KANSAS CITY. Mo. – US Foods-Atlanta won Certified Hereford Beef® (CHB) Distributor of the Year Oct. 25, in Kansas City, Mo., during the 2025 World Hereford Conference and American Hereford Association (AHA) Annual Meeting.

US Foods-Atlanta serves as a shining example of the powerful partnership CHB curates between the brand, its distributors, Hereford producers and consumers. 

“These partnerships are absolutely vital to the life of the brand, its success and its continuation,” says Ty Ragsdale, CHB regional brand manager. “CHB has a small sales team, so it is crucial to have those partners, like US Foods-Atlanta, to be the feet on the ground.” 

US Foods-Atlanta stands out. The team, based in Atlanta, Ga., received the CHB Food Service Distributor of the Year honor by moving the most volume of CHB during the fiscal year. Since US Foods-Atlanta partnered with CHB in 2019, they have grown their sales by 30% each year, according to Ragsdale. 

This rapid and consistent growth further serves as a testament to the power behind these brand-distributor partnerships. 

Certified Hereford Beef’s sustainable, breed-focused, producer-owned backstory, supported by its consistent, earthy flavor separates it from Atlanta’s Angus-dominated beef market. 

With a flavorful, consistent product backed by the Hereford breed’s genetics, US Foods-Atlanta arms their sales team and center of the plate specialists to tell the CHB story and help it stand out in one of the most complex and competitive protein sectors — beef.  

The 19th annual World Hereford Conference, Oct. 22-26, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo., features an educational forum, a celebration of high-achieving and influential Hereford breeders of all ages, an international sale and National Hereford Show. 

The World Hereford Conference takes place every four years when delegates of the World Hereford Council meet to conduct official business aimed at breed improvement and opportunity development. It is a time for Hereford breeders from around the world to network and learn from one another — the U.S. is hosting for the first time since 1996.

View the press release and photo here.

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The American Hereford Association hosts the World Hereford Conference (WHC), presented by Merck Animal Health, in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 22-26, and the Young Breeders Competition at Kansas State University and in Kansas City Oct. 19-25. The World Hereford Council convenes every four years at the WHC — in different council-member countries — where delegates conduct official business aimed at breed improvement and opportunity development.