Upper Iowa Beef
Upper Iowa Beef is a privately held, single-site B2B beef processor in Lime Springs, Iowa, founded 2017, that sources cattle from 500+ Upper Midwest family farmers and sells USDA-certified, tiered Angus beef brands to domestic distributors, foodservice operators, and export partners in nine countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersLime Springs, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Upper Iowa Beef does
Upper Iowa Beef is a privately held, single-site beef processor founded in November 2017 and headquartered at 4614 US 63, Lime Springs, Iowa. The company procures cattle from a network of more than 500 independent family farmers across the Upper Midwest and processes them at a state-of-the-art facility featuring monoslope and hoop cattle barns, manure bunker systems that eliminate runoff, and a co-developed irrigation system with the City of Fredericksburg that uses city runoff as crop water. The output is a three-tier branded product portfolio: Upper Iowa Beef Brand (USDA G-136 Certified Angus Choice), Upper Iowa Angus Beef / Lime Springs Reserve (USDA G-137 Prime and Upper 2/3 Choice), and Certified Angus Beef (USDA G-1 Prime and Choice), each independently graded by USDA experts.
The business is B2B and transaction-based. Revenue is generated by selling processed, USDA-certified beef at wholesale to domestic distribution partners and to food service operators (e.g., restaurants and institutional buyers), with named channel partners including SGC Foodservice, Sigma Foods, and Mihm Brothers Inc. The company also reaches international markets through export distribution partners delivering to nine countries. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated through direct commercial relationships on a pay-as-you-go cadence.
Operationally, the firm employs 101–250 staff and reports no parent company, no private equity backing, and no funding rounds in the available materials. Marketing is conducted through organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn) and content marketing (producer spotlights, recipes, beef nutrition, food safety documentation). The company holds a registered Upper Iowa Beef trademark and an Iowa Angus Beef brand trademark, and its cattle producers and truckers are Beef Quality Assurance-certified.
Upper Iowa Beef firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Upper Iowa Beef
- Legal name
- Upper Iowa Beef
- Website
- https://upperiowabeef.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Upper Iowa Beef is a privately held, single-site B2B beef processor in Lime Springs, Iowa, founded 2017, that sources cattle from 500+ Upper Midwest family farmers and sells USDA-certified, tiered Angus beef brands to domestic distributors, foodservice operators, and export partners in nine countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Upper Iowa Beef is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lime Springs
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Upper Iowa Beef business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Cattle Procurement and Beef Processing: Upper Iowa Beef procures cattle from independent family farmers, processes them at their facility, and sells the resulting beef products to distributors and food service customers. Revenue is generated through the sale of processed beef at various quality grades (Prime, Upper Choice, Choice) to domestic and export partners.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | B2B cattle procurement and beef processing services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Upper Iowa Beef product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Upper Iowa Beef procures cattle from over 500 independent family farmers across the Upper Midwest and processes them at its state-of-the-art Lime Springs, Iowa facility into tiered, USDA-graded Angus beef products. The processed beef is sold B2B to domestic and export distribution partners serving food service operators and retailers in nine countries.
Product overview
Upper Iowa Beef is a beef processing company offering a tiered portfolio of three branded beef products. The core portfolio consists of the Upper Iowa Beef Brand Angus Choice (USDA G-136), the Upper Iowa Angus Beef Lime Springs Reserve (USDA G-137 Prime and Upper 2/3 Choice), and Certified Angus Beef (USDA G-1 Prime and Choice). All products undergo USDA grader review and are sourced from family-owned farms across the Upper Midwest, with each brand tier differentiated by marbling quality and target market segment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Upper Iowa Beef Brand: Dependable Angus Choice beef designed for versatility and value. USDA G-136 Certified Angus Choice.
- Upper Iowa Angus Beef
- Iowa Angus Beef
- Lime Springs Reserve
- Certified Angus Beef
Products and services
- Upper Iowa Beef Brand Angus Choice Dependable Angus Choice beef designed for versatility and value. Through careful cattle selection, produces consistent Choice cuts reviewed by USDA expert graders to verify quality and uniformity. Carries USDA G-136 Certified Angus Choice certification.
- Upper Iowa Angus Beef (Lime Springs Reserve) Premium Angus beef brand offering USDA G-137 Certified Prime and Upper 2/3 Choice cuts. Hand-selected premium cattle with cuts evaluated by highly skilled USDA graders to ensure quality and consistency.
