A Family Focused on Quality

Written by Melissa McCance | Photos by Synergy in Motion

Many people are paying more attention to what goes into their food and where it comes from. One effect of this is consumers preferring to buy directly from food producers by shopping at farmers markets and smaller-scale farms. Jennifer Lewis, co-owner of Pleasant View Beef in Jonesville, is proud to carry on a family tradition of producing quality food that has lasted for decades.

The Lewis family has been in the area since 1941 and the farm became a full-on dairy farm in 1957 When milk prices dipped in 2015, it began a decline that lasted seven years At that time, they had 20 employees and were up against the same financial challenges that so many smaller dairy farmers faced. Needing to increase income, they asked themselves, “What are we already doing that we do really well?”

The answer was raising cattle.

They started offering cuts of beef in April 2018 and in the first year sold approximately 1200 pounds of meat. In 2019, they began advertising and word of mouth also contributed to making people aware that high quality beef was available at Pleasant View Then came 2020, and, as we all know, it got harder and harder to find beef in the stores.

“At one point in time, we had 80 individual orders for different quantities of beef We’d tell people that we’d take the order and as soon as we get the steer picked up, we’d fill the order and let them know Every one of those 80 orders was picked up we weren’t left holding the bag on any of it ” says Jennifer

Both Jennifer and Kayla are very active in activities supporting agriculture Jennifer is on the state board of the Michigan Farm Bureau where she represents five counties in south central Michigan. Kayla is president of the Farm Bureau for Hillsdale County The Farm Bureau is the largest agriculture organization in the country

Pleasant View Beef is a family venture in every way Jennifer’s son-in-law is a builder who built the current store and his wife Brittany Morse helps with special events at the business Another daughter-in-law, Kelsey, assists with marketing the business They have also cultivated great working relationships with local suppliers like AG Solutions, Grant Reiff/Dairyland Seeds, and Kaeb Sales that have made the whole process more successful.

How the steers are raised and how the beef is handled constitute a major reason why Pleasant View beef gets such rave reviews from their customers Kayla Lewis, Jennifer’s daughter-in-law, explains that consistency is the key “They get the same feed which is some grass from pasture access along with corn silage. And, because we raise what goes into the silage, we know exactly what our steers are eating.”

When the steers are processed, the beef goes through a dry aging process before it’s cut This process is well-known in the food world to improve flavor The Taste of Home website explains it this way:

As the meat loses water, its flavor becomes concentrated to give it a more beef-forward finish The time in the aging room also breaks down collagen the connective tissues that holds together the beef’s muscle fibers so these steaks are more tender than fresh steaks

Small town people know the benefits of personalized service from local merchants, and that holds true at Pleasant View. They are happy to work with customers, put a high priority on service, and work to learn their customers’ names and make them feel valued If you’re interested in a package, you can set a budget and they will put together a bundle that meets your needs while staying within the cost limits

The store had several locations on the farm, but it soon became clear that it needed a dedicated space In 2021, an attractive store was built to welcome customers and display the many quality products offered at Pleasant View Beef. Besides a wide variety of beef cuts, the store has pork and chicken, cheese, specialty beef products like summer sausage and jerky, and gifts They can put together a gift basket for any occasion and price point as well. Their goal is to make the customer happy and bring people back.

Pleasant View Beef is located at 4840 N Sand Lake Road in Jonesville, just south of U S 12 You can get more information from their website: www pleasantviewbeef com and their Facebook page. The phone number is 517-8692300 or email beef@pvdairy.net. Also, be sure to look for them at the Hillsdale Farmers Market!