“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 was broken—so we felt like we could actually fill a void that was existing.”
Empty store shelves and cleaned-out meat cases are hard to forget.
Before COVID, these cases were filled with meat harvested in massive plants owned by four multinational meatpacking companies—some processing in excess of 10,000 animals per day in a single facility, and together, processing ≈85% of beef in the U.S.
Trading time between Kentucky and Texas, Perry Harrison saw trouble brewing in both states.
The combination of close quarters for employees in big meatpacking plants and spread of the virus led to shutdowns and reduced output. This system bottleneck left meat producers—like Perry and his neighbors—with no place to bring animals ready for processing. A reduced supply left consumers buying meat with fewer options. When they could find meat, prices had skyrocketed.
Perry saw a problem—and an opportunity to help fix it.
RANCHING ROOTS
Raised on a ranch in small-town West Texas, Perry has been around cattle his entire life.
His late father Roddy, a defense attorney, involved Perry in their family cattle business from a young age—“to the point where I knew what it took to actually try to make money, and always try to appreciate what you have, whether it’s the land, whether it’s the animals. Nature always came first.”
“It’s very important for me and my family to know where our food comes from—and we just got frustrated … COVID backed everything up to where we couldn’t get anything harvested for six-eight months, a year.”
Perry Harrison, Owner, Harrison Harvesting
Through a career in banking and raising his family, this foundation stuck with Perry. But the pandemic put it in a different light.
“It’s very important for me and my family to know where our food comes from—and we just got frustrated,” Perry explained. “We’d always raised our own beef, always had our own animals to slaughter and keep in the freezer.”
“COVID backed everything up to where we couldn’t get anything harvested for six-eight months, a year. Whenever I would come up here [to Carlisle, Kentucky] and talk to my buddies, they were like, ‘The same thing is happening here: we can’t get an animal in.’”
MAKING A PLAN
Biased for action, Perry got to work: researching, running numbers, and outlining his vision. His father—a fierce critic fueled by his experience as both an attorney and cattleman—weighed in.
“I wrote a business plan out, just trying to spell out Harrison Harvesting, and it was the only thing that he has ever said, ‘You know what? I think you’re onto something.’ He said, ‘I think this is going to be a good idea because there are obvious holes in [the meat processing industry] right now.’”
“I was trying to figure out the logistics of even building a [meat processing] facility. I knew the size, the scope, I knew where I wanted to be. But I’ll be honest, I had no idea really what it was going to take to get to that point.”
Perry Harrison, Owner, Harrison Harvesting
Drilling down on his vision, Perry needed to dial in the details.
“I was trying to figure out the logistics of even building a [meat processing] facility,” he recalled. “I knew the size, the scope, I knew where I wanted to be. But I’ll be honest, I had no idea really what it was going to take to get to that point.”
“I was trying to look through everything, go online and just start going down rabbit holes and finding anything I could—Friesla popped up,” Perry said. “I was very intrigued about the way that they’re built, the way the government views them as equipment. It seemed like it was going to streamline the process immensely compared to me trying to go build a brick and mortar [building] straight from scratch.”
CALIBRATING THE VISION
After a “good long talk” with Friesla Founder & President Bob Lodder, Perry traveled to Washington State to tour the factory where Friesla Systems are built and to see one in action.
These reference points—together with Friesla’s Project Development Phase process—gave color to Perry’s operation and helped solidify his vision for Harrison Harvesting.
“Our initial model was strictly going to be the harvesting side,” he recounted. “But in doing that and knowing where we wanted the harvesting side to go, we knew that we were going to have to fill in some gaps with our own animals, which ultimately led to [adding] the retail side.”
“We did not want to become a corporate giant in any way or means. We basically wanted to keep it local, but we wanted to be something different.”
Perry Harrison, Owner, Harrison Harvesting
Growing a herd of Red Angus cattle became critical to Perry’s plan—and his goals of serving his local community in Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region and reaching larger customers surrounding it.
“We did not want to become a corporate giant in any way or means. We basically wanted to keep it local, but we wanted to be something different,” Perry said. “We wanted to be big enough to where we could facilitate all of the community, if need be, but also big enough to where we could attract commercial clients and grow our business organically that way.”
