Creston Valley Meats

Creston Valley Meats operates at 3280 Calf Canyon in Creston, San Luis Obispo County, California, under USDA FSIS establishment numbers M22095, P22095, and V22095. The federal record lists meat slaughter, meat processing, poultry slaughter, poultry processing, and voluntary meat slaughter and processing, with a grant of inspection date on file of June 12, 2019. FSIS classifies the plant as small and places it in slaughter volume category 3.0. Species reported slaughtered under inspection are cattle, hogs, sheep and lamb, and poultry. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and the packages are marked Not for Sale, and reports retail-exempt sales.

The company website is an online store organized by species and category, including beef, grass-fed beef, veal, pork, lamb and spring lamb, goat, spring goat and cabrito, chicken, quail, guinea fowl, turkey and duck, rabbit, sausage, and a set of exotic categories covering ostrich, emu, farm raised venison, farm raised elk and antelope, grass fed buffalo, water buffalo, and llama and alpaca. A large share of the listed items are organ and offal products and raw dog food blends sold by the box, such as beef heart ground, beef heart and tripe, pork and turkey mixes, pig ears, and pig snouts. Other listings include grass fed beef tallow, pork lard, grass fed stew meat, beef tongue, beef cheek meat, and local honey from Templeton. The grass-fed beef section states that all Carrisa Country animals are fed only certified non-GMO grains grown on Certified Big O, with no chemicals, herbicide, or pesticide.

The site describes delivery and pickup as the main way customers receive orders, with north and south delivery routes, local pickup locations, local meet-me appointments, and posted ordering deadlines. Site news posts mention a Templeton pickup location and a Los Osos pop-up. A search snippet from the site states the business has been delivering meats for over 30 years, which does not conflict with the 2019 grant of inspection date, since that date reflects the federal inspection grant on file rather than the founding of the business. Hours, custom slaughter booking procedures, cut and wrap fees, and ownership details are not stated in the material on file.

The federal record shows Creston Valley Meats reports custom-exempt slaughter, meaning it processes animals owned by the customer and returns the meat in packages marked Not for Sale, in addition to slaughter and processing under federal inspection. Species reported slaughtered under inspection are cattle, hogs, sheep and lamb, and poultry, and the plant is classified by FSIS as small with a slaughter volume category of 3.0. The website includes a page titled USDA Harvest and Processing Customer Guide, but the text of that guide, along with booking lead times, minimums, kill day schedules, and cut and wrap fees, is not in the material on file. Producers should contact the plant at (805) 835-3172 to confirm availability and terms.

Creston Valley 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.

The website functions as an online store with a cart, customer login, and newsletter, and products are listed by species with prices per pound or per box. Many items are sold by the box or with a minimum poundage, for example beef cheek meat at a five pound minimum and several raw pet food blends sold by the box only. Orders are received through north and south delivery routes, local pickup locations including a Templeton pickup mentioned in site news, and local meet-me appointments, with posted ordering deadlines. Site guides cover how deliveries work, how to place an order, how to feed raw pet food, and how to store and thaw products. Halves and quarters, a walk-in retail counter, and shipping outside the delivery routes are not described in the material on file.

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.