'Cooking with Beef for Kids', and 'Pasture to Plate' coloring and activity books.
• Cooking Lessons Step-by-step cooking instruction published on the council website covering Grilling, Indirect Grilling, Smoking, Broiling, Oven Roasting, Skillet-to-Oven, Skillet Cooking, Stir-Fry, Braising, Stewing, Sous Vide, and Pressure Cooking, along with beef doneness guidance and food safety tips.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Colorado High SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2001Beef for the Classroom program provides financial support for beef products in Family and Consumer Science and Catering/ProStart courses. Started in 2001, program reinforces lessons about lean beef selection, storage, preparation, and nutrition.
• Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver important nutritional information to nearly 200 school districts and over 280,000 students throughout Colorado. Includes the Sports Nutrition Game Plan program designed specifically for high school athletes, created by a sports dietitian.
• Cattlemen's Beef BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational beef checkoff program. Colorado Beef Council forwards 50 cents per head of the mandatory $1/head assessment to the Cattlemen's Beef Board for national beef checkoff programs. CBB provides oversight and coordinates national-level programs.
• Beef Sticks for BackpacksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProgram helping provide food insecure children with high-quality, high-protein beef sticks via backpack programs throughout Colorado. Council sells merchandise (shirts, sweatshirts) with proceeds supporting this program.
• American Heart AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecipes on the Colorado Beef Council website are certified by the American Heart Association, specifically heart-healthy beef recipes as part of the beef nutrition promotion efforts.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cattlemen's Beef Board: National beef checkoff board that receives 50 cents of every $1 collected by CBC under the Beef Promotion and Research Act. Operates the same commodity-checkoff funding model and coordinates the national programs CBC helps fund.
• Oklahoma Beef Council: Regional Qualified State Beef Council running the same checkoff-funded promotion, nutrition education, and youth outreach programs that CBC operates in Colorado.
• Dairy MAX: Regional dairy checkoff organization covering multiple states including parts of the Southwest. Closely parallels CBC as a producer-funded regional promotion body that delivers school, health-professional, and consumer nutrition programs.
• Nebraska Beef Council: Another major cattle-state Qualified State Beef Council operating the same mandatory checkoff, consumer marketing, and producer services model as CBC.
• Iowa Beef Industry Council: Iowa's Qualified State Beef Council. Compares directly as a state-level beef promotion, research, and education organization funded through the mandatory national checkoff.
• Kansas Beef Council: Neighboring Qualified State Beef Council that collects the $1/head checkoff in Kansas and runs parallel producer communications, consumer education, and nutrition outreach programs.
• National Cattlemen's Beef Association: Contractor that manages and executes national beef checkoff programs (including the 'Beef. It's What's For Dinner.' brand) on behalf of the Cattlemen's Beef Board. Operates the same producer-funded demand-building mandate that CBC executes at the state level.
• Texas Beef Council: Largest U.S. state beef council, also a Qualified State Beef Council under the Beef Promotion and Research Act. Runs the same checkoff-funded marketing, education, and research programs in Texas that CBC runs in Colorado.

Broad incumbents

• National Pork Board: National commodity checkoff organization for pork under the Pork Checkoff program. Highly comparable as a federally-authorized, producer-funded marketing and research body, just for pork rather than beef.

Emerging players

• American Lamb Board: National lamb checkoff board — a smaller commodity-promotion peer operating under the same federal checkoff model, useful for comparing how small-staff commodity councils run promotion and education programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cobeef
• Instagraminstagram.com/cobeef
• Xx.com/Beef
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colorado-beef-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Colorado Beef Council