Northstar Bison
Northstar Bison is a vertically integrated regenerative ranch operating since 1997 in Cameron, Wisconsin, selling 100% grass-fed bison, beef, elk, lamb, poultry, wild Alaskan fish, raw pet food, and tallow-based body care direct-to-consumer via Shopify, plus wholesale to retail partners across the continental U.S.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersCameron, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Northstar Bison does
Northstar Bison is a vertically integrated regenerative ranching and direct-to-consumer e-commerce company headquartered in Cameron, Wisconsin, that has operated since first harvesting bison in 1997. The business raises 100% grass-fed and finished animals across bison (the flagship category), beef, elk, lamb, goat, pork, chicken, turkey, rabbit, duck, and quail, and sells them through its Shopify storefront at northstarbison.com along with wild-caught Alaskan salmon, halibut, and cod sourced via an exclusive partnership with Kwee-Jack. The product catalog spans 558+ SKUs with 382 in-stock at any time, ranging from individual cuts priced under $10 to whole-bison bundles above $8,200, and is complemented by raw pet food, bone broth, cooking tallow, tallow-based body care, bison leather and wool apparel, branded merchandise, and a cookbook.
The company's core operational differentiators are its Zero Stress Field Harvest method, its Hide2Heart program that utilizes 98.76% of each carcass across human food, pet food, bone broths, leather, artwork, soaps, and cooking tallow, and its Open Gate regenerative certification (originally from White Oak Pastures in partnership with Audubon). Customer relationships are managed under a US2U (You to Us) direct model emphasizing transparency from birth to plate. Distribution is exclusively domestic — continental U.S. via temperature-controlled dry-ice shipping, plus a Cameron, WI physical pickup location and a wholesale program for retail partners.
Revenue is generated through four streams: direct e-commerce one-time purchases, a Subscribe & Save recurring-delivery program offering 5-10% escalating rewards, wholesale distribution to retail partners, and ancillary shipping fees (free over $250). Customer retention is reinforced by the Bison Bucks loyalty program (3% back, 24-month expiry). The company is independently owned with no disclosed external funding, is led by co-founder and CMO Mary Graese, and operates with an 11-50 employee headcount, making it a profitable but capital-constrained niche player rather than a venture-backed growth business.
Northstar Bison firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Northstar Bison
- Legal name
- Northstar Bison
- Website
- https://northstarbison.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Northstar Bison is a vertically integrated regenerative ranch operating since 1997 in Cameron, Wisconsin, selling 100% grass-fed bison, beef, elk, lamb, poultry, wild Alaskan fish, raw pet food, and tallow-based body care direct-to-consumer via Shopify, plus wholesale to retail partners across the continental U.S.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Northstar Bison industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Meat Retailer
- NAICS
- Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116), Fur-Bearing Animal and Rabbit Production (112930), Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing (311111), Animal Food Manufacturing (31111)
- SIC
- Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013), Dairy Products (2020), Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bison Ranching (AFAEAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Deer & Elk Farming (Venison) (AFAEAIAD), Animal Nutrition & Feeding Support Services (On-Farm Feeding, Feed Management) (AFAEALAJ)
Keywords
Where Northstar Bison is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cameron
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Northstar Bison business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Direct E-commerce Sales: Primary revenue stream through northstarbison.com website selling individual products at various price points from single items to whole animal bundles ($8,680.44). Products include bison, beef, elk, lamb, wild fish, poultry, pork, rabbit, duck, and specialty items like bone broth, tallow, and body care products.
- Subscription Products: Subscribe & Save program offering 5% savings on recurring orders, with additional subscriber rewards: 6% off after 3rd order, 8% off after 6th order, and 10% off after 9th order. Customers receive free products after 2nd order.
- Wholesale: Wholesale program for retail partners and distributors. Includes store locator to find retail locations near customers.
- Shipping Services: Revenue generated from shipping fees including standard shipping ($15.95-$20.95 based on order value), express shipping options, and Route Package Protection.
- Bison Bucks Loyalty Program: Customers earn Bison Bucks (3% back on purchases) that can be redeemed on future orders. Bucks expire 24 months after earning. This drives customer retention and repeat purchases.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual Product Pricing |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Bundle Savings (5% off) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Subscribe & Save Program |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Shipping |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Wholesale Pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Northstar Bison product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Northstar Bison is a regenerative rancher and direct-to-consumer online retailer selling 100% grass-fed and finished bison, beef, elk, lamb, goat, pork, chicken, turkey, rabbit, duck, and quail, along with wild Alaskan fish, raw A2A2 cheese, bone broth, cooking tallow, raw pet food, tallow-based body care, leather goods, and branded apparel. The company uses a proprietary Zero Stress Field Harvest method, the Hide2Heart whole-animal utilization program, and ships frozen products nationwide in biodegradable insulated packaging, with subscriptions, wholesale, and a loyalty rewards program as supporting channels.
