Whittingham Meats

What Whittingham Meats does

R. Whittingham & Sons Meat Co. (dba Whittingham Meats) is a family-owned wholesale and retail meat distributor founded in 1947 in Alsip, Illinois, currently operated by the fourth generation of the Whittingham family. The company runs a USDA-inspected facility (Establishment No. 21695) compliant with HACCP, FSIS, and USFDA sanitation standards, including an in-house dry-aging capability that ages beef cuts from several weeks to several months for enhanced flavor and tenderness. Its product range spans USDA Prime and Choice beef, pork, lamb, veal, poultry, seafood, sausages, sauces and rubs, value packages, and gift boxes, including premium offerings such as the proprietary Chicago 250 Black Angus program, Creekstone Farms Black Angus, and Japanese A5 Wagyu from Miyazaki.

The business operates two go-to-market motions in parallel. The wholesale motion supplies restaurants, hotels, country clubs, and casinos across the United States, with a custom-program platform offering product development, menu assistance, private labeling, and custom packaging. The retail motion consists of a physical butcher shop in Alsip (Monday-Friday 10am-3pm, Saturday 9am-2pm) and a Shopify-powered e-commerce site delivering locally next-day for orders placed before 3pm (free over $150) and shipping UPS Ground or Overnight across the continental US.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time unit-and-pound pricing on individual cuts, bundled value packages (Tier A-E, Grill Master, Smoker's Delight, Steak Lover's Dream Pack), gift boxes ($85.95 to $374.95), and gift cards in $20-$500 denominations. Premium positioning (Wagyu at $845 for a 10-piece pack, USDA Prime cuts, dry aging) supports higher unit economics than typical grocery-channel meat, while payment options span cards, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, PayPal, and cryptocurrencies via Shopify payments.

Name

Whittingham Meats

Legal name

R. Whittingham & Sons Meat Co.

Website

https://whittinghammeats.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Family-owned wholesale and retail meat distributor founded in 1947 in Alsip, Illinois, now in its fourth generation. Supplies restaurants, hotels, country clubs, and casinos via wholesale and custom programs, and serves direct consumers through a retail butcher shop and Shopify e-commerce with UPS shipping across the continental US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Meat & Seafood Distribution

NAICS

Meat Retailers (445240), Meat and Meat Product Merchant Wholesalers (42447), Meat Processed from Carcasses (311612)

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Butcher Shops & Meat Markets (CRAHAHAB)

Keywords

• Wholesale meat distribution
• Premium beef products
• Retail butcher shop
• Dry aged beef
• Custom meat programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Alsip

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Meat Sales (Retail): Direct consumer sales of premium beef, pork, lamb, poultry, seafood, and sausages through e-commerce and retail store. Products sold per unit/pound with various portion sizes and grade options (USDA Choice, Prime, Wagyu, Chicago 250).
2. Wholesale to Food Businesses: B2B wholesale supply to restaurants, hotels, country clubs, and casinos. Includes custom programs with product development assistance, custom packaging, and private labeling services.
3. Value Packages and Gift Boxes: Pre-made value packages (Tier A-E, Grill Master, Smoker's Delight, Steak Lover's Dream Pack) and gift boxes sold for gifting occasions. Bundled meat packages at various price points.
4. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold in denominations from $20 to $500, enabling repeat purchases and customer gifting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

R. Whittingham & Sons Meat Co. (Whittingham Meats) is a fourth-generation family-owned wholesale and retail meat distributor founded in 1947, operating from a USDA-inspected facility in Alsip, Illinois. The company sells premium fresh meats (USDA Prime and Choice beef, pork, lamb, veal, poultry, seafood, sausages), dry-aged beef from an in-house climate-controlled aging facility, specialty programs (Chicago 250 Black Angus, Creekstone Farms, Japanese A5 Wagyu), pre-built value packages, gift boxes, and gift cards to both direct consumers via a Shopify e-commerce site and wholesale foodservice customers.

