TenderBison
TenderBison (North American Bison, LLC) is a US-based, direct-to-consumer bison meat brand selling all-natural, family-ranch-sourced bison cuts to health-conscious consumers via its owned e-commerce storefront.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersFargo, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What TenderBison does
TenderBison is the consumer-facing brand of North American Bison, LLC, a privately held, Fargo/North Dakota-headquartered (mailing address New Rockford, ND) specialty protein company founded in 1993. The company sells all-natural bison meat — including ground bison, steaks, and roasts — directly to individual consumers and families through an owned e-commerce storefront at northamericanbison.com, with no wholesale or retail channel presence evident in the source data. Its core differentiator is a traceable, family-ranch-sourced supply narrative built on named partnerships with independent multi-generational ranching families (Leiers, Benders, and the Meyer family at Hidden Bison Ranch), supported by a content library of recipes, nutritional comparisons, and rancher profiles.
The underlying technology is conventional rather than proprietary: sustainable ranching practices combined with a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site and content marketing engine. There is no API, mobile app, AI capability, or integration layer documented. Operational scope is domestic (United States), and the company employs 51–100 people across ranching coordination, processing/packaging, and DTC fulfillment, with Jim Wells serving as President & CEO.
TenderBison monetizes via one-time per-order product sales of premium-priced bison cuts shipped directly from headquarters to consumers. The go-to-market motion is exclusively direct-to-consumer, driven by organic content (recipes, nutritional education, rancher stories) and search-led discovery rather than paid acquisition, field sales, or channel partnerships. No institutional funding, M&A activity, certifications, patents, or awards are disclosed in the available data.
TenderBison firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TenderBison
- Legal name
- North American Bison, LLC
- Website
- https://tenderbison.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- TenderBison (North American Bison, LLC) is a US-based, direct-to-consumer bison meat brand selling all-natural, family-ranch-sourced bison cuts to health-conscious consumers via its owned e-commerce storefront.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
TenderBison industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Meat Products
- NAICS
- Beef Cattle Ranching and Farming (112111)
- SIC
- Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bison Ranching (AFAEAIAB)
Keywords
Where TenderBison is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fargo
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
TenderBison business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Direct bison meat sales: TenderBison generates revenue through the direct sale of all-natural bison meat products to individual consumers and families via its e-commerce storefront. Customers purchase through the company's online shop, with products shipped directly from the company to the consumer. Revenue is derived from per-transaction product sales — a one-time purchase model per order cycle.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
TenderBison product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TenderBison (North American Bison, LLC) sells all-natural, family ranch-sourced bison meat directly to consumers through its online shop. The product line includes cuts such as ground bison, steaks, and roasts, sourced from independent, known-and-trusted ranchers and shipped from the company to buyers across the United States.
Product overview
North American Bison operates as a direct-to-consumer bison meat brand (branded as TenderBison), offering a portfolio of all-natural, ranch-sourced bison products. The single product line includes various cuts of bison meat available for purchase through their online shop. The company partners with independent ranchers including the Leiers, Benders, and Hidden Bison Ranch families to source their products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TenderBison: Brand name for North American Bison's bison meat products, featured prominently on product packaging and marketing materials.
Products and services
- TenderBison Bison Meat Products All-natural bison meat cuts, including ground bison, steaks, and roasts, sourced from independent family ranchers and sold directly to consumers via the TenderBison online shop, with shipment across the United States.
Quantifiable outcome
- Bison delivers 2.42g fat and 143 kcal per serving vs. beef at 18.54g fat and 283 kcal — representing approximately 87% less fat and 49% fewer calories per serving.
Companies that use TenderBison
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
TenderBison technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
TenderBison partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Independent Ranchers (Leiers)coreThe Leiers are a ranching family partnered with North American Bison to raise bison according to the company's quality and sustainability standards. The Leiers' commitment to time-honored ranching traditions and animal welfare enables the company to deliver a higher quality, ethically sourced meat product to consumers.
