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| Where Quality Counts |
The Story Behind Ravenwood:
My husband, Mark, and myself both grew up in farm families. Mark's family
operates a large grain farm in Saskatchewan and my family raised a small herd
of cattle "on the side" on their ranch near Caroline. Mark and I met while
pursuing degrees through the University of Saskatchewan. Mark attained a
Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Masters of Science specializing in canola
and nectar production. I attained an Animal Science degree. We were married
in 2002 and moved back to Alberta to pursue our careers in 2004. Mark took
a position as a crop research station manager while I worked as a dairy plant
quality assurance lab technician.
In 2005 our first son, William, was born and everything changed. We suddenly
realized that we wanted to live in the country, raise our kids at home and not
put them in daycare. We knew that we wanted to be our own bosses and have
a career that would give us the flexibility and lifestyle we desired for our young
family. We also knew that agriculture was a field we both knew and loved.
Now if we could only find a way to make it our job!
We started out by moving back to my parents beef ranch and purchasing a
herd of goats and a herd of Berkshire pigs. We knew that there was no way
we could compete with the "big guys" so our focus was to be niche marketing
pasture meat products. We felt confident that we could offer a quality,
wholesome product that would give consumers an alternative to conventionally
raised meats. We felt that consumers would seek out a product that has been
raised in an environmentally responsible and ethical manner.
We partnered with my parents, Alice and Dayle Murray. They raise
Beefbooster cattle on the ranch, as well as offer a lot of support and time
towards the swine and goat herds and the store. By 2008 our little operation
had grown. Our second son, Nathan, was born that summer. We decided to
"up the marketing" of our products and opened a farm fresh store. Not only did
this give us a retail outlet for our products, but it also allowed us to showcase
other local area producer's products that were raised using similar methods and
philosophies as those we employed here on the ranch. By fall of 2008 we were
offering our own pork, beef and chevon as well as other farmer's bison,
venison, veal, lamb, chicken, spices, marinades and cheese. And the list
continues to grow!
The most exciting development came in November 2008 when we made the
decision for Mark to resign from his crop research job and focus full time on
the store and farm. The beginning of December brought the beginning of
renovations to expand our store to 3000 square feet including a butcher shop,
bakery, expanded seating area, deli and smokehouse. Mark and Dayle are
currently working day and night to finish the upgrades for the New Year.
Thank you to everyone for your support. Your kind words of encouragement
have been a source of inspiration. We are glad that what we are doing matters
to you too :)
Please take a moment to visit our FARM to learn more about our management
practices or click for more info ABOUT US.
My husband, Mark, and myself both grew up in farm families. Mark's family
operates a large grain farm in Saskatchewan and my family raised a small herd
of cattle "on the side" on their ranch near Caroline. Mark and I met while
pursuing degrees through the University of Saskatchewan. Mark attained a
Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Masters of Science specializing in canola
and nectar production. I attained an Animal Science degree. We were married
in 2002 and moved back to Alberta to pursue our careers in 2004. Mark took
a position as a crop research station manager while I worked as a dairy plant
quality assurance lab technician.
In 2005 our first son, William, was born and everything changed. We suddenly
realized that we wanted to live in the country, raise our kids at home and not
put them in daycare. We knew that we wanted to be our own bosses and have
a career that would give us the flexibility and lifestyle we desired for our young
family. We also knew that agriculture was a field we both knew and loved.
Now if we could only find a way to make it our job!
We started out by moving back to my parents beef ranch and purchasing a
herd of goats and a herd of Berkshire pigs. We knew that there was no way
we could compete with the "big guys" so our focus was to be niche marketing
pasture meat products. We felt confident that we could offer a quality,
wholesome product that would give consumers an alternative to conventionally
raised meats. We felt that consumers would seek out a product that has been
raised in an environmentally responsible and ethical manner.
We partnered with my parents, Alice and Dayle Murray. They raise
Beefbooster cattle on the ranch, as well as offer a lot of support and time
towards the swine and goat herds and the store. By 2008 our little operation
had grown. Our second son, Nathan, was born that summer. We decided to
"up the marketing" of our products and opened a farm fresh store. Not only did
this give us a retail outlet for our products, but it also allowed us to showcase
other local area producer's products that were raised using similar methods and
philosophies as those we employed here on the ranch. By fall of 2008 we were
offering our own pork, beef and chevon as well as other farmer's bison,
venison, veal, lamb, chicken, spices, marinades and cheese. And the list
continues to grow!
The most exciting development came in November 2008 when we made the
decision for Mark to resign from his crop research job and focus full time on
the store and farm. The beginning of December brought the beginning of
renovations to expand our store to 3000 square feet including a butcher shop,
bakery, expanded seating area, deli and smokehouse. Mark and Dayle are
currently working day and night to finish the upgrades for the New Year.
Thank you to everyone for your support. Your kind words of encouragement
have been a source of inspiration. We are glad that what we are doing matters
to you too :)
Please take a moment to visit our FARM to learn more about our management
practices or click for more info ABOUT US.
| Ravenwood Farm Fresh Meats |
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