Brasstown Beef

What Brasstown Beef does

Brasstown Beef is a vertically integrated, family-owned premium beef producer based in western North Carolina. The brand was created in 1998 from Ridgefield Farm, a Whitmire family operation established in 1954 with multi-generational farming heritage dating to the late 1700s. The company raises Braunvieh Angus cattle on pasture at Ridgefield Farm (1,023 acres, 867 acres under conservation easement) using proprietary genetic selection methods including ultrasound carcass evaluation and the Grow Safe Feed Intake System for Residual Feed Intake testing of every sire bull since 2008. It also operates a Cow Kimchi fermented ration program with on-site corn silage and probiotics.

The business sells through two physical retail stores in Brasstown and Franklin, NC, plus a manual wholesale and custom-cut channel for restaurants and a whole-cow bulk program requiring a $500 deposit. E-commerce shipping has been discontinued; all sales are in-person or initiated via email. The product line spans traditional cuts (Ribeye, KC Strip, Filet Mignon, NY Strip, brisket, short ribs, ground beef, patties) and specialty items (Gourmet Hot Dogs, Nantahala Sausage). The customer base is segmented horizontally across individual health-conscious consumers, chefs/restaurants, and wholesale buyers, with GAP Step 4 'Pasture Centered' certification supporting a no-antibiotics, no-added-hormones, sustainable positioning.

The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors beyond $4.25M raised in 2014-2015, has 11-50 employees, and is led by founder Steve Whitmire, a former President of the Beef Improvement Federation. Partnerships with the University of Georgia and North Carolina State University provide ongoing research support in cattle breeding and sustainable production.

Name

Brasstown Beef

Legal name

Brasstown Beef

Website

https://brasstownbeef.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brasstown Beef is a family-owned, vertically integrated premium beef producer in western North Carolina that raises Braunvieh Angus cattle on Ridgefield Farm and sells pasture-raised, no-antibiotic, no-hormone beef cuts through two retail stores, a wholesale channel, and a whole-cow bulk program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Pasture-Raised Beef

NAICS

Beef Cattle Ranching and Farming (112111)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Beef Cattle Grazing & Pasture-Based Operations (AFAEABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Seedstock/Purebred Beef Cattle Breeding (AFAEABAD), Beef Wholesale (Primal/Subprimal, Boxed Beef) (AFAIADAA)

Keywords

• Pasture-raised beef
• Grass-fed beef
• Wholesale beef cuts
• Beef retail stores
• Seed stock cattle

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Store Sales: Direct retail sales of premium beef cuts to individual consumers and local customers at two store locations in Brasstown and Franklin, NC.
2. Wholesale & Custom Cuts: Bulk sales of premium beef to restaurants, businesses, and other wholesale customers with custom cutting options available.
3. Whole Cow Orders: Bulk purchase program where customers buy an entire cow, receiving approximately 7-10 days turnaround. Requires $500 deposit at order submission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Brasstown Beef produces and sells all-natural, antibiotic-free, hormone-free pasture-raised beef from Braunvieh Angus cattle bred and raised on Ridgefield Farm. Products include fresh beef cuts (steaks, brisket, short ribs, ground beef, patties), specialty items such as Gourmet Hot Dogs and Nantahala Sausage, plus bulk whole-cow bundle boxes. Beef is sold through two company-owned retail stores in North Carolina and through wholesale/custom-cut channels to restaurants and businesses.

