Florida Beef Inc.

Florida Beef Inc. operates at 441 State Road 64 East in Zolfo Springs, Hardee County, Florida, under USDA FSIS establishment number M21528. The federal record lists the plant for meat slaughter and meat processing, classes it as a small establishment, and shows a grant of inspection date on file of October 25, 2021. Species detail is not reported to FSIS. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, meaning it processes animals owned by the customer with the resulting packages marked Not for Sale.

The company website describes Florida Beef as a beef company that provides customized solutions for the beef industry, with stated emphasis on animal welfare, food safety quality, traceability, and environmental stewardship. The site says the company operates two production facilities in Florida supported by a network of cattle ranches and regional livestock markets across the southern United States, and that its products are packaged in a variety of formats and packaging types. The website traces the company's origins to the Lee Family in Bacon County, South Georgia, and describes cattle ranching in that area beginning in the early 1900s, though it does not give a founding year for Florida Beef itself.

The website is oriented toward wholesale and industry customers rather than retail buyers. No retail counter, hours, price list, halves or quarters program, booking process, or cut and wrap detail is stated in the sources on file. Details beyond the federal record and the company's general description are not yet on file.

The federal record shows Florida Beef Inc. as a slaughter and processing establishment that also reports custom-exempt slaughter, so animals owned by a producer can be processed with the returned packages marked Not for Sale. The company website describes work with a network of cattle ranches and regional livestock markets throughout the southern United States and says it offers customized solutions to beef industry specifications. Booking procedures, scheduling lead times, minimums, kill days, fees, and cut and wrap options are not stated in the sources on file, so a producer would need to contact the plant directly at the listed phone number, (912) 584-1600.

Florida Beef 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.

Nothing in the sources on file describes a retail counter, halves or quarters, bundles, online ordering, delivery, or shipping to households. The website states that the company's beef products are enjoyed by consumers across the world, but it does not describe direct-to-consumer sales. Households interested in buying should contact the plant to ask what, if anything, is available.

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.