Nine years ago, my father and I founded Santa Carota Beef with a vision to create a better, more sustainable beef business. We built our company on the idea of finishing cattle with waste carrots instead of grain, creating a unique and environmentally friendly product. Over the years, we’ve poured our hearts into this business, growing it into something we’re truly proud of and becoming deeply involved in our communities in both Bakersfield, California and Southlake, Texas.
Two years ago, everything changed. We discovered that a large meat processor was mixing foreign beef with ours and decreasing our orders. When I confronted them, our orders suddenly skyrocketed, forcing us to harvest cattle faster than ever and borrow heavily to keep up with demand. Despite our best efforts, the financial hole created by the processor’s actions was too deep. We stopped harvesting cattle a year ago and filed a lawsuit, but the legal battle has drained our resources. We’ve already lost a 10,000-acre leased ranch and are now selling cows and equipment just to feed our families, support our employees, and pay mounting legal bills.
Our challenges have only grown. I moved to Southlake, Texas, so my seven-year-old daughter could receive better treatment for her cerebral palsy, hoping to help her become more independent. Most recently, my father and business partner became very ill and was diagnosed with cancer, requiring me to return to Bakersfield to run the ranch while he receives treatment at MD Anderson. We are running out of money to support our family, our employees, and our fight for justice.
But this fight is about more than just our ranch—it's about standing up to corruption in the meat industry. For years, big meat processors have run over the little guys, using dirty tricks to push small, honest businesses like ours to the brink. If we don’t stand up to them now, they’ll continue to do so in the future, hurting more families and communities. We aren’t very good at asking for help, but we have exhausted all other avenues and do not want to lose our family ranch because of a large, corrupt meat processor. Any support you can offer—no matter how small—will help us keep our ranch, care for our loved ones, and stand up for what’s right. Thank you for being part of our journey.
Two years ago, everything changed. We discovered that a large meat processor was mixing foreign beef with ours and decreasing our orders. When I confronted them, our orders suddenly skyrocketed, forcing us to harvest cattle faster than ever and borrow heavily to keep up with demand. Despite our best efforts, the financial hole created by the processor’s actions was too deep. We stopped harvesting cattle a year ago and filed a lawsuit, but the legal battle has drained our resources. We’ve already lost a 10,000-acre leased ranch and are now selling cows and equipment just to feed our families, support our employees, and pay mounting legal bills.
Our challenges have only grown. I moved to Southlake, Texas, so my seven-year-old daughter could receive better treatment for her cerebral palsy, hoping to help her become more independent. Most recently, my father and business partner became very ill and was diagnosed with cancer, requiring me to return to Bakersfield to run the ranch while he receives treatment at MD Anderson. We are running out of money to support our family, our employees, and our fight for justice.
But this fight is about more than just our ranch—it's about standing up to corruption in the meat industry. For years, big meat processors have run over the little guys, using dirty tricks to push small, honest businesses like ours to the brink. If we don’t stand up to them now, they’ll continue to do so in the future, hurting more families and communities. We aren’t very good at asking for help, but we have exhausted all other avenues and do not want to lose our family ranch because of a large, corrupt meat processor. Any support you can offer—no matter how small—will help us keep our ranch, care for our loved ones, and stand up for what’s right. Thank you for being part of our journey.