Wondering about beef suppliers

I've got a question for chefs as a beef farmer. I would like to sell directly to restuarants, what are chefs looking for in a supplier? Would you consider going through a farm?
Thanks
Suzanne

[islander]

Hi Suzanne: I am a beef farmer too and I will be interested in seeing the responses you get to your question. Thanks for asking it! Susan

[shroomgirl]

Mind if I interject? Not all restaurants/chefs are the same. You may need to actively search for chefs that wanna buy a whole or half a cow...most only want loins. Search for artisan restaurants that change their menus...search for those that name farms on their menus, or you know use local....What makes your meat special? Do you have the space to age it? There are brokers (Niman Ranch) in particular that raise a premium beef and get a great price for it....people name it on the menu. I know their business is going gang busters.
Maybe look into forming a group that has high standards and market them together. There is a market for good meat,but at this time industrial farms have made it hard for the family farmers to market their products....

[cape chef]

I agree with shroomgirl,

I buy most all of my meats sub primal and break them down myself.

What species of beef are you raising?

All my 1by1s and 180s,109s I buy all Prime.
189s, knuckles, shoulder clods, I buy choice.

I am buying Rosen Lamb racks and loins from Colorado and all my veal products Loin,racks legs etc are Nature.At Times I buy black angus 1by1s and if I have the time for letting the mussels rest I will buy hefered.

Most of my purchasing of meat products are through 2 houses in the meat district in new York.
cc

[kuan]

Originally posted by shroomgirl:
<STRONG>There are brokers (Niman Ranch) in particular that raise a premium beef and get a great price for it....people name it on the menu.</STRONG>

I think that's a very important point. Even if the chefs really find your product superior, you have to get past the owners/managers. The key is to have a marketable product ie., certified Black Angus. People disagree on the quality of the Certified Black Angus, but many buy into the program because of the marketing ploy, but that too seems to be waning in the face of the whole organic movement.

In a way it's too bad that mediocre stuff can be passed off as premium and command a premium price. For example, subpar product labeled as organic seems to capture a market better than superior non-organic labeled product. I have no doubt that your beef is as good or even better than the commercially available beef. The trick is going to be convincing people that it is.

Kuan

[cape chef]

It's not really getting people to believe it's better..But to be able to make the purchasing of your product seemless...Most purchasing done in major hotels and some restaurants is dictated my product quility,availibility and price.The purchase choice meat products is not a difficult thing to do...and for the most part you get consistent quility,tenderness and marbleing.So many buyers go with "choice" However,When you get into the "Standard"Grade you really start to reconise a infereiar product.Most of your PC and cryo meats are standard grade. For me I need ease of purchase,I get on the phone three times a week and order my meats and there on my loading dock by 10:00 am the next morning being checked in.Some of the better meat packers with get together with independent growers to help develope there line.
Email me if you want,maybe I can put you intouch with some people on the eastcoast.
cc

Im not sure what the law is in other Countries, here in Australia, we are not able to buy directly from the farmer due to Health legislation. The meat we buy from suppliers must be inspected and stamped before we can even touch it, if we get caught buying from anyone else but a licensed supplier, the fines are heavy and you come under scrutiny from the Health inspectors. The same is with eggs and seafood, the eggs must be stamped and the Seafood must come from a Licensed Supplier. anyone can buy from a farmer or a fisherman and take it home, you just cant sell it at the restaurant. I have an Recreational Crayfishing License, Im able to catch 8 per day, If i was to get caught selling them at the restaurant, its 1,000 per crayfish fine for me and a further 10,000 for the restaurant.

[shroomgirl]

USDA stamp at a processer will be enough to sell directly to restaurants in the US. I'm not sure about crosssing the Canadian border...though I did meet a chef that was having meat processed in Canada for his Angus Barn restaurant in NC.
8 crawfish!!!???? In Louisiana we don't even consider under 3# per person a meal....most times it's 5-10# each.