Primo Beef Story

 

Primo Beef isn’t your typical farm-to-table operation. What started as a family hobby transformed into a way of life. Located in the farmlands of Woodland, Washington where the Columbia and Lewis Rivers converge– an area locally known as the Bottoms – residents have been farming crops and raising livestock in the Bottoms for well over 100 years.

The Barragan’s moved to the Bottoms in 1998. At the age of 14, Hector started working for their neighbor and family friend on his property. He learned to run a tractor, build fences, and grew to appreciate working with his hands. Shortly after they purchased cows for their small farm and would sell calves to other local farmers. It was more of a hobby that would typically break-even. This process went on for many years. During that time, Hector, left Woodland for college and to pursue a career. He spent several years travelling for work but decided to move back to Woodland with his wife, Katie, in 2011 to start a family and help his mom out to make things a little easier on her. He started working his mom’s cattle to get her some additional income. He quickly learned that there is no money in selling calves unless you have a lot of property and cows. He then started selling ¼ and ½ shares to friends and family by working with local butchers. He realized that not all households can afford or have room for a quarter beef. It was here that the Primo Beef seed was planted.

At this time, Hector decided to pivot the business by creating more affordable options for families in the area. In addition to bigger shares, Hector decided to start offering 20 and 40 pound beef boxes that are easily stored in most family’s home refrigerators. The boxes are assorted with a variety of cuts that ensures the animal is completely utilized, and nothing goes to waste. In 2020, as Hector’s mom neared retirement, he decided it was time to take the small beef operation to the next level and start thinking outside of the box. They were still limited on space, but instead of backing down he took the challenge by the horns. In order to be efficient, they needed to figure out how to keep costs down and completely utilize the resources they had on hand. 

The purpose of Primo Beef is built on the foundation of family values and hard work. It is dedicated to; keep it sustainable, keep it simple, and keep it affordable. Like most businesses, it started from the Bottoms up…