By Jordan Valinsky, CNN
New York (CNN) — Omaha Steaks, the pioneering meat delivery company, has been around for over a century. But if it wants to survive amid record-high beef prices, the company has to become speedier, leaner and offer cheaper cuts.
That’s the direction CEO Nate Rempe is taking the 109-year-old company, with an overhaul that slashes its listed offerings by 75% to focus the business on its selection of US-grown meats. Under his plan, unveiled Thursday, the company will double its retail footprint over the next two years, part of an ambitious effort to displace the grocery store as people’s first choice for beef.
“American consumers are getting worn out by the cost of lots of different proteins — beef being included,” Rempe told CNN. “We shrink down our assortment and focus on the things that matter.”
The changes, however, are happening at time when the size of American cattle herds are at their lowest levels in 75 years and prices are soaring. That has prompted President Donald Trump to allow 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef to enter the US duty-free until November 30 in an attempt to lower prices — a move that’s disappointing to Rempe.
“It’s a talking point. It’s not a meaningful solution for American consumers,” he said.
Rempe recommends that US ranchers, who have been dealing with drought conditions and rising feed prices for over a decade, need “incentives to make investments to bring the herd size up.”
Selection and speed
Prices — and demand — have soared over the past three years, with consumers paying 27% more for all kinds of beef, including ground and veal, according to the July Consumer Price Index data.
Although sales for cheaper meats like chicken and pork has also risen in recent years, Rempe said, it’s not enough to satisfy America’s insatiable appetite for cows.
“America wants beef. It’s why the demand has been so durable because there is not a replacement product,” he said. “You can’t take the steak off the middle of a plate and throw a chicken breast in the middle of that and get the same outcome.”
Omaha Steaks hasn’t raised prices yet, except for its premium offerings of filet mignon and tenderloin. Instead, the company is heavily promoting cheaper cuts of meat, like its top sirloin.
Rempe said it’s as tender as a filet mignon and a “great option for a customer who’s really feeling the pressure on their wallet.” (Prices start at $40 for 4 steaks, which is half the amount of a filet mignon package.)
Omaha Steaks is also taking a butcher knife to its selection and reducing the items it sells from nearly 500 to 120. Some of their desserts, slow cooker meals and single-serve options are getting the axe. Rempe mused that what made Omaha Steaks the “iconic brand that it is was not a Jambalaya slow cooker meal, it was the filet mignon.”
The reductions will “consolidate the menu to improve efficiency and offer consumers a narrower assortment,” according to Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData. In turn, that will improve the speed of delivery.
Shipping frozen steaks from Omaha in a heavy box packed with ice packs is “just not sustainable anymore in this market,” Rempe said, citing record high diesel prices. Rather, having a store closer by the customer means lighter packaging and lower freight costs as well as a faster arrival times.
Delivery times have drastically improved. Last year, the average time it took a customer to receive a package from Omaha Steaks was nearly a week. Now, it’s less than two days. Rempe hopes to cut the window even further as the privately held company eventually opens 80 locations across the United States that will also serve as miniature fulfillment centers.
“Speed is important. It’s a part of the value of equation that we’re delivering to our customer and to do that requires better fulfillment logistics and a more focused assortment,” he said.
Grabbing grocery share
Expanding retail could help Omaha Steaks’ two biggest problems, Saunders said, which are convenience and visibility.
Stores also allow customers to see the brand’s products in person. The growth of warehouse clubs, like Costco and Sam’s Club, has also “likely been unhelpful to a player like Omaha Steaks as its bulk offerings are a source of competition,” he said.
Omaha Steaks and other direct-to-consumer brands, like ButcherBox and Good Chop, control a small amount of the total meat sales market. But that share is expected expand significantly over the next several years as demand for protein rises.
That means there’s still room to grow, especially against grocery stores, since Rempe thinks the category “prime for disruption.”
“People don’t know what they’re buying in the grocery store. They don’t know where the beef is coming from. They don’t know how long it’s been behind the glass and who’s cutting it,” he said.
He added: “We intend to educate them and to help them discover beef again.”
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
‘America wants beef:’ How Omaha Steaks is overhauling its business as prices soar News Channel 3-12.
Hence then, the article about america wants beef how omaha steaks is overhauling its business as prices soar was published today ( ) and is available on News channel ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( ‘America wants beef:’ How Omaha Steaks is overhauling its business as prices soar )
Also on site :