Distribution Problem Hinders Local Beef In California

The rise in consumer interest in local, sustainably raised meat has meant a world of difference for local ranchers and the restaurants and retailers that source from such operations. Many restaurants in the Bay Area, for example, proudly promote the farms and ranches they work with, and entire butcher shops have sprung up dedicated to the task of selling locally raised beef, pork, chicken, and more. Yet this is only half the story. Getting locally raised meats from the farm or ranch to the butcher shop or restaurant is a complicated logistical undertaking.

Here’s the 30-second supply chain story. First, a local rancher raises a grass-fed steer. The animal is taken to a slaughter facility and now you have a beef carcass – about 500+ lbs. of meat hanging in two big pieces on hooks in a walk-in cooler.  From there, it can either go as a half or quarter carcass to a wholesale customer (restaurant, retailer or food service) or be processed (cut and packaged for sale direct to individual consumers or wholesale clients) depending on the needs of the end customer and the type of processing facility used.

For restaurants and butcher shops that specialize in high quality meats, whole, half, and quarter carcasses are the only way to go. With a whole, half or quarter beef carcass, they can dry age the meat for as long as they like and then process it into the exact cuts their clientele demands.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: Civil Eats