Product overview

Whittingham Meats is a family-operated wholesale and retail meat distributor founded in 1947, operating from Alsip, Illinois. The company offers a broad portfolio of premium meat and seafood products across beef, pork, lamb, veal, poultry, and seafood categories. Core offerings include USDA Prime and Choice beef cuts (filet mignon, NY strip steaks, ribeye, brisket), specialty programs (Chicago 250 Black Angus, Creekstone Farms, Japanese A5 Wagyu), fresh and frozen seafood, artisanal sausages and deli products, and proprietary sauces and seasonings. The company operates both a retail e-commerce platform (powered by Shopify) and wholesale custom programs for food businesses. Value-added services include in-house dry aging, custom cutting, private labeling, and local delivery/shipping.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Creekstone Farms Premium Black Angus Beef: Premium Black Angus beef program partnership featuring hand-selected cattle with humane handling and state-of-the-art processing practices.
• Chicago 250 Black Angus

Products and services

• Beef Products Premium beef offerings including USDA Prime and Choice cuts, featuring filet mignon, NY strip steaks, ribeye roasts, brisket, ground sirloin, and specialty cuts like dry-aged steaks. Sold to direct consumers (retail and e-commerce) and wholesale foodservice customers.
• Pork Products Pork cuts including bone-in pork chops, back ribs, tenderloin, shoulder butt, crown roast, belly, and whole bone-in hams. Sold to direct consumers and wholesale foodservice customers.
• Lamb Products Lamb offerings including Colorado and Australian lamb rib racks, loin chops, leg of lamb (bone-in and boneless), ground lamb, and lamb shanks. Sold to direct consumers and wholesale foodservice customers.
• Veal Products Veal cuts including leg cutlet, rib chops, luncheon steaks, and ground veal. Sold to direct consumers and wholesale foodservice customers.
• Poultry Products Poultry including chicken breasts, whole fryers, wings, turkey breast (Cooper Farms), whole turkeys, Cornish hens, duck breast (Maple Leaf Farms), and whole ducklings. Sold to direct consumers and wholesale foodservice customers.
• Seafood Products Fresh and frozen seafood including Norwegian salmon, grouper, tilapia, halibut, lobster tails, tuna, jumbo shrimp, and catfish. Sold to direct consumers and wholesale foodservice customers.
• Sausages and Deli Products Sausage and deli products including Eisenberg gourmet beef franks, Whittingham's Italian sausage, Polish sausage, breakfast sausage patties and links, andouille sausage (Leon's Brand), hard salami, slab bacon (Nueske's, North Country), and Tom Tom tamales.
• Sauces and Rubs Condiments and seasonings including Hog Wild award-winning BBQ sauce (mild and hot), Whittingham steak and burger seasoning, Memphis rub, Texas rub, Carolina Apple rub, and Kelley's gourmet mustard.
• Gift Boxes Pre-packaged gift box combinations featuring beef filet mignon, strip steaks, sirloin butt steaks, and pork chop pairings in various sizes. Boxes include Filet Gift Box ($161.95), Combo Box ($135.95), Strip Steaks Gift Box ($95.95), Butt Steak Gift Box ($89.95), Pork Combo ($85.95), 6oz Filet Gift Box ($110.95).
• Value Packages Pre-made bulk meat packages including Tier A through Tier E options, Grill Master, Smoker's Delight ($199.95), and Steak Lover's Dream Pack ($374.95) bundles. Tier A ($229.99), Tier B ($249.99), Tier C ($139.95), Tier D ($154.99).
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards available in denominations from $20 to $500 ($20, $25, $30, $40, $50, $60, $70, $75, $80, $85, $90, $100, $125, $150, $180, $200, $250, $500) for recipient-directed purchasing.
• Branded Merchandise Branded apparel including Whitting-Hat trucker snapback hats, logo hoodies, and stocking caps.
• Creekstone Farms Premium Black Angus Beef Partner-supplied premium Black Angus beef program featuring hand-selected cattle with humane handling and state-of-the-art processing practices. Selected cuts sold at Whittingham Meats retail.
• Chicago 250 Black Angus Program Flagship Black Angus program featuring cattle born and raised within 250 miles of Chicago on natural grass pastures using sustainable methods, grass-fed and grain finished with careful genetic selection. Products sold at Whittingham Meats retail and wholesale channels.
• Japanese A5 Wagyu Beef Ultra-premium Japanese A5 Wagyu rib eye steaks from Miyazaki prefecture, grain-fed over 650 days with certificate of authenticity included. Japanese A5 Wagyu Rib Eye 10pc priced at $845.00.
