Visit to Creekstone Farms
Our partnership goes well beyond the purchase of our products.
We strive to build relationships with the producers, the farmers and everyone in between. Visiting our partners and building those relationships allows us to ensure that our expectations and standards are met through the entire process.
We were lucky enough to take a trip to Arkansas City, Kansas last week to visit our supplier partners at Creekstone Farms. While we have made the trip in the past, we continue time and time again to walk away even more impressed after every visit. This time we were fortunate to visit one of Creekstones’s partner farmer, Kevette Lester in Winfield, Kansas as well! (The attached pictures are from our visit!) After a few days with the team in Kansas, we couldn’t be more confident in saying that everything that they do, from focusing on genetics to closely monitoring the processing and production, is all in the name of quality.
While many natural meat packers test their animals to ensure they are antibiotic-free, Creekstone Farms goes far beyond that. With Creekstone’s Never, Ever program, they track each animal for its entire life, sourcing back to the farm where it was born to make sure it never received hormones or antibiotics, was fed a vegetarian diet, was treated humanely and was born and raised in the United States. Creekstone is one of the few branded programs certified by the USDA and offers a Natural program that is Certified Humane by Humane Farm Animal Care.
In fact, their commitment to humane animal treatment comes with the backing of Dr. Temple Grandin, nationally recognized animal-rights advocate who advises on best practices. Creekstone’s’ Arkansas City’s facility was designed by Grandin. It’s all indoors and temperature controlled where animals can move naturally. They are able to relax which allows for a certain respect for the sacrifice of the animal as well as a better product. Every step of the way-from birth to processing, hey ensure their animals are handled compassionately and humanely.
Another main benefit to Creekstone is the animals superior genetics. They process the finest premium black angus beef and all natural duroc pork and only source cattle that are born and raised in the USA. In working with their partner farmers and ranchers, Creekstone hand selects their cattle, and they have people out in the field who can recognize the traits of Black Angus. Unlike most Black Angus beef suppliers who select cattle on hide color alone, their cattle are hand-selected to represent true Black Angus genetics — only one in 100 Black Angus cattle meet the high standards upheld by the Creekstone Farms brand. They grade at 85 percent Choice and higher, and at 12 percent Prime. The industry average of Prime is two percent.
In addition, Creekstone Farms is a single site facility where all of their products are produced, resulting in consistency through all aspects of production, every single time.
