Our Story
West Michigan Beef Co. LLC was started in 2003 in response to the need for a small, local meat packer that could slaughter and process a variety of cattle from farms in the surrounding area. Ron and Don Vander Boon started the business using the experience and contacts gained from working as the 3rd generation in a family beef packing business. In the beginning, all the chilled carcasses were shipped whole or in quarters to other establishments for further processing. In 2007, the decision was made to begin a processing operation at a vacant facility in Kalamazoo and in 2009, after renovating, this operation was moved to Hudsonville. Today, nearly all chilled carcasses are processed at our own facility and the processed meat is shipped to a variety of customers in the West Michigan area as well as Detroit and Chicago. West Michigan Beef also continues to offer local growers, county fairs, etc. custom slaughter and shipping of carcass quarters to local processors. As a small company, West Michigan Beef is able to offer personal service both to livestock owners and to customers.
Our Policy
West Michigan Beef Co. LLC is a family-owned supplier of beef to locally owned as well as regional and national customers. West Michigan Beef has been in the beef slaughter and fabrication business since 2003 and the safety and quality of the products that West Michigan Beef manufactures is of paramount importance.
West Michigan Beef operates under United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations and inspection. Our HACCP-based food safety and quality system is independently audited by a third party institution following Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) – Safe Quality Foods (SQF) standards. This includes pre-requisite programs or Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) such as pest control, employee hygiene, approved suppliers, sanitation procedures, training, specified risk materials removal and segregation, chemicals control, etc. These programs are put in place to ensure that our products meet and/or exceed USDA and customer expectations and requirements.
West Michigan Beef seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of our products by focusing on our most valuable asset, our employees, developing procedures and policies, reviewing programs, and improving our facility. Above all, West Michigan Beef seeks to glorify and honor God in all that we do.
West Michigan Beef operates under United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations and inspection. Our HACCP-based food safety and quality system is independently audited by a third party institution following Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) – Safe Quality Foods (SQF) standards. This includes pre-requisite programs or Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) such as pest control, employee hygiene, approved suppliers, sanitation procedures, training, specified risk materials removal and segregation, chemicals control, etc. These programs are put in place to ensure that our products meet and/or exceed USDA and customer expectations and requirements.
West Michigan Beef seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of our products by focusing on our most valuable asset, our employees, developing procedures and policies, reviewing programs, and improving our facility. Above all, West Michigan Beef seeks to glorify and honor God in all that we do.
Sustainability
The management of West Michigan Beef Co. LLC strives to reduce waste wherever possible. Each part of every animal is utilized. All of the waste generated in the live animal holding barns is either composted or land applied for fertilizer. The waste generated by the slaughter and processing of the cattle is sold for rendering, used for pet food/treats, or composted. The transport of live cattle is kept to a minimum by buying locally whenever possible and the transport of processed meat is kept to a minimum by selling nearly 80% of the meat produced within a 25 mile radius of the establishment.