990634 U.S. Bison and North American Provisioner to Merge

Atlanta – U.S. Bison Co. LLC, the bison meat company founded by Ted Turner, has announced an agreement in principle with North American Provisioner, a new, wholly owned subsidiary of the North American Bison Cooperative (NABC), to merge the two companies this summer. The agreement is expected to be finalized by early July.

Established in May 1999 and launched at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago last month, North American Provisioner, based in Omaha, Neb., is the marketing arm of NABC, a New Rockford, N.D.-based processing cooperative which previously had exclusive processing rights with U.S. Bison Co. Ted Turner has been a member of the NABC since 1996. With Turner's herd of more than 15,000 bison and the bison herds owned by NABC's other members, of which there are approximately 325, the cooperative produces the largest supply of bison meat in the world. All NABC products are USDA-inspected and approved.

North American Provisioner will market two bison meat brands: Buffalo Nickel, a new national brand targeted to the foodservice industry, and U.S. Bison, which will be sold exclusively through foodservice and grocery retail in the Southeast. John Bauer, president and CEO of North American Provisioner, believes the merger will strengthen the marketing of bison.

“U.S. Bison has done an excellent job of enhancing awareness of bison in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast,” Bauer said. “Ted Turner is an outstanding advocate for the industry. Because bison is a relatively new product for a mass audience, we and Mr. Turner believe that an integrated approach to sales and marketing sends a clearer, more consistent message to the consumer and is the right approach for the industry at this time.”

Added Turner, “When the North American Bison Cooperative established North American Provisioner, we realized that the best thing for both companies was to create a strong, unified alliance that would help benefit the industry. I have always believed in the viability of bison as a delicious and nutritious low-fat complement to beef and other meats. By creating a market for bison, an animal that evolved in this country and is now growing at a rate of 20% a year, we actually are working to preserve this unique species for America's future.”

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