ADDING A MEAT MARKET
Though Perry’s original vision for the business was to focus solely on harvesting, the addition of a retail meat market expanded the scope. Never one to shy away from a challenge, he leaned on his strongest asset—his wife, Shelly Harrison—to integrate the retail component.
“When we first started this venture, Perry was on his own when it came to the overall business structure and facility design,” Shelly recounted. “But once the bones of the business were there, and when it got to the time to start with building, hiring, and marketing, I took on a more active role.”
Drawing on Shelly’s business and human resources background—and her being a quick study in marketing—the couple landed on a retail brand complementary to Harrison Harvesting: Bourbon Barrel Beef.
“Bourbon Barrel Beef, as a brand,” Perry explained, “means it is natural. It is a local, regional, recognizable name because of the bourbon influence within the state of Kentucky.”
But it isn’t just a name—it’s integral to their finished product, with their Red Angus cattle being finished on a mixture of Kentucky grass, forage, and spent grains from local distilleries. It’s an homage to Perry and Shelly’s home community in Bourbon County, Kentucky, and their passion for providing truly local, high-quality meat products.
“As far as the Bourbon Barrel Beef retail side, we knew that we were going to have to have the animals and the work for the folks to do, but in doing that, I wanted to make sure if we’re going to put our name on it, we had the best quality product that we could provide,” Perry said.
“Most people think that their meat just comes from a box. They don’t realize what all goes into the processing and raising of that animal to give you that quality meat.”
Katrina Carpenter, Operations Manager, Harrison Harvesting
A key part of this process, his Operations Manager Katrina Carpenter added, would be educating consumers on where their food comes from.
“Most people think that their meat just comes from a box,” she said. “They don’t realize what all goes into the processing and raising of that animal to give you that quality meat.”
Recalling the real Texas beef he grew up eating on his family’s ranch, Perry said he’s proud to provide his community with Bourbon Barrel Beef that is “100% natural” and “cut the morning of, Monday through Friday.”
Sharing the story of how their meat is different is key to standing out from their competitors, Perry furthered.
“We’re trying to get back to where you know where everything comes from. It’s hormone-free and you can feel good about feeding your kids this food.”
FROM PASTURE TO PLATE
Nailing down the scope of their operation—from pasture to plate—meant Harrison Harvesting needed a plant that enabled them to harvest, age, cut, and package under USDA inspection.
During his Project Development Phase, Perry partnered with Friesla’s Technical Team on the design of two complementary lines: one for harvest (comprised of four Friesla Modules) and the second for cutting and packaging (an additional four Friesla Modules).
The eight Modules in his Friesla System would be integrated into a livestock pen system and a large, site-built steel building—which included areas for employees, management, USDA inspectors, mechanical equipment, dry storage, carcass aging, and frozen goods storage.
Prior to beginning a day’s harvest, animals would be dropped off onsite and staged in a pen system. The pens would be purpose-designed to tie into his Friesla System and built to support humane animal handling and employee safety.
The harvest line would consist of two Friesla Harvest Modules—enabling the complete beef harvest process under USDA inspection and capacity for up to 40 head per shift—accompanied by two standalone Friesla Carcass Drawdown Coolers, where split, full-length hot beef carcasses would cool to USDA-required temperatures.
Once hot carcasses had chilled overnight, they would be moved from the Friesla Carcass Drawdown Coolers into the carcass aging room Harrison Harvesting built into their steel building—and with capacity to provide aging space for other meat processing operations.
After carcasses aged for 14 days, they would be transferred on a meat rail from the site-built cooler to the second set of Friesla Modules. This line consisted of four interconnected Friesla Cut & Package Modules with specialized equipment for breaking carcasses, cutting steaks and roasts, grinding trim, and packaging.
Following a day’s processing, fresh raw products would be brought into the store for retail sale. Packaged products would be either loaded into a refrigerated truck for regional delivery or moved into frozen storage before shipment.
BEGINNING TO BUILD
Armed with a vision, project design, and plan for execution, Perry moved forward with Friesla into manufacturing and began work with his contractor, Anderson & Rodgers Construction, onsite in Carlisle—less than an hour outside of Lexington, Kentucky’s second-most populous city.
In late 2023, after manufacturing of the Friesla System was complete, and regulatory approval attained under Kentucky’s Industrialized Building System program, the eight Friesla Modules were loaded onto lowboy trailers hauled by semi trucks for the journey from Washington State to Kentucky.
