Raising, slaughtering, and processing animals for meat was once a routine part of American life, directly connecting communities to their food. Over time, as the meat industry consolidated, those direct connections have become far less common.
Accelerated by the pandemic, more consumers are seeking a closer relationship with their food—and independent meat processors like BRK Meats in East Texas are making this possible. By focusing on quality and community, they are restoring America’s farm-to-table connection.
A FARM-TO-TABLE BEGINNING
Bobby Vice, the owner of BRK Meats, has always loved the cattle business.
“As a child, [my family] raised our own beef, did our own slaughtering, and did our own processing,” he recalled, “and it came to be a thing that you get accustomed to.”
By the time Bobby and his wife Barbara retired in 2020, they had about a hundred head of Angus cattle—and were looking for ways to add value to their herd. Then, opportunity came knocking, and Bobby jumped on it. He purchased a small, brick-and-mortar meat processing plant in Carthage, Texas—already under USDA inspection—and BRK Meats was born.
A HARVESTING ROADBLOCK
A major issue with the plant Bobby purchased was the lack of a slaughter facility.
“Once we purchased the USDA plant, we ended up having to haul cattle about 160 miles round trip to another USDA plant to have the slaughtering done,” Bobby said. “It didn’t take long to realize that we were going to need a slaughter plant.”
Constrained by city limits, Bobby knew he would need to purchase a slaughter facility and the land to put it on.
“The options out there were pretty limited in terms of what I could do,” he said. Scouring the internet for ideas, Bobby “found out about a company named Friesla.”
THE FRIESLA SOLUTION
After making a phone call to learn more, Bobby met Friesla President Bob Lodder in West Texas to tour a Friesla client’s operation and see their Modular Meat Processing System in action.
“I was very surprised when I pulled up to this plant,” Bobby recalled. “I did not expect to see a total processing plant: slaughter plant, packaging, turnkey job. It was very impressive.”
Returning home chock full of ideas, Bobby resolved to enlist Friesla’s support with designing a harvest facility—and get BRK Meats on a path to autonomy and growth.
BUILDING A SYSTEM
Launching into his Project Development Phase, Bobby connected with Friesla’s Technical Team to design a modular facility for livestock harvest, carcass cooling, and carcass breakdown that would complement his existing plant.
“One of the most positive things I found about the Friesla products was the fact that I was buying a complete package,” Bobby said. “I had assistance with design. I had assistance with the HACCP Plans [that were] needed.”
This full scope of services—along with production time and price—cemented Bobby’s choice.
“There was no doubt in my mind at that time that this was going to be the way for me to go,” he recounted. “From start to finish of the project was going to be probably half the time. The cost was going to be within the budget that I had to work with—and the fact that I was able to have built exactly what I needed.”
During this Project Development Phase, Friesla designed a two-Module PS Compact System for BRK Meats, including a 58’ Harvest Module and a 20’ Carcass Breaking Module. Once the Modules were delivered, BRK Meats would integrate them into livestock pens and add small modular buildings for offices, storage, and USDA inspection.
BUILDING A TEAM
The growth trajectory of BRK Meats—and preparation for their new harvest facility—made it clear to Bobby that it was time to expand his workforce. One of his key priorities was building a good team. “That was essential,” he emphasized.
During this timeframe, Bobby connected with Cameron Barton. Local rancher Lane Barton, a BRK Meats customer, introduced Bobby to his son, Cameron, and the two quickly formed a friendship.
Cameron’s generational ranching background, combined with his food distribution and retail experience with Performance Food Group and 44 Farms, made him an ideal addition to Bobby’s team alongside key employees like Marvin Brakefield, BRK Meats’ Director of Production.
“[Cameron] understood the ups and downs with the business,” Bobby said. “I needed to have him on my team.”
“Beef production and processing in America has changed. There are large corporations that are highly involved, almost monopolistic, but, I look at somebody like us—BRK Meats—we’re able to be a little bit different than that.
