Job Creation Drives a Passionate Grass Fed Beef Rancher
- by Alyssa Bray
I can remember the moment that I first tasted a real hamburger. I was staying with family in picturesque, and pastural, rural Utah. I was served a dinner of homemade hamburgers, prepared with beef from a locally raised, grass-fed cow. I remember the complexity of flavor from that patty being so unique that I had asked how the beef had been seasoned.
“It wasn’t,” was the answer. “It’s just the beef.” I was amazed. I hadn’t realized what I had been missing by eating industrial beef until that moment.
Utah has a long history of ranching. Beginning with the early settlements of the 1800’s, raising livestock has been a mainstay for human survival, especially in Utah’s rural areas. Ranching still holds its importance as is evidenced by the fact that livestock can still be found all across the state. In southern-central Utah, just outside the boundaries of Capitol Reef National Park, lies the charming town of Torrey, Utah. Surrounded by pink cliffs and grassy meadows, Torrey is the home of Paizlee’s Grass Fed Beef.
Benjamin Stutman and Andrew Slater are the conscientious owners of Paizlee’s Beef. They also own and operate Café Diablo in Torrey, Utah. Their experiences working in the restaurant industry has taught them that customers want, and expect, quality and consistency in the food that they consume. By their involvement in the manner in which their cattle are raised, handled, and processed, Stutman and Slater have the unique advantage of overseeing their high standard of quality control from both ends of the consumer spectrum.
“Our goal is to grow sustainably, with the quality of meats at the forefront,” says Stutman. “From wholesale meats to our small batch jerky, we knew we could create a superior product with our combined knowledge of agriculture and food service.”
Raising and serving delicious and sustainable meals wasn’t quite enough for Stutman and Slater. Investing in their community also comes as a high priority.
“Agriculture has always been a passion for us,” says Stutman. “However, we wanted to be able to create a viable business that would, not only allow us to be profitable, but to also create year-round jobs in our small community. For many of the youth that grow up here are forced to leave home because of luck of the employment opportunities. We wanted to be a driving force in changing that.”
“Everything we do is uniquely Utah,” continues Stutman. “Everything from raising the animals, to slaughter, to final packaging is done 100% in Utah. We reinvest in the Utah economy and Utah families over and over. Another huge factor is we are firm believers that taste and flavor go hand in hand with where an animal is raised. When you take a bite of one of our grass fed beef products, you are not just tasting beef, you are truly tasting southern Utah.”
When asked where he would like to be in five years, Benjamin Stutman replies, “We would love to be in every major grocery store in the US and, with as fast as this has taken off, we believe we will get there!”
Because of their hard work and high standards, Paizlee’s Grass Fed Beef is becoming easier for the consumer to find. Paizlee’s beef is on the menus of many restaurants, from Moab to Salt Lake City, Paizlee’s products can be found at local farmer’s markets across the state, their jerky products can be found in stores across the country starting in 2019, and high quality, locally raised, grass-fed beef can always purchased online at www.paizlees.com.