Cal Poly Meats

Cal Poly Meats operates at 1952 Stenner Creek Rd in San Luis Obispo, California, under USDA establishment numbers M44052 and P44052. The federal record lists meat slaughter, meat processing, poultry slaughter, and poultry processing, with cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb reported as species slaughtered under inspection. FSIS classifies the plant as very small and places its slaughter volume in the lowest category, under 1,000 head per year. The grant of inspection date on file is May 27, 2021. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and packages are marked Not for Sale, and reports retail-exempt sales.

The facility is tied to California Polytechnic State University. Its website states that Cal Poly Meats was established in 1952, is staffed by Cal Poly students, and serves as a teaching operation connected to coursework including ASCI 211 Meat Science, ASCI 415 HACCP for Meat and Poultry Operations, and ASCI 484 Processed Meat Products, along with student enterprises and research. Beef sold there is described as locally sourced from the university's own herd of Angus and Angus-Cross cattle raised on land surrounding the campus.

Retail is handled through an on-site meat market described on the website as Meat Market and Poly Provisions, with a posted product list. The website says products are also carried on campus at Campus and Village Markets and in a display at the Vons in the Marigold Center off Broad Street in San Luis Obispo. Other Cal Poly products including cheese, eggs, chocolate and jam are listed as available. The contact listed is (805) 756-2114 and calpolymeats@calpoly.edu.

The federal record shows Cal Poly Meats reports custom-exempt slaughter, meaning it processes animals owned by the customer with packages marked Not for Sale, and it reports slaughter of cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb under inspection. FSIS places its slaughter volume under 1,000 head per year and classifies the establishment as very small. The website does not state booking procedures, scheduling lead times, minimums, hang or kill fees, cut and wrap charges, or whether custom work is offered to outside producers, so those details are not on file. Producers should call (805) 756-2114 to confirm what work is accepted, as listed.

Cal Poly Meats reports custom-exempt slaughter to FSIS, which means it can process an animal a customer already owns (a whole, half, or share bought before slaughter) and return it in packages marked Not for Sale. Most small farms have one or two plants they book with, and the plant's calendar decides the delivery date.

Retail is sold at the on-site meat market at 1952 Stenner Creek Rd, with hours posted as Thursday and Friday noon to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The website invites customers to get in touch to place an order and posts a current product list. Products are also described as available on campus at Campus and Village Markets and in a display at the Vons in the Marigold Center off Broad Street in San Luis Obispo. The website lists a separate shipping address at 1 Grand Ave, Building 155, San Luis Obispo, but does not describe an online store, home delivery, or sales of halves and quarters.

If you are buying a half or quarter animal, the plant is where the animal is processed; the farm sells you the animal. Read how to buy a half cow for the sequence and the math.