Product overview

Brasstown Beef offers a single unified product line of premium all-natural, grass-fed beef products. The core offering includes fresh beef cuts (steaks, brisket, short ribs, ground beef, patties) sold through two retail store locations in North Carolina, as well as wholesale/custom cut ordering and whole cow order bundles for bulk freezer stock. The products are sourced exclusively from Ridgefield Farm's Braunvieh Angus cattle and are characterized by their pasture-centered raising practices, no antibiotics, and no added hormones.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• All Natural Grass-Fed Beef All-natural, no-antibiotic, no-added-hormone beef from Braunvieh Angus cattle raised on pasture with grass and forage-based supplements. Sold as fresh cuts to individual consumers at retail stores.
• Wholesale & Custom Cuts Premium beef cuts sold to restaurants and businesses in bulk, including Ribeye, KC Strip, Filet Mignon, NY Strip, ground beef, patties, brisket, short ribs, Chuck Roll, and Brisket Point. Includes custom-cut specifications.
• Whole Cow Order Bundle Bulk purchase program where customers buy an entire cow with two bundle box options. Requires a $500 deposit at order submission and pickup at either the Brasstown farm store or Franklin retail store.
• Gourmet Hot Dogs Premium beef hot dogs made from Brasstown Beef cattle, sold at retail locations.
• Nantahala Sausage Specialty sausage product line from Brasstown Beef sold at retail locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced methane and carbon dioxide production through feed-efficient genetics
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of GeorgiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaborative beef cattle research projects with the University of Georgia, focusing on breeding technology and sustainable cattle production methods.
• North Carolina State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaborative beef cattle research projects with North Carolina State University to advance breeding programs and sustainable practices.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Niman Ranch: Large-scale premium, all-natural, antibiotic-free meat company with a network of independent family farmers. Highly comparable to Brasstown Beef on pasture-raised, no-antibiotic/hormone positioning, but operates at significantly greater scale with national distribution.
• Creekstone Farms: Premium beef processor producing Black Angus and other branded beef programs (including antibiotic-free and hormone-free lines) for retail and foodservice. Comparable on premium natural/hormone-free Angus beef program, but at industrial-processing scale versus Brasstown's single-farm model.
• Snake River Farms: Premium American beef brand (American Wagyu and Black Angus) sold direct-to-consumer and through wholesale to top chefs. Comparable to Brasstown on premium, chef-driven positioning and D2C-plus-wholesale model, though larger and focused on Wagyu genetics.

Emerging players

• Porter Road: Online meat purveyor shipping pasture-raised, antibiotic- and hormone-free beef (and pork) directly to consumers nationwide. Comparable premium-beef D2C thesis, but with national shipping infrastructure and curated cut/cook product experience that Brasstown lacks.
• ButcherBox: Subscription-based D2C company delivering 100% grass-fed beef, heritage-breed pork, and organic chicken to members nationwide. Highly comparable on pasture-raised, no-antibiotic/hormone positioning, but at vastly greater scale via recurring subscription and national cold-chain shipping.

Direct peers

• Stemple Creek Ranch: Family-run California ranch raising 100% grass-fed and grass-finished Angus and Wagyu cattle on pasture with regenerative practices. Direct peer to Brasstown on family-owned, pasture-centered, antibiotic-free premium beef with on-site and shipping sales.
• Country Natural Beef: Cooperative of ranches in the Western US producing natural, grass-fed beef for retailers like Whole Foods. Comparable to Brasstown on pasture-raised, no-hormone rancher-owned model and premium positioning, though structured as a rancher cooperative rather than a single family operation.
• Joyce Farms: Family-owned producer of heritage-breed, all-natural beef, poultry and pork raised without antibiotics or hormones and sold through chefs and D2C. Comparable to Brasstown on family-run, heritage-breed, premium chef-and-D2C positioning.
• US Wellness Meats (Grassland Beef): Direct-to-consumer online retailer specializing in 100% grass-fed beef and pasture-raised meats. Comparable to Brasstown on premium pasture-raised beef DNA, but operates nationally via e-commerce rather than physical storefronts – illustrating the channel gap Brasstown has not closed.
• First Light Farm: New Zealand-based grass-fed beef producer supplying premium, pasture-raised Wagyu and Angus beef direct-to-consumer and to chefs. Comparable to Brasstown on 100% grass-fed, pasture-raised premium positioning and chef/restaurant D2C wholesale motion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/brasstownbeef
• Instagraminstagram.com/brasstownbeef
• Pinterestpinterest.com/brasstownbeef/_created
• Xx.com/BrasstownBeef

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brasstown Beef