Quail kings Brisbane Valley Protein talk a possible Droughtmaster beef brand

This is just one of a long list of insights successful animal protein suppliers Brisbane Valley Protein have shared as they talk to cattle breeders about the possibility of launching what would be a world-first, a Droughtmaster beef brand.

Fourth generation farmers Duncan Brown and Selena Gomersall are the founders of Brisbane Valley Protein, a diversified poultry, beef and game bird operation on a 1100 hectare farm at Coominya - and, more famously, supplies the world's largest table quail.

The family also own a Droughtmaster breeder herd north of Camoweal, managed by the Hawkins Family.

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Brisbane Valley Protein supplies both domestic and export markets and it's the quail story that has garnered enormous interest - and could provide plenty of lessons for a possible Drougthmaster brand, according to Mr Brown.

It all started around five years ago.

"We had traded marked the name Brisbane Valley Protein as a future initiative to create a regional food brand and we needed a protein we could control from hatch to dispatch," Mr Brown explained.

"I was in Sydney one day in a restaurant called Fire Door and a chef put what he said was quail in front of me.

"I ended up buying the genetics to that quail and today we own the exclusive production of the world's largest quail."

Brisbane Valley quail is turned off at 300 to 500 grams in 33 days, compared to traditional 180gm quail. They call it quail with scale.

While Australians are only just now awakening to the virtues of quail, it had been an essential in many parts of the globe for many years, Mr Brown said.

Unique and exclusive is a key element to successful branding, he says.

Just ask the chefs, who are essentially the rockstars in the world of branded meat.

"I can't understate the importance of chefs - they are your quickest point of market research and feedback," Mr Brown said.

"Chefs are celebrities, they are the influencers in the food chain and at the moment there is a massive shortage of chefs.

"I've heard of young chefs in Brisbane being offered $200,000 to shift restaurants. Owners are desperate to get good chefs on board.

"And the thing is, they love farmers. They won't offer a wholesaler a free feed but as soon as they know you're a farmer they want to talk to you."

Mr Brown said he figured out very early how to sneak past the front-of-house and take a quail to the chef.

And what he learned they wanted most was consistency and exclusiveness.

"There will be no room for error when you are paying $70 for a steak," he said.

"They want good fat-to-meat ratio, it must be suitable for a hot charcoal grill and it must be tender and flavoursome.

"But ultimately it must be an epic eating experience - something people can't get anywhere else."

Mr Brown believes Droughtmasters have a powerful story that will get a branded product through the door.

"These cattle are in country that is captivating and pristine, we know the sustainability piece is there and the people are humble and practical," he said.

"But the story only gets you in so we need to establish where we would sit in the market.

"We need to ask how does a great, tender, juicy consistent eating experience convert to a set of specifications."

His advice?

"Start small, underpromise and overdeliver," Mr Brown said.

"That may mean an alliance with a processor doing ten beasts a week and supplying just two high profile restaurants.

"Smash that week in, week out and you will build a brand."

A key element with beef would be the need to find an outlet for secondary cuts.

It would be a long haul game but it was definitely a path Droughtmaster breeders could find very worthwhile, Mr Brown said.