Sunnyside Meats, Inc.

Sunnyside Meats, Inc. operates at 253 County Road 216 in Durango, La Plata County, Colorado, under USDA establishment numbers M27236 and V27236. The federal record lists meat processing, meat slaughter, and voluntary processing and slaughter for meat and rabbit, with a grant of inspection date on file of December 16, 2020. FSIS classifies the plant as very small, and its reported slaughter volume category is under 1,000 head per year. Species reported slaughtered under inspection are cattle, hogs, sheep and lamb, and goats. 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 company website describes the business as Southwest Colorado's USDA inspected livestock processing facility, family owned since 2002, serving ranchers throughout the Four Corners region including southwestern Colorado, northern New Mexico, and Arizona. Listed services are USDA inspected processing, Not For Sale processing, and sausage making, curing, and smokehouse work. Under USDA inspection the site names beef, hog, lamb, and goat. The site states the facility is inspected annually by Animal Welfare Approved, an independent accredited program, and is certified for humane livestock handling techniques and for its livestock receiving and holding accommodations.

The website references processing forms that can be filled out online, online harvest appointment scheduling, posted processing prices for 2026, policy documents dated July 30, 2024, a storage fee document, and a deposit agreement to be downloaded, signed, and returned to the office. A Local Producers page names East Pines Beef of Cortez, Colorado, and Windrift Farms pork of the Uncompahgre Valley as partner producers, and states that meats from local producers are available at wholesale prices from the packing house. Details beyond what is stated here are not on file.

The plant is set up for producers hauling cattle, hogs, sheep and lamb, or goats, and reports both USDA-inspected slaughter for resale and custom-exempt slaughter where the customer owns the animal and packages are marked Not for Sale. The website says harvest appointments are scheduled online and processing forms can be completed online. It also posts processing prices for 2026, new policies dated July 30, 2024, a storage fee document, and a deposit agreement that must be downloaded, signed, and returned to the office. Specific minimums, lead times, and fee amounts are not stated in the material on file. FSIS lists the plant as very small with a slaughter volume category of under 1,000 head per year, so producers should confirm capacity directly.

Sunnyside Meats, Inc. 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 establishment reports retail-exempt sales to FSIS, and the website states that a variety of meats from local producer partners is available at wholesale prices from the packing house, referring buyers to a Wholesale and Retail page. Named producer partners include East Pines Beef of Cortez, Colorado, and Windrift Farms pork. Halves and quarters, bundles, delivery, shipping, and online ordering are not described in the sources on file. Note that Sunnyside Farms Market, a separate storefront on Escalante Drive in Durango, appears in search results and is not the same address as this processing facility.

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.