News Release
| 7/6/10 - Under Armour Founder Working Magic as Colorado Beef Artisan |
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO (June 15, 2010) – Ryan Wood has come along way from his Loveland roots and starring on Boulder’s state championship Fairview High School football team. After being drafted
by the Dallas Cowboys, he co-founded international apparel brand Under Armour, helping sales soar to nearly $1 billion a year. Now he’s switched from sweat to steaks, applying his entrepreneurial savvy to the business of beef.
Wood and Under Armour co-founder Kevin Plank saw athletes working out in cotton t-shirts and thought there had to be a better way. Wood feels the same about how beef is raised. Returning to the state and lifestyle he loves most, he recently purchased a 652-acre ranch along the Elk River near Steamboat Springs and is using it to raise a new breed of “artisan beef” at his Sweetwood Cattle Company while emphasizing sustainable practices – from preserving 451 acres through the Colorado Cattleman’s Agriculture and Land Trust to caring for the cattle and environment every step of the way.
Others are quickly taking note. This spring, Sweetwood became the first ranch in Colorado, and only
second in the country, to receive a Verified Green award from the USDA. “We look for operations
engaged in sustainable practices, and Sweetwood is unique in a number of areas,” says John
Saunders of IMI Global in Castle Rock, which bestows the award for USDA. “From the beginning to
when it reaches the consumer’s plate, they’re in control of the entire process.”
It helps to have the perfect location. At 6,700 feet in the fertile Elk River Valley, Wood’s operation
resides in one of the best cattle-raising environments in the world. Drinking and irrigation water come
straight from the Continental Divide in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area. With the valley’s nitrogen-rich soil and 300 days of annual sunshine, the hearty Red Angus herd feeds on grasses offering the
perfect balance of protein and fiber, and never gets growth hormones or antibiotics.
Sweetwood’s environmental focus doesn’t end at the trough. It carries through to the processing and
packaging. Unlike large suppliers that use Styrofoam, dry ice and plastic, all of Sweetwood’s packaging is either recycled, recyclable or reusable.
"We're 100 percent focused on environmental and business stewardship,” says Wood. “I want the Sweetwood ranch to be a model for balance and quality. We hope to be known for how well we tend to our cattle, treat the land and support our community.”
Knowing that he’s helping the environment while providing a better product is what gets him up every
morning, just like he did at Under Armour and on the gridiron. That, and the job’s physical demands.
“After a big day on the ranch,” he says. “I feel like I just went through four quarters of football."
Sweetwood Cattle Co’s first retail shipments, delivered in environmentally friendly packaging, wil
begin shipping July 1. www.sweetwoodcc.com |
| URL: www.sweetwoodcc.com |
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