Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Mesa Beef so good?
We work hard to raise premium beef for our family and yours by investing in good genetics, nutrition, care and harvesting at the peak time. Our beef is Dry-Aged for an extended 21-Days to ensure premium tenderness and flavor. It costs more and takes longer than the typical 14-Day “wet age” industry standard, but the difference in taste from our steaks to our ground beef, is worth it.
Is your beef Organic?
We are not certified Organic, but we are organically minded. Everything we feed and do is to provide the best All-Natural beef for our family and yours. Mesa Beef cattle are never given any hormones, steroids, or antibiotics. The Organic certification process is lengthly and one that requires routine exhaustive paperwork. We believe it is better to be transparent with our customers about the All-natural practices we’ve always done and will continue to do, than go the certification route and pass the cost on to our customer.
Are you GMO-free?
Yes, we are GMO-free.
Has your beef been treated with antibiotics?
No. Our Mesa Beef will never be treated with antibiotics. In the event an animal becomes sick and requires therapeutics, we will administer lifesaving measures, which may included antibiotics. However, once an animal is treated with antibiotics, it is immediately re-tagged and removed from our direct sales. The animal may be sold to a family we know who understands the care and purpose behind the treatment and the USDA-required withdrawal period during which the antibiotics are naturally metabolized out of the animal’s system.
What is Wagyu beef?
Wagyu is Kobe beef, a highly sought after beef found in high-end restaurants because of it’s intense internal marbling and flavor. Wagyu beef is high in Omega 3 and 6 as well as monounsaturated fats and has the lowest cholesterol level of all meats, including fish and chicken. We have carefully selected the genetics of our black angus heifers and cows so that they thrive on a native grass diet and winter well in our high desert region of Colorado. As a result our cattle utilize grasses and requiring only small amounts of protein and vitamins during our grasses non-growing season. Our DNA-tested Wagyu and Akaushi (Red-Wagyu) bulls provide the perfect Wagyu x Angus cross for highly marbled beef, rich in flavor and health benefits.
Our families have ranched for 4 and 5 generations and we have seen and experienced the proven quality of the Angus and Wagyu genetics and beef. It’s our personal belief that the Wagyu x Angus cross produces the best, most flavorful beef and our customers tend to agree!
Do you feed corn?
No. Mesa Beef is not corn-fed or corn-finished. Mesa Beef cattle are completely pasture born and raised on nutrient-rich prairie grasses. Our grass-fed, grass-finished Angus never eat anything other than pasture grasses and occasionally, locally grown hay. Our Wagyu x Angus beef are finished to prime for an extended 360 days on locally sourced hay, milo, and barley rations customized for us. We personally feed them and although it is more labor intensive, we can fully assure our customers of the care and quality of life in which our beef is raised.
How is your beef harvested?
Our beef is harvested in an ethical manner at a small, USDA-inspected, family-run butchery. As stewards of our animals, we feel a personal responsibility to ensure that they are treated with care and respect. Unlike wholesale and retail harvesting where beef is packaged immediately upon harvest and shipped to grocers to be cut without a wet-age or dry-age period, Mesa Beef is Dry-Aged for an extended 21 days to bring out the best flavor and tenderness, then hand-cut to our specifications.
Do you offer ranch tours?
We are very busy working on the ranch and don’t have time to offer ranch tours yet. However, we love sharing our daily ranch life on Instagram. Be sure to follow us @MesaBeef.
Have more questions?
Please feel free to email Elisabeth personally at E.EricksonNoe@iCloud.com with any questions - we are happy to answer your questions!
Shipping / Returns FAQs
When do you ship?
We ship beef on Mondays and Tuesdays to all states within the continental United States. All beef and perishable items are shipped frozen on dry ice via UPS Next-Day or 2-Day Air in our biodegradable custom liner and boxes. We have a reuse / recycle program that offers customers $100 in free beef once they've sent back 10 boxes. Instructions and labels are included in each shipment. Customers put a used book to donate to our local, rural library in the box and ship it back to us via USPS at the low cost Media Rate. Then we reuse the liners and recycle the boxes. It's a win-win for everyone, including our community library!
Will I receive a shipping notice?
All orders placed online will receive UPS tracking numbers upon shipping. Please contact us after checking your spam/junk folder if you do not receive a shipping confirmation email. We suggest regularly checking on the status of your package to ensure it’s timely arrival.
How will my beef arrive?
Your beef should arrive frozen, but thawing can occur on small orders that do not fill our custom boxes, when shipments are delayed or in extremely hot temperatures. All meat should arrive “cool to the touch” or at refrigerator temperature.
Immediately place beef in freezer upon opening and perishable beef sticks and summer sausages in the refrigerator.
Our jerky is USDA shelf-stable and does not need to be shipped on dry ice or placed in a refrigerator, but we recommend refrigerating any uneaten portion once opened.
What do I do if something is wrong with my shipment?
We delight in making it right and understand that things beyond our control such as shipping delays, lost packages and damaged packaging can occur. If something isn’t right please call / text Elisabeth immediately, 210-380-4594, (leave a message if I’m unavailable to take the call).
Do you take returns?
Unfortunately, we do not take returns at this time. Perishable items out of our control cannot be re-sold or consumed for health purposes and our nonperishable items cannot be re-sold for health reasons as well. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
***DRY ICE*** In the event that the dry ice isn’t not fully sublimated upon opening the package, do not touch with bare hands! Using gloves, simply move the box with dry ice to a ventilated area to allow it to fully sublimate.