Wyoming rancher cuts out the middleman and sells directly to consumers

HULETT, Wyo. (KOTA) - For most people, buying beef means going to the supermarket and picking out the pre-packaged meat.

Before that beef gets to the consumer, it was grown by a farmer or rancher and sold to meat packers who then sell the product to stores.

“We’re just trying to produce the best quality product we can to get to the families that need it,” explained Brian Neiman who has been ranching cattle for 45 years.

However, just 3 years ago, he started to change the way that he does business.

“I made a phone call to a friend of mine down in Colorado to see if there was any need for people wanting fresh, homegrown raised beef to put in their freezers, to feed their family,” said Neiman.

That phone call connected him to 14 people interested in buying beef directly from Neiman, essentially cutting out the middleman or meat packers who process the meat.

This gives him the freedom to sell the meat at his own prices and customers the opportunity to be informed and in control of the product, they’re buying.

“If you want your steaks an inch and a half thick, you get to have them. We don’t want the middleman there. We want you to be informed, and know everything that there is about this animal. Where it was grown, what it was fed, how it was raised, and how it was treated. When you go to the store you don’t get that,” said Neiman and added that ever since he started, the business has grown and expanded to Minnesota, South Dakota, Colorado, and even as far as Texas.

“It’s grown quite a bit bigger than what I thought in just a very short time.”

As Neiman hopes to expand each year, he wants other ranchers to see this as an option to sell directly to the consumer.

“It is a viable option for every rancher to be involved in and it’s only going to help the bottom dollar,” explained Neiman.

His advice to ranchers considering taking control of their product is to plan far ahead and start to build up a customer base.

Cold Water Creek Beef website:

https://coldcreekranchbeef.com/?fbclid=IwAR2suc42Ao4WZIkb_-rnWMd72eNwZMZsB6PNfxHTX4AJr80qRiWLmBLfjy4

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