Ayrshire Farm

What Ayrshire Farm does

Ayrshire Farm is a privately held regenerative agriculture operation based in Upperville, Virginia, operating across approximately 800 acres of no-till pastures in Virginia's Hunt Country. Founded in 1996, the farm raises rare heritage livestock — Scottish Highland, Ancient White Park, and English Longhorn cattle; Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs; and Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys — along with Shire draft horses and honeybees. It is the first farm in Virginia to simultaneously hold Certified Humane, USDA Organic, and Predator Friendly certifications, with additional membership in the Savory Network. All animals are processed on-site at a USDA-inspected facility, and the farm maintains a closed-loop system that converts restaurant kitchen scraps, manure, and animal parts into compost used for soil fertility.

The farm generates revenue through multiple channels: a direct-to-consumer subscription meat box program (WholeHarvest® brand) available in Standard 15 lb, Double 30 lb, Poultry, and Griller configurations with pickup at four Virginia locations; seasonal holiday turkey pre-orders at $14/lb; an owned farm-to-table restaurant (Hunter's Head Tavern) in Upperville; an on-site farm store; and ancillary sales of unpasteurized honey (approximately 300 lbs annually from ~20 beehives) and organic compost to local customers including Oak Spring Garden Foundation. The farm also operates two adjacent businesses: Locke's Mill, a historic organic gristmill, and Gentle Harvest Custom Processing, a Certified Humane/Organic abattoir serving the local farming community.

The farm employs 11-50 people and serves health-conscious, environmentally aware consumers in the mid-Atlantic region who prioritize animal welfare, organic certification, and supply-chain transparency. Distribution is entirely direct-to-consumer across Virginia — no conventional retail or wholesale channels are used. Marketing relies on content (WholeHarvest Year blog series), email newsletters, organic social media, earned media coverage, seasonal farm tours, and community partnerships with regional pickup hosts.

Name

Ayrshire Farm

Legal name

Ayrshire Farm

Website

https://ayrshirefarm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ayrshire Farm is a privately held regenerative farm in Upperville, Virginia, raising Certified Humane and USDA Organic heritage-breed beef, pork, and poultry sold through a DTC subscription meat box program, seasonal turkey pre-orders, and an owned farm-to-table restaurant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regenerative Organic Meat Production

NAICS

Hog and Pig Farming (112210), Turkey Production (112330)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Organic Beef Cattle Production (AFAEAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Heritage/Specialty Breed Hog Farming (AFAEAEAJ), Organic & Pasture-Raised Poultry & Egg Production (AFAEADAJ)

Keywords

• Heritage breed livestock
• Regenerative agriculture
• Certified organic meat
• Pasture-raised meats
• Heritage breed meat

Headquarters

HQ city

Upperville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. WholeHarvest Meat Box Sales: Direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales of curated meat boxes (Standard 15 lb, Double 30 lb, Poultry, Griller) available as monthly subscriptions or single purchases. Products include dry-aged beef, pork, and poultry raised on the farm. Pickup at farm or regional partner locations.
2. Holiday Turkey Sales: Pre-order and sale of Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas, priced at $14/lb with a $50 deposit. Birds are picked up at the farm on指定的日期.
3. Hunter's Head Tavern Restaurant: The farm’s own farm-to-table restaurant in Upperville, VA, features Ayrshire Farm meats on its menu, creating an integrated farm-to-plate revenue channel.
4. Compost Sales: Surplus compost is sold to local farmers and gardeners, including Oak Spring Garden Foundation. Ayrshire charges for delivery or pickup of truckloads.
5. Honey Sales: Unpasteurized honey is sold in 10-ounce jars to meat box customers on pickup days and through Hunter’s Head Tavern and Locke’s Mill.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ayrshire Farm is a regenerative organic farm that raises rare heritage-breed livestock (Scottish Highland, Ancient White Park, and English Longhorn cattle; Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs; Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys) on 800 acres of no-till pastures in Upperville, Virginia. It sells Certified Humane and USDA Organic meats directly to consumers through its WholeHarvest Meat Box subscription program, seasonal holiday turkey pre-orders, unpasteurized honey, and organic compost, with distribution through an online storefront, four regional pickup locations, an on-site farm store, its own restaurant (Hunter's Head Tavern), and Locke's Mill gristmill.

