D 307 Meat Co. is putting Wyoming-raised meat on the map BY S T E V E K RU T m e a t p o u l t r y @ s o s l a n d.c o m espite the fact that cattle outnumber people by a 2-to-1 ratio in Wyoming, it's always been difficult for beef lovers in the state to buy meat identified and labeled as locally produced. Meat had always been a commodity product. But when Kelcey Christensen entered the Wyoming meat business, that all changed. The president and founder of 307 Meat Co. in Laramie, Wyo., was the son and grandson of family butchers and grew up around meat processing. As someone who appreciated local agriculture and ranching, he set his sights on becoming a veterinarian and enrolled at the University of Wyoming. When he had an opportunity to work at the university's meat lab, he jumped at the chance and worked there for four years and went on to spend the next 11 years managing the facility. "Four years ago, I set out to establish a full-service meat company that could work with small livestock producers," he said. "Most of the cattle were going into feedlots and were bought up by large packing houses. The meat they were selling had no identification with our state. It was just another commodity. I saw the need to recognize the environment where these animals were raised and add value through the label that would let customers know where their meats were coming from and the conditions under which they were raised. "There was only one small USDA-inspected packing house in Cody that could ship its meats to other states, and I felt the need to help broaden that market to create a premium for Wyoming raised meats. We broke ground in May of 2019 and opened our processing facility on March 3 of this year. Our retail store was ready for customers on April 9." Christensen's clear thinking and strategic business plan was spot on. He offered private labeling for the meats he processed for 307 Meat Co. specializes in processing beef that is raised locally in Wyoming. www.meatpoultry.com | 09.20 | MEAT+ POULTRY 59http://www.meatpoultry.com