- Certified Angus Beef Premium quality Angus beef meeting USDA G-1 certification standards for both Prime and Choice grades. Must grade Choice or Prime by independent USDA graders and meet 10 additional specifications for marbling, tenderness, and overall eating experience.
Quantifiable outcome
- Bartz cattle routinely achieve 70% CAB or Prime on group averages
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Upper Iowa Beef
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Upper Iowa Beef technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Upper Iowa Beef partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- 500+ Independent Family FarmerscoreUpper Iowa Beef partners with over 500 independent family farmers across the Upper Midwest region. These producers supply cattle to the processing facility and benefit from transparent market access, competitive pricing, and detailed carcass data. Named partner farms include Knobloch Farms (Hills, MN), Slaichert Family Farm (St. Ansgar, IA), JKL Farms (Riceville, IA), Stardell Farms (Fredericksburg, IA), AY Cattle (Wheaton, MN), Bartz Family Farms (Osage, IA), Peterson Family (Ionia, IA), and Trail's End Farm (Marble Rock, IA).
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Upper Iowa Beef competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- American Foods Group: Green Bay-based diversified meat processor producing beef and other proteins at national scale. Larger incumbent competing for similar foodservice and distributor accounts.
- National Beef Packing Company: One of the largest U.S. beef processors, owned by Leucadia/Marfrig, with Iowa and Kansas operations. Sets competitive benchmarks UIB must match on pricing and quality.
- Tyson Foods (Beef Segment): Largest U.S. beef processor with national foodservice and retail relationships. Sets pricing, supply contract standards, and brand expectations across the beef industry.
- Cargill Meat Solutions: Major beef processor and supplier within Cargill's broader protein portfolio. Competes for foodservice and retail beef contracts and represents scale and capital UIB must contend with.
- JBS USA Beef: Global beef processing giant with extensive U.S. operations. Competes with UIB across domestic and export channels and dominates volume-driven accounts.
Direct peers
- Iowa Premium Beef: Tama, Iowa-based beef processor producing premium boxed beef from Midwest corn-fed cattle. Directly comparable to Upper Iowa Beef in geography, customer base (foodservice/distributors), and premium Angus product focus.
- Creekstone Farms Premium Beef: Premium beef processor producing USDA Prime and Black Angus products for foodservice and retail channels. Comparable product positioning and tiered premium portfolio like Upper Iowa Beef.
- Greater Omaha Packing: Omaha-based mid-sized beef processor supplying branded and private-label beef to foodservice and retail. Comparable to UIB in scale, B2B distribution model, and focus on quality-graded beef.
- Nebraska Beef: Mid-sized regional beef processor in Omaha serving domestic and international foodservice/retail markets. Similar scale and B2B model with multi-tier product offering.
Others
- Double J Ranch / Certified Angus Beef LLC: Not-for-profit managing the Certified Angus Beef brand UIB produces under; functions as a brand/marketing enabler and channel partner rather than direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Upper Iowa Beef social profiles
Digital presenceUpper Iowa Beef compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Upper Iowa Beef financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Upper Iowa Beef leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Upper Iowa Beef funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Upper Iowa Beef 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 Upper Iowa Beef
What does Upper Iowa Beef do?
Upper Iowa Beef procures cattle from over 500 independent family farmers across the Upper Midwest and processes them at its state-of-the-art Lime Springs, Iowa facility into tiered, USDA-graded Angus beef products. The processed beef is sold B2B to domestic and export distribution partners serving food service operators and retailers in nine countries.
Is Upper Iowa Beef a public or private company?
Upper Iowa Beef is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Upper Iowa Beef founded?
Upper Iowa Beef was founded in 2017. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Upper Iowa Beef based?
Upper Iowa Beef is headquartered in Lime Springs, United States, in the North America region.
How does Upper Iowa Beef make money?
One revenue line is on record: cattle Procurement and Beef Processing.
Who are Upper Iowa Beef's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are American Foods Group, National Beef Packing Company, Tyson Foods (Beef Segment), Cargill Meat Solutions and JBS USA Beef. Direct peers are Iowa Premium Beef, Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, Greater Omaha Packing and Nebraska Beef. Double J Ranch / Certified Angus Beef LLC is listed as an others.
Does Upper Iowa Beef have an API?
No public API is recorded for Upper Iowa Beef.