- Independent Ranchers (Benders)coreThe Benders are a ranching family featured in TenderBison's 'Meet the Benders' profile, representing the independent ranchers who supply bison to the company. Their commitment to quality and sustainable ranching practices underpins TenderBison's supply chain integrity.
- Hidden Bison Ranch (Meyer Family)coreHidden Bison Ranch, operated by the Meyer family, is a featured ranching partner profiled on the TenderBison blog. The ranch exemplifies the company's model of working with independent, known-and-trusted ranchers who maintain sustainable and ethical bison-raising practices, contributing to the overall quality and brand narrative of TenderBison's bison meat products.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
TenderBison competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rastelli's: Direct-to-consumer and online specialty meat retailer offering premium, all-natural proteins with provenance-driven sourcing. Comparable premium DTC meat positioning and assortment breadth to TenderBison's online shop.
- Great Range Bison: Bison ranching and meat company producing all-natural, grass-fed bison products for direct and wholesale customers. Closest comparable as a vertically integrated bison rancher/brand, and a potential upstream supplier or competitor to TenderBison.
- ButcherBox: Subscription-based DTC meat brand delivering curated cuts (including bison) directly to consumers' homes. Directly comparable to TenderBison's DTC, premium-protein, health-positioned model, though at much larger scale and broader assortment.
- Good Ranchers: DTC American-rancher-sourced meat brand selling subscription boxes of beef, chicken, and other proteins. Compares on the 'American rancher' provenance narrative and DTC subscription mechanics, though broader than bison-only.
- Fossil Farms: Specialty provider of exotic and alternative proteins (including bison) to foodservice, retail, and online channels. Comparable on niche premium-protein positioning and bison product line, though with broader channel mix than TenderBison's pure DTC.
- Greensbury Market: Online retailer specializing in grass-fed, organic, and bison meats shipped DTC. Comparable niche DTC bison/protein assortment and similar health- and sustainability-oriented positioning to TenderBison.
- Crowd Cow: DTC online marketplace and subscription service selling traceable, ethically sourced meat — including bison — directly to consumers. Comparable on channel (DTC e-commerce), target customer (premium, transparency-seeking), and product category.
Emerging players
- Thrive Market: Online membership-based retailer of natural and organic foods including premium and alternative-protein meats. Comparable on health-conscious, sustainability-focused DTC consumer targeting, though as an online grocery rather than a single-category meat brand.
Broad incumbents
- Omaha Steaks: Long-established direct-to-consumer premium meat company selling beef, bison, and other proteins via online, phone, and retail. Comparable as a heritage DTC premium-meat brand operating in the bison category, but with much broader assortment and omnichannel reach.
- Wild Fork Foods: Scaled DTC and retail frozen-meat brand offering a broad portfolio of proteins with omnichannel distribution. Comparable protein category and DTC-first model, but substantially larger scale and assortment than TenderBison.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
TenderBison social profiles
Digital presenceTenderBison financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TenderBison leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
TenderBison funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TenderBison 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 TenderBison
What does TenderBison do?
TenderBison (North American Bison, LLC) sells all-natural, family ranch-sourced bison meat directly to consumers through its online shop. The product line includes cuts such as ground bison, steaks, and roasts, sourced from independent, known-and-trusted ranchers and shipped from the company to buyers across the United States.
Is TenderBison a public or private company?
TenderBison is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was TenderBison founded?
TenderBison was founded in 1993. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is TenderBison based?
TenderBison is headquartered in Fargo, United States, in the North America region.
How does TenderBison make money?
One revenue line is on record: direct bison meat sales.
Who are TenderBison's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rastelli's, Great Range Bison, ButcherBox, Good Ranchers, Fossil Farms, Greensbury Market and Crowd Cow. Thrive Market is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Omaha Steaks and Wild Fork Foods.
Does TenderBison have an API?
No public API is recorded for TenderBison.
What industry is TenderBison in?
TenderBison's product category is Specialty Meat Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEAIAB, Bison Ranching. Its NAICS code is 112111 and its SIC code is 200.