Onsite, skilled crane operators moved the Friesla Modules from the trailers onto their concrete foundations. A flurry of onsite activity followed: Module-to-Module and Module-to-building connections. Utility hookups. Equipment testing and commissioning. The plant was taking shape!
GAINING USDA INSPECTION
Behind the scenes, Friesla continued working with Perry and his team, including Operations Manager Katrina Carpenter, on gaining USDA-inspected status for the plant.
Drawing from the comprehensive Food Safety System and HACCP Plans he prepared for Harrison Harvesting, Friesla HACCP Coordinator Chris DePalma worked with Katrina to attain their USDA “bug”: from support with their application to communication with the USDA, receipt of a conditional Grant of Inspection, navigating their 90-day HACCP validation process, and eventual receipt of a full Grant of Inspection.
Despite her past work experience with food safety, Katrina described managing the company’s HACCP Plan as “a whole different ball game.” Given the steep learning curve, she said Friesla’s HACCP services—and Chris’s time spent mentoring her team onsite—were a lifeline.
“You can be an equipment provider without the service. You can be the service provider without the equipment. [Friesla is] both in that aspect, with the personal relations to go along with it. It’s just a well-rounded package.”
Katrina Carpenter, Operations Manager, Harrison Harvesting
“[Chris] was there to help train our crew on the HACCP Plan, and he was there to help us when we started the first week, and just kind of walk us through,” Katrina recounted. “Being the first time for me in the harvest and processing of meat, it was a huge benefit to have Chris there.”
“You can be an equipment provider without the service,” she continued. “You can be the service provider without the equipment. [Friesla is] both in that aspect, with the personal relations to go along with it. It’s just a well-rounded package.”
THE RIGHT PARTNERS
Now operating under a full USDA Grant of Inspection since summer 2024, Harrison Harvesting is learning, growing, and expanding their business. While the journey from concept to operations hasn’t been easy, Perry has aligned his vision and persistence with the right partners to see it through.
“It’s been very helpful having Friesla in our corner in a lot of different ways,” he reflected. “We have called multiple times: ‘Hey, this is happening, you know, is this normal? Is there something that can be done? Can we change this?’ The follow through has been second-to-none.”
“Throughout the entire process, [the Friesla team] has been extremely helpful, not only with providing us with folks that would come out and visit onsite and actually make sure things were operational, whether it be on the USDA side or just the operations side. It wasn’t one of those things where it’s like, ‘Ok, we built the product, we’ve delivered the product. Good luck. Let us know how everything works!’”
RELATIONSHIPS & REWARDS
For Perry and Shelly, having a guide in the process has enabled them to focus on why they started Harrison Harvesting: to bring local meat processing back into their community.
“Local meat processing is extremely important, and we didn’t realize how important until we actually opened and started hearing the feedback,” Perry said. “We have been blown away at the reception from our local community—and even surrounding communities. There is a movement away from mass production to more regional producers as far as the meat production and the supply.”
“I’m excited to see how different states have actually promoted and helped fund a lot of these projects,” Perry continued, “knowing that it needs to be more of a regional product as far as meat and just the food chain in general, as opposed to 1, 2, 3 or 4 giants that provide for the entire country. I’m excited to see it’s taking foothold, and the general public is very receptive to it—and we’re extremely appreciative and lucky to be a part of it.”
“Local meat processing is extremely important, and we didn’t realize how important until we actually opened and started hearing the feedback … There is a movement away from mass production to more regional producers as far as the meat production and the supply.”
Perry Harrison, Owner, Harrison Harvesting
Alongside Perry—and between running their HR and marketing—Shelly is enjoying engaging with visitors to Bourbon Barrel Beef’s retail store, where their response has been “incredible.”
“I love being able to be there, meeting the customers, getting their feedback, helping them understand, sharing our story some more—and just being able to have a more personal relationship with the people that are coming in,” she said. “That, to me, is rewarding.”
But Perry and Shelly’s reward isn’t just a growing business.
“For the last decade, our careers have been completely different,” Shelly reflected, “and to be able to slowly integrate our two different worlds together, and watch this dream that [Perry] started with become a reality and watch it become successful—I can’t imagine not being here by his side to do it.”
Visit Harrison Harvesting here. Learn more about Friesla’s Ecosystem of Services here.
