Farm to Fork: Frank’s Butcher Shop processes and sells high-quality Wyoming beef

Family-owned and Wyoming-based Frank’s Butcher Shop was started in 2020 as a meat processing facility in response to meat shortages and lack of processing capacity caused by COVID-19.  

Frank’s Butcher Shop Vice President Bryce Brenton notes the facility was acquired after he and his family attempted to get a slaughter date at a local processing facility in the spring of 2020. However, the facility didn’t have any openings until September 2021 – nearly a year and a half later.

“One thing led to another, and we acquired the processing facility ourselves,” Bryce says.

He continues, “We call it Frank’s because that was my grandfather’s name. He was a hard-working rancher who passed away when I was young. His philosophy was if a person was going to do something, they might as well do it right. This is what we still try to do, so when my dad and I started the company, we decided to name it after him.”  

Multiple locations

After some time, the shop transitioned to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-inspected facility, which allowed for meat sales across state borders. 

“By becoming a USDA-inspected processing facility, we acquired assurance for public safety, and it also meant we could ship our meat out of state,” explains Bryce. 

In doing so, they nearly doubled processing production as well, and currently, the shop can process 50 to 60 beef each week and varying amounts of pork. 

“Since we could have a store and ship all over the country, we decided to expand to an entire retail operation,” Bryce explains. “We opened up our retail stores in Hudson and Casper.”

“In the Hudson shop, we serve breakfast burritos and deli products in addition to meat sales,” he notes.

In Casper, the store includes meat and liquor sales and a 16-seat bar and grill, plus a private room upstairs for special events, fondly known as the “Bull Room.” Here, Frank’s staff serves parties a five-course, family-style meal. 

“We also do a special thing called ‘pick a steak,’ where customers can go to the meat case, select the steak they want and we’ll cook it for them,” Bryce says.

Bryce further notes both locations are equipped with great crews. 

“We couldn’t do this without them,” he states. “Jerrod, our plant manager, was the original owner of the processing facility. We acquired it from him, and he still owns and operates it. Most of the folks in our Casper crew have been with us since day one, including Rachel, our general manager.” 

Bryce continues, “My little brother Brett is also involved, doing inventory control across both stores, and he does all of the financials as well. My dad Billy is president of the company.”  

Wyoming beef

All beef is sourced in the state of Wyoming – and from the family’s own ranch – something the Brenton family believes sets them apart from other meat processors in the state and across the nation.

Since an excellent carcass is the ultimate end goal, the family raises Black Angus-Wagyu crosses, as well as F1 and F2 Wagyu cattle. 

“We really care about what meat looks like in the case, and this is how we tailor our entire program in terms of breeding stock and commercial cattle in order to generate a high-quality steak,” explains Bryce. 

“This is a different kind of model than the traditional rancher,” he adds. “Most ranchers are looking for big, fast-growing calves to sell in the fall – cattle with low birth weights and high weaning weights. Instead, we use Wagyu crosses to produce an excellent carcass – the end product – and it’s a local product born and raised right here in Wyoming.”

Because there is a year-round demand for beef and because the Brenton family stays busy with their multi-faceted enterprise, they are not able to source all beef for their stores directly from their ranch. 

“There are some times of year – like calving season, when calves are being born rather than processed – where we have to fill in the gaps with beef from our neighbors,” Bryce says. “We have other partners and ranches around the state that we work with to help fill any gaps in our calendar year.” 

Farm-to-fork enterprise

Today, the Frank’s Butcher Shop enterprise is dedicated to providing a full farm-to-fork experience at both Wyoming locations and through their online storefront. 

“We can give our customers the whole experience right there at the shop – eating something we raised and processed,” Bryce states. “We raise all of the cattle right here, sourcing from our own herd, some of our neighbors and across the whole state of Wyoming. We only use beef born in Wyoming – the high-quality beef Wyoming ranchers produce.”

“This is kind of our ‘brand,’” he continues. “Our beef never leaves the state until we ship it to customers. We are the Cowboy State, after all, and there are so many high-quality cattle right here in our backyard. All of the meat we sell in our shops is raised within about 40 miles of us, and our processing facility is only an hour away.”

“At the end of the day, we are supplying a product to consumers we are proud to put our name behind. It all starts with a high-quality product,” he adds.

In fact, Bryce believes this high-quality product is largely responsible for the business’ success.

“Part of our success at the store is because people get to taste our product,” he states. “We are still relatively small, but our meat is carefully processed and tastes better than what one would find in a grocery store. We dry age all of our beef. It is hung for at least 14 days before we process and cut it. This adds a lot to the flavor profile and increases the tenderness of the meat.”

Bryce continues, “Customers come in, try a steak and rave about how amazing it is and how different it is from what they get at the grocery store. Even the ground beef we sell doesn’t have as much fat in it to fry out when cooked. Even though it’s the same blend of fat and lean, it’s not quite the same product. The dry-aged beef is different, and people are starting to realize this.”

For more information, visit franksbutchershop.com.

Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.