Fauquier's Finest Custom Meat Processing, Inc.

Fauquier's Finest Custom Meat Processing, Inc. operates at 11746 AG Industrial Drive in Bealeton, Fauquier County, Virginia, under USDA FSIS establishment number M33940. The federal record lists the plant for both Meat Slaughter and Meat 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 under 1,000 head per year category. The grant of inspection date on file is March 24, 2021. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and the packages are marked Not for Sale.

The business operates a website under the name Finest Butcher, which describes the facility as a federally inspected USDA meat processing plant offering custom cutting for beef, hogs, lamb, and goats. Animals are processed to customer specification using species-specific cut sheets. The site states plainly that it is not a retail shop. Note that the FSIS record lists cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb as slaughter species, while the website describes custom cutting that also includes goats.

Beyond cutting, the website describes finer processing including sausage in a variety of seasonings, many without MSG, available for all species, and bacon and hams that may be cured and hickory smoked with or without nitrites. Product is vacuum sealed, bone guards are used on bone-in items, and finished product is placed in a flash freezer. Per USDA regulations, all product is labeled before leaving the building; the plant offers a generic label carrying its own name and the meat identity, or private labels carrying the customer's farm name, meat identity, and package weights for a one time set-up fee. The website states the cutting team has a combined 65 years of experience.

The website posts a full price list for producers hauling animals in. Beef carries a $60.00 kill fee plus a $1.10 per pound processing fee on hanging weight with a 500 pound minimum charge, or $0.75 per pound for primal cutting on the same minimum; whole quarters are $100.00 with a $5.00 daily hanging fee, splitting a beef into quarters is $15 per quarter, and hide disposal is $19.00. Pork carries a $60.00 kill fee plus $1.10 per pound on hanging weight with a 125 pound minimum, whole halves at $75.00, and curing and smoking at $2.50 per pound on green weight. Lamb and goat processing is $150.00, with whole lamb or goat at $75.00, frenched racks and boneless rolled and tied leg roasts at $1.50 per pound. Labeling is $0.15 per pound of finished weight, boxes are $4.00 each and hold roughly 40 pounds, and a 3 percent credit card convenience fee applies. Cut sheets are due at drop off, with a $5.00 per day fee if not turned in within 3 days. Storage is $10 per day per animal after the eighth day following notification that product is ready. Cancellation or no show with less than 10 days notice is $150 per animal. Sausage seasoning requires a 20 pound minimum per flavor for pork and beef and a 15 pound minimum for lamb and goat. The plant asks that customers bring their own containers at pickup and prefers product be fully frozen before it leaves. Private labeling with farm name, meat identity, and weights is available for a one time set-up fee, and the website states all meat processed there may be resold.

Fauquier's Finest Custom Meat Processing, 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 website states explicitly that Finest Butcher is not a retail shop, and no retail counter, meat bundles, online meat sales, delivery, or shipping are described in the sources. Households would obtain meat by arranging processing of an animal they own or by buying from a farm that has product processed here. The plant does offer detailed cut sheet choices for beef, pork, lamb, and goat, including steak thickness, roast size, and hamburger package sizes of 1, 2, 5, and 10 pounds, so a household splitting a whole or half animal can specify how it is cut. Note that on a whole or half beef two cutting options per section are available, while on a quartered beef only one option per section can be chosen, and beef over 30 months of age must have the spinal column removed, leaving only boneless loin cuts.

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.