Established as a land development company in 1824, the Australian Agricultural Company (AACo) is today Australia’s largest integrated cattle and beef producer, and the world’s largest Wagyu beef producer and exporter.

AACo owns and operates properties, feedlots and farms on around 7 million hectares of land in Queensland and the Northern Territory. It has 500,000 head of cattle and specialises in producing premium-quality grass-fed, grain-fed and Wagyu beef for the global food service and retail markets. Beef sales accounted for over half the company’s total revenue in 2013.

A focus on supplying high-value customers with premium products saw AACo increase total sales by 20 per cent in 2013. Exports represented 77 per cent of AACo’s total revenue during the year, with the company’s branded beef division supplying 14.5 million kilograms of beef to more than 20 countries. 

In 2013, AACo began construction on its $90 million Northern Beef Processing Facility at Livingstone Valley 50 kilometres from Darwin. Once commissioned, the facility will process more than 1,000 head of cattle a day at full capacity and provide employment for over 300 people. 

The facility allows AACo to capitalise on its proximity to key Asian export markets, diversify its product range and improve market access, sustainability and profitability. It will also allow AACo and other northern beef producers to reduce transport and freight costs by processing cattle in northern Australia rather than trucking live animals to southern processing plants.

The judges commended AACo’s five-year growth strategy, saying the new processing facility, market diversification and potential growth in emerging markets will support the future viability and growth of its export-branded beef business.