Southern Cross Beef, a high quality Australian grown beef brand backed by cutting edge blockchain technology that allows sellers and consumers to gain a greater insight into food and supply chain transparency, has launched its first line of technology-enabled beef through distribution with Queensland chain Super Butcher.
Founded by 2018 Nuffield Farming scholar Sonya Comiskey, Southern Cross Beef is focused on eating quality, supported by regional provenance and authenticity, tracked and accounted for using a multi-signature ledger developed in partnership with BeefLedger, a specialist blockchain technology developer focused on enhanced beef supply chain traceability, authentication and streamlined payments.
Based in Emerald, Southern Cross Beef collaborates with other Queensland beef producers with its value chain spread across the Goldfields, Central Highlands, Darling Downs Burnett Regions and Darling Downs, before it arrives at Super Butcher in Brisbane.
Now more than ever, Ms Comiskey believes it is important that we are tracing the origins of our food, making sure that the product we consume is high quality and it is produced in safe conditions with an emphasis on quality assurance and health.
"When I started planning to launch this new beef brand, I had no idea I would be bringing it to market during a global pandemic and economic crisis," she said.
"But it hasn't changed our mission of quality without compromise. In collaboration with all the partners in our value chain, we have worked hard to ensure a home-grown, world-class product from our family to yours, no matter how tough times are.
"To keep that promise, our beef is credentialed through world-leading blockchain technology and we use tools such as DNA verification and meat science to measure and learn, and look for ways to continually improve."
Southern Cross Beef are one of the first domestic brands in Australia to use blockchain technology in being truly transparent and authentic with its customers and consumers.
In April 2019, Sonya joined the AgFrontier Regional AgTech Incubator team with Central Highlands Development Corporation in a key role to implement this ground-breaking 14-month program for regionally based agtech innovators with a practical understanding of agriculture.
Building on her investment in the multi-signature distributed ledger technology that supports the beef label, she is researching the potential blockchain applications underpinning authenticity, traceability and redistribution of premiums across the entire beef value chain.