Mindfulmeats

What Mindfulmeats does

Mindful Meats is a U.S.-based organic beef company founded in 2013 by Claire Herminjard in Point Reyes, California, that pioneered the use of retired organic dairy cows as a source of premium, mature-flavored beef under the dual-purpose animal agriculture model. Its core technology is a full supply-chain traceability program that tracks each animal from individual small organic family farms in Marin and Sonoma County through harvest, with cow-level records (birthday, breed, weight, photographs) and lot-level tracking, complemented by proprietary environmental metrics such as water hoofprint calculations. The company sells whole-muscle cuts (New York Steak, Filet, Ribeye, Top Sirloin, Chuck Roast, Stew Meat) and ground beef produced from the entire animal, and was the first beef company in the United States to achieve Non-GMO Project Verified certification and USDA approval for Non-GMO labeling on meat products, alongside USDA Organic and Animal Welfare Approved certifications.

Mindful Meats operates as an organic beef product line within parent company Marin Sun Farms following a January 2017 merger, which provided access to a Petaluma slaughterhouse and shared wholesale and direct-to-consumer distribution infrastructure. Its go-to-market is sales-led and mission-driven, with B2B field sales to grocery and butcher shops, restaurants, public school districts (Oakland Unified, Pittsburg Unified), and healthcare institutions (Stanford Health Care as the first U.S. hospital to switch to Mindful Meats beef). Revenue mechanics are transactional across wholesale, direct-to-consumer via Marin Sun Farms, and institutional channels, with school district pricing explicitly set at-cost to fulfill an access-to-clean-beef mission rather than to maximize margin.

The customer base spans four primary verticals — public school districts, healthcare institutions, restaurants and chefs, and grocery/butcher retail — plus direct-to-consumer buyers, all concentrated in Northern California with reported distribution across more than 20 California cities. The company has accumulated meaningful earned-media equity through placements in NY Times, Wall Street Journal, LA Times, Modern Farmer, Civil Eats, and endorsements from chefs including José Andrés and Nicolaus Balla. Mindful Meats does not disclose revenue, has no disclosed venture or private-equity funding rounds, and operates with 11–50 employees, with the brand identity and program preserved unchanged after the 2017 merger.

Name

Mindfulmeats

Legal name

Mindful Meats

Website

https://mindfulmeats.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mindful Meats is an organic beef brand that sources premium meat from retired organic dairy cows on small Northern California family farms, selling through grocery, restaurant, public school, and healthcare channels as a product line within Marin Sun Farms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Beef / Specialty Meat Products

NAICS

Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116), Dual-Purpose Cattle Ranching and Farming (112130), Meat Retailers (445240)

SIC

Meat Packing Plants (2011), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Organic Beef Cattle Production (AFAEAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Organic Dairy Cattle Farming (AFAEACAJ)

Keywords

• Organic beef products
• Pasture-raised meat
• Non-GMO verified beef
• Retired dairy beef
• Specialty meat distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Marshall

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Beef Sales: Wholesale distribution of organic beef products to grocery stores, butcher shops, and restaurants. Products include various cuts (New York Steak, Filet, Ribeye, Top Sirloin, Chuck Roast, Stew Meat) and ground beef produced from whole muscles.
2. Direct-to-Consumer: Direct sales to individual consumers for home use through parent company Marin Sun Farms.
3. Institutional Sales: Sales to public school districts and healthcare institutions. School districts receive beef at cost to fulfill mission of increasing access to clean beef.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mindful Meats sources organic beef from retired dairy cows on small organic family farms in Marin and Sonoma County, California, and distributes premium USDA Organic, pasture-raised, Non-GMO Project Verified beef products (steaks, ground beef, and other cuts) wholesale to grocery stores, butcher shops, restaurants, public school districts, and healthcare institutions. The company pioneered the first Non-GMO meat label approved by USDA and operates a full per-animal traceability program.

