Where Our Beef Comes From: Local, Trusted, and High-Quality

Discover how Food and Meat Co-op partners with trusted ranchers and butchers in the Northwest to provide a transparent beef source and reliable source of meat. Learn about our local standards, ethical practices, and commitment to quality for your family’s table.

Summary: 

At Food and Meat Co-op, our mission has always been simple: bring families the very best meats at honest prices while supporting local communities. One of the ways we do this is by being intentional about where and how we source our beef. Knowing and trusting your beef source is at the heart of what we do.

We have several producers for the different beef products we offer. If you are purchasing a raw beef product, nearly all of it comes from local and regional ranches in the NW part of the U.S. (think Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, etc.). This keeps your source of meat close to home and connected to hardworking ranching families.

We also have minimum standards and only use producers that meet our minimum requirements (most surpass these requirements) of ethical raising/kill, no added hormones, antibiotic free, no steroids. If it is not explicitly grass-fed beef product, the conventional beef is finished with grains as this is the preferred taste and value. By carefully choosing each beef source, we ensure both quality and affordability.

We don't use just a few suppliers but rather many suppliers because our goal is two-fold:

1. Source high-quality as close to home as possible
2. Shop competitively between our suppliers to ensure we are always bringing the best value in any market.

For further details, please continue reading below :)

Partnering with Trusted Suppliers

We don’t rely on just one large supplier. Instead, we work with numerous trusted partners across the Northwest region of the United States. By building these relationships, we’re able to offer a wider variety of cuts, maintain a steady supply for our members, and ensure that every pound of beef we bring in meets our high standards for quality, freshness, and value in the current market. This approach also provides transparency about the source of meat our members bring home.

Because we have worked with over 40+ beef suppliers and over 50+ beef products that rotate through our line of beef over the past 5 years, we try to list the supplier for that specific product on the product description. By sharing this, you can see the exact beef source for your purchase.

All of our partners/suppliers/ranchers and butchers are USDA certified and regulated. We only work with partners that are willing and able to be USDA certified for food safety and quality.

Locally Raised in the Northwest

Most of the beef we source is raised right here in the Northwest — think Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, etc. These states are known for their open grazing lands, hardworking ranching families, and long traditions of raising cattle the right way. By keeping our beef source regional, we reduce unnecessary transportation, support local ranchers, and keep the source of meat transparent and reliable.

Processed with Care and Quality

While our cattle are raised across the Northwest, most of the beef is processed much closer to you. Our beef goes through trusted local butchers, the well-known beef facility in Hyrum, Utah, and our very own USDA-inspected meat room in Ogden, Utah. This hands-on processing approach allows us to maintain high standards of safety, freshness, and quality control — something you simply don’t get when meat is shipped across the country or internationally through large corporate supply chains. Choosing a trusted beef source makes all the difference.

Supporting Local Communities

When you purchase beef through the Food and Meat Co-op, you’re not just filling your freezer. You’re also supporting regional ranchers, local processors, and small businesses that keep our communities strong. It’s about creating a food system where families thrive — both the families eating the beef and the families raising and preparing it. Every source of meat we use contributes to this cycle of community support.

From Ranch to Co-op to You

We’re proud to offer beef that reflects the values of the Co-op: locally raised, carefully processed, and always high-quality. By working with numerous suppliers across the NW region — and by processing through trusted facilities in Hyrum and Ogden — we’re able to deliver meats you can feel good about serving at your table. Each beef source is carefully chosen so that families know exactly where their food comes from.

We also work with several grassfed-ranchers and American Wagyu ranches that are all in the same region. As we have expanded our co-op across much of the NW, this also means we can serve more families in our service areas. This broader network gives our members confidence in every source of meat we bring to the table.

Please note, you can read about some of our producers on Meet the Farmers here. This is not a full list as it is a work in progress, but at least gives you an idea of the quality of suppliers we work with.