by What’s the easiest way to increase your farm store’s revenue? Sell new products to existing customers.
In this blog, we’ll explore expert insights from grassfed and regenerative ranching consultant Dr. Allen Williams to help you expand your farm store’s selection and offer new, exciting steaks.
Plus, we’ll see how Brooks and Blaine Hitzfield from the wildly successful Seven Sons Farm put these insights to work to grow their farm store’s sales, customer loyalty, and overall profits.
Why Should You Offer Unique Meat Cuts?
Most customers stick to what they know when shopping for meat: the classic ribeye, the filet mignon, and the New York strip.
It might be tempting to prioritize these familiar cuts in your farm store to compete with the local supermarket — but you’re limiting your customers’ palates and your profits.
You probably already add these overlooked cuts to your ground beef, but selling them as premium steaks allows you to charge at least double, giving your profits a huge boost! In fact, the Seven Sons Farm team added $500 of pure profit to each beef carcass by setting aside just a few new cuts.
Selling unique cuts can also increase customer retention and help your farm store stand out from the competition. Customers will get hooked on these delicious steaks — and they won’t be able to find them anywhere else.
Now, let’s dive into three meat cuts to stop grinding and start selling.
1. Teres Major
First, let’s focus on the shoulder, or chuck. Dr. Williams says the chuck is often overlooked in favor of the ribeye — but it actually has a higher degree of marbling and a more nuanced flavor profile.
While there are several great steaks in the chuck, he recommends focusing on one particular muscle: the teres major.
This steak is sometimes called the butcher’s tender, since its plentiful fat deposits and exquisite flavors make it a favorite among ranchers, butchers, and other meat experts. It’s also sold under the names mock shoulder, petite tender, and shoulder tender.
Dr. Williams and the Seven Sons Farm team recommend selling this cut for at least $14/pound. If you include this delicate cut in your ground beef, it will retail for $7/pound, which means you can double your profits by setting it aside.
2. Culotte
Next, let’s move to the sirloin, where you can find one of Dr. Williams’ favorite cuts: the culotte.
Sometimes called the top sirloin cap, the culotte is a tender and richly flavored cut that’s often added to ground beef instead of sold on its own.
From a 650-pound animal, your processor can probably harvest between three and four pounds of culotte, retailing between $15 and $20/pound.
3. Hanger Steak
The last area we’ll focus on is the plate, home of the delicious hanger steak. This cut comes from the diaphragm muscle located underneath a steer’s ribs.
It’s a delicate, narrow cut with deeply complex flavors. Dr. Williams says that each bite of the steak will provide a different flavor experience, from the first taste to the last.
Hanger steak sells for $20/pound on average.
How To Sell Unique Cuts in Your Farm Store
Now, let’s dive into some advice from Dr. Williams and the Seven Sons Farm team on processing, packaging, and promoting these cuts of meat.
Processing Unique Cuts
The petite tender, culotte, and hanger steak are delicious and profitable — but they’re simply not as popular as other cuts. That means that you’ll have to work a little more closely with your processor to harvest them.
Let’s look at three tips for processing unique cuts:
- Rely on an experienced processor: Fabricating a carcass is a complex job, especially if you’re hoping to harvest some of these more unique cuts. When evaluating processors, ask about steaks like the teres major and culotte to gauge their skill and level of experience.
- Clarify names of each cut: Many of these less popular cuts have different names, so take the time to ensure you and your processor are on the same page. For example, both the hanger steak and teres major are sometimes called the “butcher’s tender” or “butcher’s steak.”
- Share resources: There are several in-depth tutorials online to help butchers find these cuts, so don’t be afraid to share them with your processor to ensure you’re getting perfectly prepared steaks.
Building a strong relationship with your processor makes it easier to diversify your farm store’s offerings and provide your customers with the high-quality cuts they expect.
Promoting Unique Cuts
Adding cuts like these to your farm store’s selection can give your revenue and profits a major lift — but only if you can convince customers to buy them.
Here are three marketing tips to promote unique steaks:
- Educate customers: Many of your customers might be wary of preparing a new steak for the first time, which is why you should provide some tips for seasoning and cooking it. If you sell meat online, consider publishing recipes featuring these cuts on your website. .
- Write thorough product descriptions: The way you describe these cuts should make them seem prized and appealing. Use your website’s product descriptions to describe the history behind these steaks, explaining how butchers traditionally kept them for their families instead of selling them.
- Create product bundles: Including these steaks in your meat subscription boxes or variety bundles is a gentle way to introduce them to your loyal customers.
These cuts are more flavorful and often more affordable than premium options like the filet mignon, so your promotion strategy should make customers feel like you’re letting them in on a farm industry secret.
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Managing standard steaks, unique cuts, and ground meats is no easy feat, but the right tool can make it effortless.
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