• Wholesale Custom Programs B2B wholesale program offering custom product development, menu assistance, private labeling, and custom packaging for food businesses, restaurants, hotels, country clubs, and casinos. Distinct from retail consumer channel with dedicated account support.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Creekstone FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreekstone Farms is a preferred supplier of premium Black Angus beef. Their focus on hand-selected Black Angus cattle, humane handling, and state-of-the-art processing aligns with Whittingham's quality standards. Products include premium Black Angus beef cuts sold at Whittingham Meats.
• Chicago 250 Family FarmerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of family farmers within 250 miles of Chicago who raise Black Angus cattle on natural grass pastures using sustainable methods. Cattle are grass-fed and grain finished with careful genetic selection for desirable traits. Forms the basis of Whittingham's proprietary Chicago 250 Black Angus program.
• Maple Leaf FarmsminorOthersSupplier of duck products including Duck Breast Boneless and Whole Duckling. Maple Leaf has been raising ducks on local family-owned farms with exceptional care following their Trident Stewardship Program for animal well-being.
• Cooper FarmsminorOthersSupplier of turkey products including Turkey Breast Cooper Farms Boneless. Cooper Farms is a trusted poultry producer.
• Patty Shea'sminorOthersSupplier of USDA Prime Corned Beef Brisket, sold alongside Whittingham's own branded corned beef products.
• The Original Hog WildminorOthersChicago-based BBQ sauce brand featured in Whittingham's product lineup. Hog Wild has been voted BEST PORK CHOPS in Chicago and #1 BARBECUE SAUCE in Illinois, featured on multiple Chicago TV shows.
• EisenbergminorOthersChicago-based hot dog and sausage brand since early 1900s. Eisenberg Gourmet Beef Franks and Eisenberg Smoked Beef Polish Sausage are sold at Whittingham Meats. Made without MSG, phosphates, fillers or by-products.
• Peer FoodsminorOthersChicago-based bacon producer since 1925. Peer Gourmet Sliced Bacon is a Chicago classic with distinct hickory smoked flavor. Available at Whittingham Meats.
• NueskeminorOthersArtisanal bacon producer known for high-quality smoked bacon through culinary excellence from one of America's few-remaining smokehouses. North Country Slab Bacon sold at Whittingham Meats.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Allen Brothers: Chicago-based family-owned premium steak and meat distributor serving both restaurants and direct consumers online. Closest geographic and positioning analog to Whittingham, with overlapping B2B food-service accounts and a national DTC shipping business.
• Lobel's of New York: Multi-generation family butcher specializing in dry-aged Prime and Wagyu beef, supplying premium restaurants and direct consumers via a national online store. Directly comparable on heritage, dry-aged capability, premium positioning, and DTC plus wholesale model.
• Crowd Cow: Online meat marketplace delivering 100% grass-fed beef, Wagyu, and other premium proteins directly to consumers. Comparable on premium DTC positioning and nationwide shipping, though with a different sourcing model (cooperative of small farms).
• Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors: Premium meat purveyor supplying many of the top US restaurants and steakhouses, with retail butcher shops and an online store. Comparable B2B-plus-DTC premium meat model with a strong chef-facing brand.
• ButcherBox: Subscription-based DTC meat company delivering grass-fed beef, organic chicken, and heritage pork to US consumers. Most relevant competitor on the DTC national shipping model, though funded and much larger in scale.
• Snake River Farms: American Wagyu and premium beef producer with national online DTC and food-service accounts. Comparable on premium beef positioning, gift-box product, and DTC-plus-wholesale GTM.
• Porter Road: Online butcher selling dry-aged, pasture-raised beef, pork, lamb, and chicken direct to consumers nationwide with curated bundles. Highly comparable on dry-aging capability, premium assortment, and DTC shipping model.
• Chicago Steak Company: Midwest-based premium steak company with national online shipping plus food-service wholesale. Closely comparable assortment (USDA Prime steaks, gift boxes, custom programs) and Chicago locale.

Broad incumbents

• Stock Yards: Large-scale protein distributor serving restaurants, retailers, and food-service operators across the US. Comparable on the B2B wholesale meat distribution model, but much larger and broader than Whittingham's niche premium positioning.
• Buckhead Beef Company: One of the largest broadline meat distributors in the US, serving restaurants, country clubs, and hospitality operators nationwide. Comparable on B2B food-service wholesale motion, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader protein mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WhittinghamMeats
• Instagraminstagram.com/whittinghammeats
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/whittinghammeats

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Whittingham Meats