Ted Turner has 14 bison ranches, and that’s handy for his chain of Ted’s Montana Grill restaurants, which use much of the bison meat these ranches produce.
Nancy Labbe is in charge of procurement for Rocky Mountain Natural Meats of Henderson, Colorado, which fabricates and distributes meat from the bison produced on the Flying D, other Turner ranches and other bison producers.
The bison from Flying D are slaughtered at one of two Colorado plants and the carcasses then go to Rocky Mountain, said Labbe.
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The restaurant chain doesn’t take all that is produced. Rocky Mountain also supplies Whole Foods, Kroegers, Safeway and several other retail shops. It also exports bison meat, mostly to European markets.
“Right now we shoot for about 400 head a week,” said Labbe, which amounts to slightly more than 20,000 animals per year.
She said the partnership with Turner Enterprises is a good fit, partly because of its flexibility.
For example, if the restaurant chain is featuring ribeye, Rocky Mountain can supply it and then market other cuts to other customers.
Labbe said the domestic and export markets for bison meat are standing still because supply is not keeping up with demand. That is forcing Rocky Mountain to cater to its long-term and loyal customers rather than seek market expansion.