Product overview

Ayrshire Farm operates as a multi-product sustainable agriculture business offering heritage-breed meats through its WholeHarvest® Meat Box subscription program (available in Standard, Double, Poultry, and Griller configurations), holiday Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys, unpasteurized honey, and organic compost. The farm also provides live animal webcams (Piggy Cam and Calf Cam) for customer engagement. All products are Certified Humane, USDA Organic, and raised on regenerative no-till pastures. The company is family-owned and also operates Hunter's Head Tavern restaurant and Locke's Mill gristmill as related businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WholeHarvest®: Brand for WholeHarvest® Meat Boxes - sustainably raised Certified Humane and USDA Organic meat products sold in curated monthly boxes
• Hunter's Head Tavern
• Locke's Mill

Products and services

• WholeHarvest Meat Boxes Subscription and single-purchase curated meat boxes featuring Certified Humane and USDA Organic dry-aged beef, pork, and pasture-raised poultry from Ayrshire Farm's heritage breeds. Available in Standard (15 lb), Double (30 lb), Poultry (15 lb), and Griller configurations, with monthly subscriptions and pickup at farm or regional Virginia locations. Intended for health-conscious, sustainability-minded individual consumers.
• Holiday Turkeys (Broad Breasted Bronze) Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys raised on regenerative pastures with Certified Humane and USDA Organic designation, available for Thanksgiving and Christmas pre-order in three size ranges (10-15 lb, 15-20 lb, 20+ lb) at $14 per pound, with a $50 deposit at reservation and balance due at farm pickup. Targeted at premium holiday meal hosts seeking a higher-quality, locally raised alternative to mass-produced frozen turkeys.
• Unpasteurized Honey Unpasteurized honey harvested from nearly 20 on-farm beehives (Italian and Carniolan varieties), sold in 10-ounce jars to WholeHarvest Meat Box customers on pickup days and through Hunter's Head Tavern and Locke's Mill. Annual yield is approximately 300 pounds.
• Organic Compost Organic compost produced on-farm from grass cuttings, garden debris, animal bedding, manure, kitchen scraps from Hunter's Head Tavern, and inedible parts of slaughtered animals, monitored daily for temperature and moisture and reaching 160°F during processing. Sold by truckload to local farmers and gardeners (including Oak Spring Garden Foundation) with delivery or pickup options.
• Hunter's Head Tavern Restaurant Service Farm-to-table dining service at Hunter's Head Tavern in Upperville, Virginia, open daily 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m., featuring Ayrshire Farm pasture-raised meats on the menu and serving as the starting point for Fork-to-Farm trolley tours of the farm. Kitchen food scraps are returned to the farm for composting, closing the nutrient loop.
• Locke's Mill Organic Grain Products USDA Certified Organic heritage grain products ground on-site at Ayrshire Farm's historic gristmill in Berryville, VA, including flours, grits, cornmeal, and baking mixes, sold on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays each month (11 a.m.–4 p.m.) alongside Ayrshire Farm honey. Operates as part of the Ayrshire Farm Family of Brands.

