08/16/2017
Dear Friends of Brandon Natural Beef:
After 8 years of delivering the finest 100% grass fed beef to your doorstep, Bob and I have made the difficult choice to close Brandon Natural Beef and cease our direct to consumer program.
Thanks to our customers'** early and continued support for 100% grass fed beef and Brandon Natural Beef, we successfully grew the marketing and distribution of direct to consumer 100% grass fed beef to the Bay area, California and customers nationwide. We introduced 100% grass-fed beef to Bay area restaurants and markets at a time when few chefs and store owners embraced the interest and concepts of 100% grass fed beef. We built a successful club program which many of you supported and helped us refine. At each step in our evolution, you gave us critical feedback and your unwavering support. We believe we made 100% grass fed beef accessible to consumers at a time when the concept was new, and sourcing was difficult. Now, grass fed beef is a well-established product and reasonably available in retail stores, often sourced from local markets, and many online merchants. During this time we strove to:
**Share with you premium humanely raised beef and lamb, fed only grass from start to finish without the use of added hormones and antibiotics
**Demonstrate the importance of respect and care for 100% grass-fed animals
**Raise the visibility of our ranching stewards and their commitment to our environment and the tradition of 100% grass-fed ranching
**Educate our community on the benefits of 100% grass fed beef
**Build a community of shared values around the joys of eating beautifully raised meats.
During these 8 years, we passionately advocated for our partners and their commitment to raising amazing 100% grass-fed beef and 100% grass fed lamb. We have nothing but sheer admiration for the dedication, knowledge and passion that each of our partners bring to the business. Their unwavering commitment to raising grass fed beef and lamb is testimony to the proud tradition of small cattle and sheep ranching. They are each stewards of the land and ambassadors of the food to table movement. Although we are ceasing our operations, we will continue to be passionate advocates for their work and their products. We particularly call out Elin Ganshow, our primary rancher, who was our inspiration and partner from our first days as Brandon Natural Beef. She is the leading provider of 100% grass-fed beef in Colorado's Wet Mountain Valley, serving across Colorado her amazing beef. She is a friend and remarkable person. The Sangres are our 2nd home; she and the valley will continue to be a significant part of our family's life. We encourage you to support Elin and our other ranching partners:
Elin Ganshow and Music Meadows Ranch, Westcliffe, CO.: www.sangresbest.com
Brian and Kathleen Bean and Lava Lake Lamb Ranch, Hailey, ID.: www.lavalakelamb.com
Pam and Henry Giacomini and Hat Creek Grown Ranch, Hat Creek, CA.: www.hatcreekgrown.com
Tom Richards and his team at Richards Grass fed Beef, Eastern Sierra Foothills, CA.: www.richardsgrassfedbeef.com
We also were blessed by our supply chain partners. Processing cattle humanely, breaking carcasses and butchering premium retail cuts, and transporting our beef required working with an expansive network of companies. We worked with amazing people including the people of Ranch Direct (Mike Callicrate), Rocky Mountain Natural Meats, G&C Packing and many others. Each of these companies are leaders in the processing and distribution of natural and 100% grass fed meats. They worked with us at every step of our process and helped us deliver a premium product. Many other small companies and individuals helped us to create labels, warehouse our product in the Bay Area (Preferred Meats), ship our product, and to develop and maintain our website (Matthew Morphy at Mormax Productions) and to develop our initial recipes (Deborah Dal Fovo/Italian Chef). To each, and many others, we owe a huge thank you.
Although we are closing this chapter with Brandon Natural Beef, we remain deeply committed to advocating for 100% grass-fed meats, the work of 100% grass-fed ranchers, and helping people understand the the importance of this sector of our agricultural heritage. We are discerning our next steps as to where we can contribute most effectively, while engaging in our current sources of employment. Our considerations include but are not limited to developing a blog, creating a podcast, partnering with existing companies to advocate and, eventually distribute again.
Of course, we will continue to purchase 100% grass fed beef and create new recipes too. We hope you will stay in touch, send us your thoughts and suggestions, and most importantly, please reach out to us with questions about anything 100% grass-fed at our new email: [email protected].
Bob and I sincerely thank you, our valued customer, for your trust, loyalty and support. The continued focus on natural locally grown foods and food home delivery validates our view that there is a market. In the end, what made the difference to us was how much fun we had serving you, getting to know you and your families, and sharing our special Brandon Natural Beef. Bless each of you.
Eat healthy and eat well with 100% grass-fed beef . We look forward to seeing you soon again.
