DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER
MARKETING ONE SIZE MAY NOT FIT ALL by CCA Director of Communications Katie Roberti Selling beef directly to consumers isn't a new idea. For years, The California Cattleman magazine has featured ranches across the state who have taken on the practice. At the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020, the milliondollar question, one asked in a previous issue of this magazine, was: Will consumer demands change the way beef is purchased moving forward, and will the interest in buying directly from producers hold? Since the onset of the pandemic, conversations about selling straight to consumers have only continued. In the fall of 2022, the Siskiyou County Cattlemen’s Annual Fall Tour Meeting focused on direct-to-consumer marketing by highlighting and visiting three family operations in Scott Valley that sell meat directly to consumers. Crown H Cattle Co., Jenner Family Beef and StarWalker Organic Farms were the three locations visited in the educational event that gave attendees a look at varying business models, operations and more on direct-toconsumer sales, all within the same valley. Although there are trends in the trials each of these operations face, the roadblocks are also uniquely different and that no two businesses selling beef directly to consumers are likely to be the same. In this final part of our series on Siskiyou County, we are sharing some of the insights we learned from our sitdown interview and walk on the ranch with Crown H Cattle Co.’s Regina Hanna. Check out more photo highlights from all three of the operations on page 46 to learn a little bit more about each of the stops from the Siskiyou County Cattlemen’s Annual Fall Tour.
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ince the 1940s, the Hanna family has been ranching in Scott Valley as Hanna Brothers Ranch, Ranch, producing hay and Angus cattle. Married to Judd Hanna, one of the brothers, Regina Hanna didn’t move to Siskiyou County in 1999 expecting to start her own beef business. It wasn't until years later that Regina began developing an interest in Belted Galloway cattle after first seeing them on an East Coast visit. In 2018, Regina got Sammi, her first Belted Galloway cow, and started what has now grown into Crown H Cattle Co. Today, it is a business that 42 CALIFORNIA CATTLEMAN January 2023
raises Belted Galloway cattle and sells "Beltie” beef directly to consumers through online sales and occasional pop-up markets. Learning about the genetics of Belted Galloway cattle, a heritage breed, and growing this kind of beef is something that Regina says has been fun. The cattle are slower to develop but take less time to finish. Additionally, a hanging carcass weight for a Beltie is only about 650 pounds. Another aspect of Crown H Cattle Co. that ...CONTINUED ON PAGE 44