Quantifiable outcome

• No-till farming saves an estimated 588 million gallons of diesel fuel per year across US agriculture (USDA), reducing emissions equivalent to taking 1 million cars off the road.
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Willowsford Boat House (Willowsford Conservancy & Farm)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 30 April 2025Meat Box pickup location at 41025 Willowsford Lane, Aldie, VA 20105. Open 3rd Thursday of each month, 4–6 p.m. Serves customers in eastern Loudoun County with convenient weekday pickup for meat box orders.
• Patti's PlacecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 30 April 2025Meat Box pickup location at 3178 Laurel Grove Road, Winchester, VA 22602. Open 4th Saturday of each month, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Partnership serves customers west of the Blue Ridge in the Winchester area.
• Locke's MillcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 30 April 2025Meat Box pickup location at 1600 Locke’s Mill Road, Berryville, VA 22611 (historic gristmill). Open 1st Saturday of each month, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Also sells Ayrshire Farm honey. Part of Ayrshire Farm’s Family of Brands, operated as a sister business.
• Buchanan Hall Farmers MarketminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 2 May 2024Meat Box pickup location partnership for summer 2024 at Upperville. Customers selected pickup spot at checkout on shop.ayrshirefarm.com and retrieved orders at this market location.
• Hunter's Head TaverncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFarm-to-table restaurant in Upperville, VA, owned and operated by the same entity as Ayrshire Farm. Features Ayrshire Farm meats exclusively on its menu. Kitchen food scraps are returned to the farm for composting. Also serves as starting point for Fork-to-Farm trolley tours of the farm.
• Myers Poultry FarmminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAyrshire Farm picks up Cornish Cross chicks from Myers Poultry Farm in Pennsylvania within 24 hours of hatching. This is a supplier relationship for day-old chicks to stock the farm’s poultry program.
• Piedmont Wildlife Veterinary Care (Belinda Burwell)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA sanctuary and wildlife rehabilitation partner. Belinda Burwell of Piedmont’s Wildlife Veterinary Care provided rehabilitation for an owl family, which were then released on Ayrshire Farm property.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• White Oak Pastures: Multi-species regenerative farm in Bluffton, Georgia that grazes cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry on rotational pastures, with on-site USDA processing, a restaurant, and direct-to-consumer meat sales — closely mirroring Ayrshire's vertically integrated, certified-humane model.
• Polyface Farm: Pasture-based, multi-species farm in Swoope, Virginia operating with similar rotational grazing, on-farm processing, and direct-to-consumer sales channels; comparable customer base and regenerative production philosophy in the same mid-Atlantic region.
• Marin Sun Farms: Northern California regenerative ranch that raises 100% grass-fed cattle, sheep, and pigs with on-site processing and direct-to-consumer meat distribution; comparable vertically integrated pastured-meat operation targeting premium and chef customers.
• Joyce Farms: Heritage-breed producer of poultry, beef, and pork (including heritage turkey) supplying fine-dining chefs and specialty retailers; comparable focus on rare breeds, premium positioning, and foodservice distribution.
• Belcampo: Regenerative meat brand operating its own ranch, on-site processing, DTC e-commerce, and farm-restaurant locations; structurally similar to Ayrshire's integrated farm-to-restaurant model.

Broad incumbents

• Niman Ranch: Established sustainable-meat network supplying Certified Humane beef, pork, and lamb to grocery and foodservice nationwide; overlapping in certifications, heritage-breed focus, and chef-driven brand, but at substantially larger scale and broader distribution.
• Applegate Farms: Major organic and natural meat brand (owned by Hormel) selling across conventional grocery and club channels; comparable in organic and humane positioning but reaches mainstream retail at much larger volume.
• Strauss Brands: Wisconsin-based organic and grass-fed beef, veal, and lamb supplier to grocery, foodservice, and DTC; overlaps with Ayrshire in organic and regenerative positioning but operates at significantly broader scale and retail penetration.

Emerging players

• Diestel Family Turkey Ranch: Multi-generation California turkey producer specializing in heritage and pasture-raised holiday birds with DTC and retail distribution; directly comparable to Ayrshire's flagship Broad Breasted Bronze heritage turkey program.
• Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch: Heritage Broad Breasted Bronze turkey ranch raising birds on open pasture with direct-to-consumer holiday sales; comparable heritage-turkey positioning, seasonal revenue concentration, and DTC model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ayrshirefarmshires
• Instagraminstagram.com/ayrshirefarm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Ayrshire Farm