Business owners also want to support and sustain Wyoming ranchers who raise their beef all-naturally, humanely and with the help of the family, marketing all beef under the Wyoming Legacy Meats brand.
“We hope to help bring Wyoming meat to those who aren’t lucky enough to live in this great ranching state,” said Wyoming Legacy Meats spokeswoman Virginia Schmidt.
By doing so, Schmidt said more people in Wyoming and throughout the country will know where the beef they’re eating comes from and can have confidence in its quality, as well as the production process, from “conception to consumption.”
Licensing through the United States Department of Agriculture increases the ability to reach retail outlets and to brand and sell Wyoming beef to markets far beyond state borders.
Schmidt buys locker
In late September, Cody orthopedic surgeon Dr. Frank Schmidt (Virginia’s father) bought the former Cody Meat slaughterhouse in Cody’s North Industrial Park.
Bob Model, who owned Cody Meat, practiced the old-fashioned way of producing and finishing meat, from the birth of the animal to display in the store. He said that process produced a better product.
But in 2013 he told the Enterprise he was closing the retail and processing business, saying it cost too much to supply the meat. Rising feed costs and cattle prices were contributing factors.
“We would enthusiastically support and hope someone will come along and make it work where we are unable to do so,” Model told the Enterprise.
Now, three years later, Schmidt has founded Wyoming Legacy Meats and plans to partner with ranches across Wyoming.
The business currently operates as a “small butcher shop” from the Zero Box Quality Meat on 15th Street across from the city recycling center, Virginia Schmidt said.
“USDA certification … implies a level of safety, regulation and consistency resulting in a level of excellence consumers can truly count on,” she said.
The company’s goal is to operate as a USDA facility by April; however, the process could take
longer. In the meantime, Virginia Schmidt said “many significant renovations” are being made to the building to comply with USDA standards.
The goal is to have the slaughterhouse operating in the former Cody Meat building at 74 Road 2AB by mid-March. Obtaining status as a state-inspected facility will allow the business to partner with Wyoming ranches and begin slaughtering, processing, marketing and distributing their meat within the state.
When the beef operation is moved to the industrial park, Virginia said the plan is to use the Zero Box building solely for wild game processing.
Marketing plan
Opening the first USDA approved slaughter and processing facility in the state will make it easier for Wyoming ranchers to cumulatively brand and market beef both in state, and outside Wyoming.
The business employs about 15 people now. Virginia Schmidt said within five years the company anticipates expanding to 50.
“We think there’s huge potential here,” she said. “We’re trying to do it right. We think once it’s going, there will be a lot of demand for Wyoming meat and we want to make sure the structure’s in place to meet that demand.”
Source: CodyEnterprise
Link: http://www.codyenterprise.com/news/local/article_3e104de0-dc32-11e6-9119-57f6156024dd.html
