I opened this shop because there was nothing else like it. I was buying beef straight from a local rancher — incredible quality, but not exactly convenient. So I built a place that combined the richness of bulk buying with the everyday ease of walking into your neighborhood butcher.

 

These days, you’ll usually find me cooking, cutting, or sipping bone broth at the counter on weekends. Ask me about tallow or tri-tip — I’ve got stories.

 

I grew up in Tennessee, where folks waved when they passed you on the road and you were expected to treat strangers kindly and hold the door open — especially if your mom raised you right. Those lessons stuck with me: work hard, respect people, and don’t cut corners.

 

I moved to California in my twenties to pursue music. That journey eventually brought me to Ventura — and by the time I settled in, I was buying beef directly from a local rancher. The quality was unbeatable, but the process? Not so much. You had to buy a quarter cow, clear out freezer space, and figure out what to do with a mountain of ground beef.

 

So in 2011, I opened Ventura Meat Company — with one clear goal:
Make real, local, responsibly sourced beef more accessible. Butchered in-house. No shortcuts.

 

Over the years, we’ve grown. We built a production facility. Started making our own jerky, broth powder, tallow — all from the same whole-animal approach we started with.

 

What hasn’t changed?
Our mission: Do things the right way. Serve people well.
And only offer food we’d be proud to feed our own families.

 

It hasn’t always been easy. But it’s been worth it. The road less traveled? I’d take it again.