Friesla Blog: Clients

Interested in starting a meat processing business? Whether you’re early in your research, planning to open a new plant, or expanding an existing operation, explore our blog for practical information, real-world guidance, and stories of hardworking Americans who are getting after it.

At Friesla, we’re helping farmers, ranchers, and entrepreneurs build independent meat processing businesses in communities across the country. Explore our resources on starting a meat processing business, the basics of meat processing, USDA inspection requirements, available grants and funding opportunities, and other practical information on building and running a successful operation.


An aerial view shows the Del Fox Meats facility and Friesla Modular Meat Processing System in Bow, Washington.

Client Story: Del Fox Meats

A Pacific Northwest staple, Del Fox Meats has served farmers, ranchers, and families in Northwest Washington State for more than 50 years. What began as…

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Butcher breaks down a beef carcass in the Cut and Package Module of a Friesla Meat Processing System.

Bear Mountain Beef 5 Years Later: From Startup to 1,000+ Head Per Year

A meat processor’s first year proves they can open their doors. Years two, three, four, and five prove whether the business can endure. This is…

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Smiling MTX Beef butchers fabricate and breakdown beef carcasses on tables in their Friesla Cut & Package Module.

Video Stories of Small, Local Meat Processing Businesses

A local meat processing business starts with a vision: an idea, answer to a question, or solution to a problem. What if you have this…

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Smiling butcher removes pieces of hide from a hanging carcass.

From Feeder to Eater: Real Stories of Local Meat Processors

Every Friesla Meat Processing System is different, and the goals and operational setups are diverse. But the one thing in common is that all of…

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A team of butchers removing the hide from a beef carcass on a skinning cradle in a Friesla Harvest Module.

Client Story: BRK Meats

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…

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Butchers fabricate and breakdown beef carcasses on polytop cutting tables in their Friesla Breaking Module.

Client Story: Harrison Harvesting

“COVID shined a light on how we had neglected our food chain, and it also shined a light on where our whole [meat processing] system…

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Butchers transfer quartered beef carcasses from a Friesla Mobile Harvest Unit into The Meating Place Butcher Shop.

Client Story: The Meating Place

The Meating Place is helping bring back the tradition of independent butcher shops that were once staples in communities across America. Consumers had access to…

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Butcher moving a beef half on the rail in a full Friesla Carcass Aging Cooler.

Client Story: MTXBeef

MTXBeef started over a COVID-era cocktail and a campfire. It was spring 2020. The pandemic had hit. Nestled in the rolling Texas Hill Country—west of…

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Exterior view of a tan Friesla Modular Meat Processing System used by The Producer Partnership for meat processing on a ranch in Montana.

Client Story: The Producer Partnership

Think that opening a meat processing plant during a pandemic might be tough? Try starting the first nonprofit, federally-inspected meat processing plant in the United…

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Friesla clients Brian and Mary Heffernan from Five Marys Ranch on their ranch in Fort Jones, California.

Client Story: Five Marys Ranch

Brian and Mary Heffernan knew that starting a meat processing business would be challenging. “Nothing is easy,” Brian quips. “If it were, everyone would do…

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