When Oregon ranchers Doc and Connie Hatfield learned that a nearby gym owner was looking for local sources of lean beef (no antibiotics or growth hormone allowed), they had an idea. What if they formed a co-op with neighboring ranchers to supply the lean-meat market with sustainably raised beef? Quickly, Country Natural Beef was born in 1986 with 14 ranch families. Since then, the co-op has grownβit now includes 80 family-owned ranches, offering Sysco customers some of the finest beef under Syscoβs Newport Pride Natural/Country Natural Beef brands.
Let Cows Be Cows
Country Natural Beefβs focus is on supplying meats of the highest quality and trim standards. True value, its ranchers believe, is based not on price but on yield, appearance and, most importantly, flavor. That makes Country Natural Beefβwith its commitment to sustainability and high standardsβa great partner with Sysco. All of the companyβs cattle are 100 percent vegetarian-fed and hormone- and antibiotic-free. The ranchers are committed to animal welfare, allowing cattle to graze in a healthy way and prioritizing natural living. βWe let cows be cowsβ is a guiding principle.
Country Naturalβs ranchers believe that true value is based not on price but on yield, appearance and, most importantly, flavor.
The result: beef that is not only high quality, but also lean and natural. The meat features good marbling, from animals that are 24 months and younger. And Country Natural Beef remains rancher owned and controlled (even the co-opβs accounting and production folks are ranchers), so the co-op is nimble.βWe can adjust to what the market needs,β says Stacy Davies, Marketing Director at Country Natural Beef. βIf customers want something, weβll increase supply to fill the need.β And because the ranchers own the co-op, more money returns to them and to the small, rural communities where they live.
Quality That Speaks for Itself
As a buyer, you can speak directly with the ranchersβand even visit the ranches. Thatβs exactly what Michael Johnson, Executive Chef for First & Goal Hospitality at Seattleβs Century Link Field, did for a week. Touring Country Natural Beefβs ranches in southeast Oregon, he was impressed by how they support sustainability. βI was amazed by the amount of attention they pay to the environment,β says Johnson, βand that itβs completely balanced between wildlife, livestock and grasslands.β
For Johnson, who orders thousands of pounds of the beef each year to feed hungry fans at Seattle Seahawks games, βitβs important for us to support sustainability, and to do business with a sustainability-minded company is to make an impact.β