Niman Ranch and its family farmers raise livestock traditionally, humanely and sustainably to deliver the finest tasting meat in the world.

"Niman Ranch beef is beefier than beef!" --Chef George Formaro, Centro

For most Americans, beef is what eating meat is all about. Yet very few get to experience the old fashioned taste that made beef a classic -- meat from Angus based breeds grown on pasture and finished on all-vegetarian feed, the taste that characterizes Niman Ranch beef.

Whether sauced, stewed or simply served with salt and pepper, beef quickly becomes the lead player in any meal. The quality of Niman Ranch USDA Prime and USDA Choice beef, raised humanely and naturally with no hormones or antibiotics on family-owned farms, ensures that your main dish will be a star with family and guests.

Enjoy what Men's Health Magazine calls
"the Best of the Best - Niman Ranch - Best Premium Beef"
~ Men's Health, "125 Best Foods for Men" -- June 2007 issue

 

The Niman Ranch Story

Niman Ranch started in the early 1970s, when Bill Niman began raising livestock on eleven acres in a small coastal town, just north of San Francisco. He raised his animals using traditional, humane husbandry methods and wholesome natural feeds. Before long, Bill began selling his beef to local grocery stores and to restaurants where chefs were asking to put the flavorful beef on their menus.

Bill recalls those days as "moving toward a future that looks more like the past"-a time when flavor and quality came first and farmers and ranchers were proud stewards of their animals and their land. The business grew steadily as word got around-and soon distribution spread throughout California and beyond.

A chef serving Niman Ranch beef introduced Bill to her cousin, Jeanne McCormack, a lamb farmer in California who raised lamb in the same way Bill raised cattle. Realizing they shared similar commitments and passions, Jeanne joined to become Niman Ranch's first lamb farmer in 1992.

In 1995, Jeanne introduced Bill to her friend, Paul Willis, owner of Willis Free Range Pig Farm in Iowa. Paul wanted to revitalize sustainable hog farming methods in the Midwest. Paul's commitment to raise hogs in a humane, old-fashioned way matched Niman Ranch's own principles. As demand for all-natural meats spread, Paul's deliciously tender, well-marbled pork found a ready market among chefs and food lovers.

Today, the Niman Ranch network has grown to include over 600 independent American farmers and ranchers. Whether they raise hogs, beef or lamb, they all share Niman Ranch's dedication to strict protocols and the belief that all-natural, humane and sustainable methods produce great flavor.

All of us at Niman Ranch are committed to fulfilling the vision upon which the company was founded - to bring the finest tasting meat possible to customers while practicing the highest standards of animal husbandry and environmental stewardship. Whether you shop at our online store, buy our products at your local grocer, or enjoy them at your favorite restaurant, thank you for choosing Niman Ranch. It is your support that makes this vision a reality.

 

Our Beef

Beef cattle are magnificent animals, requiring large amounts of grassland to thrive. That's why raising beef is really about managing pastures in an ecologically sound manner.

We begin with Angus-based British breeds chosen for their meat's superior eating quality. These breeds produce beef that is well-marbled, tender and exceptionally flavorful.

Unlike pigs or lambs, beef cattle thrive in different environments as calves, as yearlings and as mature animals. Often these three life phases will take place in three separate locations for the benefit of the animals and for more efficient husbandry. Niman Ranch is unusual in that we are in control of all these phases, and our animals are completely traceable from birth to market. We also use only U.S. born and raised animals.

Our calves stay with their mothers until they are weaned, then they mature on nutritious pasture and hay. As a final step the animals are finished on our special mix of 100% vegetarian feed that adds marbling as well as the prized Niman Ranch flavor.

We never feed our animals antibiotics, growth-producing hormones, or animal byproducts. Should a cow become ill we will treat it, with antibiotics if necessary, but that animal is no longer part of the Niman Ranch herd grown for market.

With today's rising land prices, it takes a real commitment to be a cattle rancher. We're proud that our ranchers have made that commitment, and Niman Ranch beef is the tender and delicious result.

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