Cameron Barton, Vice President of Operations, BRK Meats
Joining BRK Meats to lead their day-to-day as Vice President of Operations, Cameron aligned with Bobby on a shared passion: providing a community-focused, farm-to-table experience for consumers.
“Beef production and processing in America has changed,” Cameron said. “There are large corporations that are highly involved, almost monopolistic, but, I look at somebody like us—BRK Meats—we’re able to be a little bit different than that.”
A PASTURE-TO-PLATE EXPERIENCE
Post-startup of their Friesla System and receipt of their USDA Grant of Inspection to operate it, Cameron said BRK Meats can now “physically take the animal from pasture to plate.”
Once an animal is dropped off at their modular harvest facility in neighboring Tenaha, Texas, Cameron explained, “[The animal] is stress-free taken into our kill box. After it’s slaughtered, it’s hung up” on the rail inside the Harvest Module, the hide the guts removed, the carcass split, trimmed, and cleaned, and then “it goes into a hanging cooler where it cools down to an inspected temperature. From there, we take it over to our facility to make jerky, cut it into steaks, and make ground beef”—all of which are sold in BRK Meat’s retail meat market in Carthage.
“Vertical integration can sometimes be harder, but we’re bridging the gap between the producer and consumer—and I think that’s what the consumer wants to see.”
Cameron Barton, Vice President of Operations, BRK Meats
“Vertical integration can sometimes be harder,” Cameron said, “but we’re bridging the gap between the producer and consumer—and I think that’s what the consumer wants to see.”
WHEN COVID CAME CALLING
Like many local meat suppliers, BRK Meats experienced substantial growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond the thrill of doubling their business, it was the community’s reaction to BRK Meats’ products that really got Bobby excited.
“People came in, they bought our beef, and they would come back and say, ‘We’ve never had anything taste like this. What do you do different?’” Bobby recounted.
“To me, one of the most rewarding things about being in this business, is being able to help these local ranchers, [and] to be able to help the people in this community.”
Bobby Vice, Owner, BRK Meats
The “different” is what makes BRK Meats stand out: safe, nutritious, high-quality beef from and for their local community—all while supporting East Texas’s hardworking meat producers.
“To me, one of the most rewarding things about being in this business,” Bobby said, “is being able to help these local ranchers, [and] to be able to help the people in this community.”
Feedback from their community during COVID also spurred BRK Meats to shift focus on how they relate to their customers, Cameron reflected.
“We really had to take a more educational approach and find a way to connect with the consumer on a closer level,” Cameron said.
Common themes in these conversations included “sharing what local food systems look like, how they’re connected to our community, and how they offer a more resilient alternative to traditional grocery stores and larger food systems.”
LOCAL ROOTS, BIG IMPACT
With a vertically-integrated operation, strong demand for locally-raised and processed meat, and a means to supply it, BRK Meats’ customer base is expanding.
Beyond direct sales to customers in their retail meat market, BRK Meats products are being grilled up in local restaurants and available on the shelves of local retailers—including jerky in more than 80 stores of a well-known Texas grocery chain.
“I believe BRK Meats can help fix the food problem in America by starting right here … I want to be able to share with my family that there’s a better way—a different way.”
Cameron Barton, Vice President of Operations, BRK Meats
Despite the challenges of growing a small business in an industry dominated by four multi-national meatpackers, BRK Meats’ team is resolved in their mission—and confident that they’re swimming with the current.
“I believe BRK Meats can help fix the food problem in America by starting right here,” Cameron concluded. “We see the effects of food, whether that’s on our diet or the things put in our food that we don’t want. I want to be able to share with my family that there’s a better way—a different way. If we start right here, we focus on what we can control, continue to stay true to who we are and our mission, and keep investing in those relationships, I think it goes further than we know.”
Visit BRK Meats here. Learn more about Friesla’s Ecosystem of Services here.