Product overview

Mindful Meats is a single-product organic beef company that sources beef from retired organic dairy cows. After merging with Marin Sun Farms in January 2017, Mindful Meats operates as an organic beef product line within Marin Sun Farms. The company offers organic beef products including steaks (New York Steak, Filet, Ribeye), ground beef, and other cuts (Top Sirloin, Chuck Roast, Stew Meat). Ground beef is produced using whole muscles from the entire cow including ribeyes, strip steaks, chuck rolls, and short ribs. The company also supplies wholesale beef to grocery stores, restaurants, schools, and healthcare institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic Beef Products (Steaks, Ground Beef, and Cuts) Organic, pasture-raised, Non-GMO Project Verified beef cuts and ground beef from retired organic dairy cows, available through grocery stores, butcher shops, restaurants, schools, and healthcare institutions. Includes whole-muscle cuts such as New York Steak, Filet, Ribeye, Top Sirloin, Chuck Roast, and Stew Meat, with ground beef produced from whole muscles including ribeyes, strip steaks, chuck rolls, and short ribs.
• Wholesale Beef Distribution B2B wholesale distribution of organic beef products to grocery stores, butcher shops, restaurants, and institutional locations including schools and healthcare facilities. Orders and inquiries are routed through parent company Marin Sun Farms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Each cow produces 82,046 lbs of food over lifetime (81,446 lbs milk + 600 lbs meat) vs 600 lbs from conventional beef animal
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Marin Sun FarmsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Mindful Meats merged with Marin Sun Farms in January 2017. Mindful Meats became an organic beef product line of Marin Sun Farms. Marin Sun's founder David Evans remained CEO, and Mindful Meats CEO Claire Herminjard became co-executive of Marin Sun. The merger created expansion for the organic pastured beef market, allowing increased access to quality affordable meat for retail, healthcare and institutional customers while supporting local organic farmers and ranchers' livelihoods. Marin Sun Farms also operates a Petaluma slaughterhouse and has delivery and sales infrastructure.
• Pittsburg Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Expanded school lunch program to include all schools in Pittsburg Unified School District in 2016. Public school lunch purchasing budgets are extremely limited, so Mindful Meats offers beef to school districts at cost to answer their mission of increasing access to clean beef for growing children.
• Oakland Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2015Started supplying all 30 Oakland Unified schools with Mindful Meats in fall 2015. Oakland Unified is a pioneer in sourcing organic, local, healthy meals for students. The district was recognized for its new food procurement policy and commitment to providing nutritious, sustainably sourced food while putting money back into the local economy.
• Stanford Health Care CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Stanford Health Care became the first hospital in the country to replace conventional beef with Mindful Meats organic, non-GMO, antibiotic and hormone free beef. The initiative was pushed for and supported by physicians, culinary department, and executives concerned about antibiotic-resistant illnesses and the overuse of antibiotics in conventional animal agriculture.
• Non-GMO ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Non-GMO Project Verified certification partner. Mindful Meats was the first beef company in the U.S. to receive this certification, working with the nonprofit organization committed to providing verified non-GMO choices to consumers.
• CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Organic certification partner. CCOF is a nonprofit organization advancing organic agriculture through organic certification, education, advocacy, and promotion.
• Marin Carbon ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Two of Mindful Meats' partner farms are part of the Marin Carbon Project, which seeks to enhance carbon sequestration in rangeland, agricultural, and forest soils through applied research, demonstration and implementation.
• Zero Food PrintminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2013Non-profit working with restaurants to donate dollars to farms implementing environmentally beneficial practices rooted in soil health. Mindful Meats partners with restaurants like Handline Sebastopol that support this initiative.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• US Wellness Meats: Direct-to-consumer and wholesale grass-fed beef supplier specializing in pasture-raised, hormone-free meats. Comparable through mission-driven, regenerative/organic beef sourcing and DTC channel focus.
• Niman Ranch: Premier network of independent family farmers raising pork, beef, and lamb under humane and sustainable protocols. Comparable as a mission-driven, premium-protein brand with strong chef and retail distribution in the natural/organic channel.
• Organic Prairie: Organic and 100% grass-fed beef brand from Organic Valley cooperative. Comparable as a 100% organic, pasture-raised beef line with certifications and mission-driven sourcing similar to Mindful Meats.
• Marin Sun Farms: Parent company of Mindful Meats since 2017 merger. Direct peer in organic, pasture-raised beef production and distribution in Northern California, with slaughterhouse and delivery infrastructure also serving Mindful Meats.
• ButcherBox: Subscription-based DTC meat company delivering 100% grass-fed beef, organic chicken, and heritage pork. Comparable in mission-driven organic/grass-fed protein category and direct-to-consumer distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• Applegate Farms: Large-scale natural and organic meat brand offering organic, grass-fed, and antibiotic-free beef, pork, and poultry across national retail. Comparable through organic/non-GMO verified beef positioning and broad distribution into grocery and foodservice.
• Vital Farms: Public pasture-raised egg company that has expanded into butter and other ethically sourced dairy/grocery products. Comparable through pasture-raised, ethical-sourcing ethos and penetration of premium grocery and natural channels.

Emerging players

• Cooks Venture: Pasture-raised, heirloom chicken and beef producer with regenerative agriculture focus. Comparable as a mission-driven, premium protein brand with strong sustainability messaging and DTC channel.
• Force of Nature Meats: Regenerative agriculture meat brand offering 100% grass-fed beef, pasture-raised pork, and wild-caught seafood. Comparable through regenerative/mission-driven sourcing and chef/franchise partnerships.

Regional players

• Straus Family Creamery: Northern California organic dairy producer with similar regional, mission-driven, certified-organic positioning. Comparable as a Marin/Sonoma County-based organic producer with overlap in regional retail and foodservice customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/mindfulmeats
• Xx.com/mindfulmeats
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mindful-meats

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Mindfulmeats