OWB Packers, LLC

OWB Packers, LLC operates a beef slaughter and processing plant at 57 East Shank Road in Brawley, Imperial County, California, under FSIS establishment numbers M21488 and V21488. The federal record lists meat slaughter, meat processing, meat identification, and export certification activities, with cattle as the species slaughtered under inspection. FSIS classifies the plant as large and places it in slaughter volume category 4.0. The grant of inspection date on file is April 1, 2021. The federal record also lists a number of doing-business-as names associated with the establishment, including Abatti Ranch, Gourmet Beef, Hearst Ranch, Heartbrand, Imperial Valley Black Angus, Imperial Valley Ranches, Imperial Valley Wagyu, Masami Foods, One World Beef, Santa Carota, and Super Prime.

According to the company website, the Brawley plant was built in 2001 by cattle feeders of the Imperial Valley and covers 337,000 square feet. The site states it was the first beef processing facility built from the ground up in the United States in 20 years, and that the animal handling area was designed with assistance from Dr. Temple Grandin. After expansions completed in 2006, the website reports capacity to process upwards of 2,300 animals per day. The company describes training employees to perform both harvest and fabrication, and quotes CEO Eric Brandt on producing craft beef for local and export markets. A quote on the services page refers to a team that has grown to over 800 people in four years.

The business model described on the website is toll processing, in which cattle owners retain ownership and the plant processes to their specifications. The site says this serves customers ranging from thirty head a week to over a thousand head a day, drawing from local Holstein producers in the Imperial Valley to Wagyu raised in Texas and Washington. The website states the plant is USDA inspected and equipped to handle organic, halal, Angus, Holstein, and Wagyu cattle, and that it markets brands produced at the facility through a partnership with One World Beef and an export verification program. No custom-exempt activity is reported to FSIS, and the sources on file describe no retail store or direct-to-household sales.

The website describes a toll processing agreement as the plant's core model, accommodating customers who process thirty head a week up to over a thousand head a day, with demand reported from ranchers as far as Texas and Washington. Customers can choose processing techniques including half carcass, minimally fabricated, or retail-ready for export markets. The site states the plant can organize cattle by natural, organic, and conventional, can process multiple classifications including cattle over certain months of age, heavy cattle, and cows, and offers halal upon request and certified organic handling. Cattle handling areas were designed with assistance from Dr. Temple Grandin. FSIS reports no custom-exempt activity at this establishment, meaning slaughter is carried out under federal inspection. Booking procedures, scheduling lead times, minimums, and fees are not stated in the sources on file. Sales inquiries are directed on the website to Robin Canfield at (760) 550-1900.

OWB Packers, LLC operates under a federal grant of inspection, so product from this plant can be sold anywhere in the United States, which matters if you sell online or across a state line. FSIS does not list a custom-exempt activity for this plant.