A major challenge for meat processors is selling the whole carcass. Education is a secret weapon they can use to strengthen their approach.
Both premium and common cuts can be fairly easy to sell with the right strategy—premium can go to retail and restaurants, and ground beef to food service, etc. Processors use many strategies to balance this equation—diversifying sales channels, cultivating different types of customers, or adding value through ready-to-eat products like sausage, jerky, and snack sticks.
Often, though, the missing ingredient is education: many consumers simply aren’t familiar with the full range of cuts and aren’t sure what they’re used for or how to prepare them. Bridging that gap is an opportunity to build trust, provide value, and move more cuts that might previously have gone into grind.
EDUCATION TURNS “MYSTERY MEAT” INTO FAVORITES
Many customers are unsure of what to do with more unusual options, such as cube steak, oxtail, or arm roasts.
Offering guidance—where the cut comes from, how to cook it, and why it’s worth trying—makes those cuts more accessible and empowers customers to try them. The more customers understand that, the more confident and satisfied they’ll be with their purchase (and the likelier they’ll be a repeat customer!).
Offering guidance—where the cut comes from, how to cook it, and why it’s worth trying—makes those cuts more accessible and empowers customers to try them. The more customers understand that, the more confident and satisfied they’ll be with their purchase (and the likelier they’ll be a repeat customer!).
Informing buyers also sets realistic expectations. A beef carcass isn’t just ribeyes and burger—it’s dozens of cuts, each with its own flavor, texture, and best use. This is particularly important for bulk beef customers (to learn more about this, read this post).
WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE?
We’ve previously looked at supporting bulk beef customers through the ordering process with cut sheet guidance. But what happens if you sell through other channels?
You meet your customers where they are, both literally and figuratively.
- Retail counter/direct sales: Use signage, recipe cards, or QR codes linking to cooking tips for less familiar cuts like shanks, Denver steaks, or even marrow bones. Train retail staff on how to identify when customers need additional support and how to provide it.
- Farmers’ markets: Offer samples, bundle “mystery cuts” with recipes, or talk through cooking methods face-to-face.
- Wholesale/restaurant partnerships: Work with chefs to feature underutilized cuts—like bavette steaks, short ribs, or tri-tips—on menus and highlight them in stories.
- Value-added products: Consider ancestral or primal blends, premade patties, or ready-to-eat items that make unfamiliar cuts approachable—and help you earn higher margins.
Every underutilized cut is an opportunity if you frame it right, and a way to connect with your customers as a resource. Upselling doesn’t have to feel “salesy” if your goal is to provide more value to your customer.
When customers buy in bulk, at retail, or even online, the principle is the same: the better they understand what they’re getting and how to use it, the more satisfied and loyal they’ll be.
Pro Tip: Every time you explain how to cook short ribs or define primal grind, you create a story worth sharing on social media. Social media helps establish trust with a whole new generation of consumers, and helps new customers find you!
THE KIDS (AND YOUNG ADULTS) ARE ALRIGHT
Education is also a great way to cultivate new customer bases and appeal to up-and-coming generations. Younger consumers lean toward sustainability, convenience, and digital content—and are eager to try new things. Tap into how they learn and buy:
- Social media: Recipes, reels, TikToks, and YouTube shorts showing quick prep for less-familiar cuts (“30-second guide to cooking cube steak”).
- Search & AI: Make it easy for people to find you, and for AI to recommend you. Search engines and AI tools (like Google’s AI Overviews, Grok, and ChatGPT) increasingly rely on clear, helpful content. Use plain language and answer the exact questions your customers might ask. Younger generations are increasingly using AI like ChatGPT and Claude as search engines, so the clearer and more helpful your descriptions, the better.
- Values-driven messaging: Highlight sustainability, whole-animal use, and reducing waste (“Here’s why short ribs matter if you care about sustainability”).
- Showcase convenience: Pre-formed patties, stew meat, or primal/ancient grind—products that fit busy schedules. Share recipes for busy nights or meal prep that go beyond the typical crock-pot meal.
- Interactive experiences: Pop-ups with local chefs, cooking classes, or tastings that feel social and fun.
- Community-driven trust: Sharing real-life, behind-the-scenes content (farm tours, processor stories, Q&As) to show transparency.
Even if these younger consumers aren’t ready to buy today, consistent education and visibility position you as the trusted resource. When they are ready, you’ll be the first place they think of.
This is also a way to engage younger employees or family members who like the marketing and social media side of business. Giving them ownership of your marketing efforts provides meaningful work, builds their skills, and connects them to the business in a way that feels relevant to their interests—see our blog post Keeping the Farm: Ideas for Sustaining a Multi-Generational Family Cattle Business for more ideas.
REMEMBER YOUR LONGTIME CUSTOMERS
While it’s important to connect with younger consumers, established customers remain a vital part of your market. They’re often loyal, long-term customers who value connection and trust, and might prefer or appreciate traditional marketing methods:
- Newsletters
- Local radio
- Print ads and mailers
- Community events
- Printed recipe cards
Combining traditional outreach with digital education helps you engage every generation effectively, meeting customers where they are and how they prefer to connect.
EDUCATION AS A STRATEGY
Every time you take the time to explain a cut, suggest a cooking method, or set expectations up front, it’s more than customer service. You’re providing resources while also protecting your margins and adding value.
Why? Because education reduces customer complaints and frustration, adds value to lesser-known cuts that you may have had to grind previously, creates natural upselling opportunities for premium or convenience options, and builds repeat customers.
Education isn’t an “extra” step—it’s a strategy that increases revenue, protects margins, and keeps your customers coming back.
THE MEAT OF IT
At the end of the day, education is a meat processor’s secret weapon.
When customers walk away with meat in their freezer and the confidence to cook it, you’ve made a sale, sure—more importantly, you’ve built trust.
For consumers, that means confidence and trust in where their food comes from. For processors, it means moving the whole carcass, improving margins, and building loyalty that lasts.