THE partnership between Otto Ristorante and Rangers Valley is so strong the classy Brisbane restaurant has a high-end branded product made in its own name for its exclusive use.
When it comes to marbled meat that all but melts in your mouth, Otto Reserve by Rangers Valley is marble score 7+ or better.
Otto chef Will Cowper said the product is 270-day grainfed, 100 per cent Black Angus and exclusive to his menu.
“It offers select cuts at market price; it is the red meat pinnacle of our menu,” Will said.
But that success is a story with its origins several years ago when Will moved from Otto Sydney to Brisbane to help spearhead the brand’s expansion.
He said when he started using Angus meat from Rangers Valley he was using the brands Black Market and Black Onyx.
“I started with a local supplier but to get the consistent high quality I demanded and our diners expected we soon linked up with Rangers Valley,” Will added.
“They were able to provide the solutions I needed and in the past four years our relationship has really expanded – we now have both the Reserve and Black Market on our menu,” he said.
“I spend a fair bit of time talking with the team at Rangers Valley and we are now at the point that when carcases have been graded they will email me about the ones that are 7+ and better.
“Then I let him know what cuts I want and they are able to provide an ever more detailed provenance and that’s something else our customers want to know about.
“Our waiters deliver this as part of the conversation at each table, telling them about the marbling and the better we can do that the better for everyone in the production chain.”
Will said the other things he was learning was how many of the best carcases he was receiving were coming from Victoria and groups such as Team Te Mania.
He said Rangers Valley had supplied him with a list of its suppliers who had the genetics that consistently topped carcase performance and they were the stories he wanted told in his restaurant.
At the same time he believed sending information back down the production chain about what the consumer end of the market need, and why, was also contributing to better outcomes.
“I have talked to farmers and they were excited to hear what we were offering and asked if we ever had one of their carcases if we would let them know,” Will added.
“That is really encouraging for me; they get to see the fruits of their labour and their professionalism,” he said.
“That’s why groups such as Team Te Mania, which are working in tandem with Rangers Valley, are so important to the end users.
“They get what we are trying to do and they are the ones supplying us with exactly what we need.
“Our success is shared – literally from conception to consumer – and there’s no better story in the beef cattle industry.”
Will Cowper, Head Chef, Otto Ristorante Brisbane