Product overview
Northstar Bison is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer specializing in premium, sustainably raised meat products. The company operates primarily as an online store built on Shopify, offering a comprehensive portfolio across red meat (bison, beef, elk, lamb, goat), wild game (rabbit, quail, duck), poultry (chicken, turkey, pork), and wild-caught Alaskan seafood (salmon, halibut, cod). Their flagship product is 100% grass-fed and finished bison meat, complemented by organ meats, bone broth, tallow products, and a low-histamine product line. The business model centers on direct-to-consumer shipping of frozen products, subscription-based recurring orders, wholesale distribution, and a loyalty rewards program. Beyond food products, they offer bison leather goods, bison wool apparel, natural tallow-based body care products, and branded merchandise. Northstar Bison emphasizes regenerative ranching practices, zero-stress field harvesting, and complete transparency from pasture to plate.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Nature Cooler: 100% biodegradable insulated shipping container available as an upgrade at checkout for shipping frozen products.
- Bison Bucks
Products and services
- Bison Meat Products
Quantifiable outcome
- 98.76% of animal carcass utilized through Hide2Heart program
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Northstar Bison
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Northstar Bison technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Northstar Bison partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Kwee-Jack (Wild Salmon)coreNorthstar Bison partners with Kwee-Jack for wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon. Kwee-Jack catches salmon humanely in small boats using small nets in shallow water in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Fish are immediately chilled, filleted, and flash frozen on the fishing boat. Northstar Bison is the only online source for Kwee-Jack Salmon. This partnership provides Northstar with premium wild-caught salmon products for their customers.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Northstar Bison competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Crowd Cow: Crowd Cow is a direct-to-consumer online retailer offering curated boxes and individual cuts of regenerative and grass-fed beef, chicken, pork, and wild seafood — overlapping directly with Northstar's DTC meat and seafood assortment and subscription model.
- ButcherBox: ButcherBox is a subscription-based DTC meat company shipping grass-fed beef, heritage pork, and free-range chicken nationwide, directly competing with Northstar's subscription program and broad red-meat and poultry catalog.
- Wild Pastures: Wild Pastures is a regenerative ranching-focused DTC meat subscription shipping grass-fed beef and pasture-raised chicken, closely aligned with Northstar's regenerative, pasture-raised positioning and DTC subscription motion.
- Force of Nature: Force of Nature is a regenerative meat brand offering bison, elk, venison, and other wild/regenerative proteins direct to consumers and chefs, mirroring Northstar's bison-centric, regenerative sourcing and DTC-plus-wholesale model.
- US Wellness Meats: US Wellness Meats (Grassland Beef) is a long-running online retailer of grass-fed beef, lamb, poultry, and organ meats with a strong ancestral/paleo customer base — overlapping Northstar's catalog depth, organ-meat focus, and health-conscious buyer.
- Vital Choice: Vital Choice is a DTC retailer of wild-caught Alaskan seafood and sustainable meats and oils, comparable to Northstar on wild-Alaskan salmon and the broader DTC health-conscious seafood and grass-fed assortment.
- Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed: Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed is a grass-fed beef brand selling direct and through retail/wholesale channels with a regenerative grazing story, comparable to Northstar's 100% grass-fed positioning and beef product line.
Emerging players
- White Oak Pastures: White Oak Pastures is a vertically integrated regenerative farm in Georgia producing grass-fed beef, lamb, and poultry for DTC and wholesale — overlapping Northstar's regenerative ranch-to-plate story, and notably the originator of the Open Gate certification Northstar holds.
- Marky's: Marky's is an online gourmet retailer of caviar, smoked fish, bison, elk, and specialty meats with DTC shipping — overlapping Northstar's bison, elk, and smoked salmon assortment and DTC gourmet positioning.
- Fossil Farms: Fossil Farms is a specialty meat provider featuring bison, elk, venison, and other heritage proteins across DTC, retail, and foodservice — directly comparable to Northstar's bison-centric specialty and wild-game assortment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights1 record
Customer concentration
Northstar Bison social profiles
Digital presenceNorthstar Bison financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Northstar Bison leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Northstar Bison funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Northstar Bison M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Northstar Bison
What does Northstar Bison do?
Northstar Bison is a regenerative rancher and direct-to-consumer online retailer selling 100% grass-fed and finished bison, beef, elk, lamb, goat, pork, chicken, turkey, rabbit, duck, and quail, along with wild Alaskan fish, raw A2A2 cheese, bone broth, cooking tallow, raw pet food, tallow-based body care, leather goods, and branded apparel. The company uses a proprietary Zero Stress Field Harvest method, the Hide2Heart whole-animal utilization program, and ships frozen products nationwide in biodegradable insulated packaging, with subscriptions, wholesale, and a loyalty rewards program as supporting channels.
Is Northstar Bison a public or private company?
Northstar Bison is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Northstar Bison founded?
Northstar Bison was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Northstar Bison based?
Northstar Bison is headquartered in Cameron, United States, in the North America region.
How does Northstar Bison make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Direct E-commerce Sales are the primary driver. The others are subscription Products, wholesale, shipping Services and bison Bucks Loyalty Program.
Who are Northstar Bison's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Crowd Cow, ButcherBox, Wild Pastures, Force of Nature, US Wellness Meats, Vital Choice and Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed. Emerging players are White Oak Pastures, Marky's and Fossil Farms.
Does Northstar Bison have an API?
No public API is recorded for Northstar Bison.
What industry is Northstar Bison in?
Northstar Bison's product category is Specialty Meat Retailer. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEAIAB, Bison Ranching, with a secondary code of AFAEAIAD, Deer & Elk Farming (Venison). Its NAICS code is 3116 and its SIC code is 200.