Belcampo

Last updated
Belcampo Meat Co.
Company type Private
Founded2012;13 years ago (2012) in Mount Shasta, California
FounderTodd Robinson and Anya Fernald
DefunctOctober 18, 2021 (2021-10-18)
Headquarters
United States

Belcampo Meat Co. was an American food company founded in 2012, and situated at Mount Shasta, California. It was a farm to a door butcher shop that included its own farm, slaughterhouse and restaurants. [1] [2] although later it expanded sourcing to other farms.

Contents

Background

Belcampo was led by its co-founder Anya Fernald from 2012 to 2020, and with Garry Embleton as co-CEO from 2020 until January 2021 when Embleton became the sole CEO. The company struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic as various locations were closed. [3] The company had a major issue in 2021 when an employee exposed poorly sourced products. [4] In late 2021, the company was shut down by the board. [5]

Operations

The company operated a 20,000 square foot, USDA-approved multi-species slaughter facility designed by animal welfare expert Temple Grandin, and a nearby 27,000-acre (11,000 ha) farm, and opened its first store in Marin County in 2012. [6] [7] It expanded to also include butcher shops and restaurants in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, San Francisco, San Mateo, Oakland, and New York, and also sold meat through Erewhon Grocery Stores. [6]

Controversies

The USDA had begun investigations into Belcampo for various violations, including sanitation, safety, and labeling at their Siskiyou County plant. [8] Inspections revealed poor hygiene, mislabeled meat, and operational failures.

In May 2021, a former employee Evan Reiner alleged that it had fraudulently labeled cuts of meat as produced by Belcampo when they had been sourced from other producers. [9]

Environmental impact

Belcampo was the first meat company in the United States to comprehensively audit its carbon sequestration. [10]

References

  1. ↑ Stein, Joshua David (2012-12-28). "Restaurant Report: Belcampo Meat Co. in Larkspur, Calif". The New York Times Company.
  2. ↑ Schnitzler, Nicole (2019-05-28). "Rare and Well-Done: How Anya Fernald Is Revolutionizing the Way We Eat Meat". Robb Report.
  3. ↑ Kadvany, Elena (2021-11-15). "How Belcampo's sudden downfall rippled through the sustainable meat industry". San Francisco Chronicle.
  4. ↑ McCormick, Erin (2021-05-27). "Belcampo: 'farm to door' butcher admits misrepresenting origins of meat". The Guardian .
  5. ↑ Breijo, Stephanie (2021-10-19). "After sourcing scandal, Belcampo Meat Co. abruptly closes stores, restaurants". Los Angeles Times .
  6. 1 2 Goodyear, Dana (2014-10-27). "Élite Meat". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X . Retrieved 2024-06-27.
  7. ↑ Parsons, Russ (2014-02-27). "Sustainable meat pioneer Belcampo opening at GCM in March". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
  8. ↑ Kadvany, Elena (2022-12-10). "The Belcampo scandal widens: Once-popular meat company is being investigated by the feds". San Francisco Chronicle .
  9. ↑ Breijo, Stephanie (2021-10-20). "After sourcing scandal, Belcampo Meat Co. abruptly closes stores, restaurants". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
  10. ↑ "Belcampo Farms Releases Carbon Capture Data for Climate-Positive Burgers". Business Wire. 2021-09-01.
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