COMPANY PROFILE: MOON RIVER BEEF
Raising Beef Reflecting Practices That Were Used for Centuries How did you get into the beef industry? The Khan family owns a ranching operation in in Perkinsville, AZ, which is about 23 miles outside of Chino Valley, right on the Verde River. Before last year, we sold our calves in the traditional way, by taking them to the auction house each season. We would look on to see that our calves were sold to out of state feedlots and pumped up with hormones and antibiotics. We decided that there must be a better way to market our animals. Something more local, transparent and sustainable that would lead to better beef. Why did you start a new business during the pandemic? We started Moon River Beef one year ago during the height of the pandemic. During that time, some interesting things began happening in terms of people’s relationship to their food. First, people began avoiding grocery stores and exploring other options. Second, they became more interested both in where their food came from and in creating a connection with the food they were consuming. We noticed that people wanted to understand how their food was grown, and to be a part of that, in some sense. Many of our friends began asking about our beef and whether we sold it to the public. This was the beginning of our journey not only into selling beef, but also into reshaping how we viewed our role in agriculture. We put an incredible amount of time and energy into incorporating techniques that lead to high quality and healthy beef. Sourcing local, and all-natural feeds for our cows and steers is just as important to us as the traditional, holistic cattle handling techniques that we had been practicing for years. Moon River Beef is constantly searching for better ways to do things so that we can always provide the best beef possible. What sets your product apart? Moon River Beef is an all-natural beef company. We use holistic practices that incorporate the cattle into the natural environment, so that everything we do is completely sustainable. Our cattle are raised in the gentle banks and mountainsides of the Verde River Valley. All of our animals are on pastures that run along the Verde Rive river, giving them unparalleled access to natural grasses, plant life, and free-flowing water. Our beef is nutrient and mineral rich in addition to being delicious. Our process for raising beef reflects traditional practices that were used for centuries before cattle were placed in feedlots and fed mostly corn. We feed a mix of wild grasses and natural grains. This leads to healthier beef. Explaining this concept was difficult at first because of what people have been taught about grocery-store beef. Grocery store beef for the most part is fed out at a feedlot pumped with antibiotics to keep the calf from becoming ill from the conditions, and pumped with antibiotics to grow it faster. The less days in the feedlot, the cheaper the beef becomes. ‘Grass-fed’ beef is also misleading the consumer. Many ranchers who sell grass-fed are not “certified grass-fed, they are not audited which means that normally the rancher pulls the old cows from the range that are no longer producing calves, and have them slaughtered and sold. This leads to tough, chewy and gamey tasting meat. All of our beef is certified and audited: no hormones or antibiotics, age and source verified, certified grass-fed for our grass-fed beef. Many say you offer some of the best beef in the world. Our animals are non-hormone treated and free from antibiotics, they are age and source verified making them totally transparent so that the consumer can trace the animal from birth to the plate. Each year we select the best of our herd to create incredible beef for
www.moonriverbeef.com you and your family. Our prize part of our herd is the Golden Angus, which is a breed of cattle that we have developed throughout the years on our ranch. These cattle trace their origins back 150 years in the Verde Valley. And because of the area’s unique topography, they have developed characteristics that lead to incredibly tender and delicious beef. I can say with confidence it is better than any beef you have ever eaten.Is your beef considered “Farm to Table?” Unlike other beef businesses, we are responsible for each step of the process, which makes us truly local, and fully accountable. Additionally, we take the time to feed our steers slowly, by hand and with only the best feeds so that the steak that is on your table is tender, marbled, and full of rich and nuanced flavor. We sell both grass-fed and grain finished beef. We sell to farm-to-table restaurants and individuals throughout the state and directly to the consumer. Further, we custom cut each piece for each customer. We typically sell directly to consumers in packs of 1/8 (50lbs), 1/4 (100lbs), 1/2 and whole. Each cut is vacuum sealed and freezer ready. We do have special packages available as well, as listed in our website and email blasts. The packages vary by holiday and time of year.
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