Northfork Bison began operations in 1997.
Back then, there was not as much nutritional information on the benefits of bison meat.
Rocco Verelli remembers when restaurateurs in Quebec had no interest whatsoever in offering bison meat on their menus. Considering how popular the meat is in 2013 for its health benefits when compared to traditional beef, it is difficult to fathom anyone resisting Verelli’s overtures as recently as 1997.
All the nutritional information available, sales pitches and persistence would not prove fruitful, however, if Verelli didn’t believe in the product he was selling. He says believing in bison as the next wave in consumer tastes is the reason his company – NorthFork Bison – is among the leaders in distribution of bison meat in Canada and the eastern United States.
“You have to walk into a restaurant and you keep pounding on the owner who keeps saying, ‘No, no, no,’ and gets so fed up at seeing you that they’ll give it a try because you’re determined and believe in your product,” Verelli explains. “Once you’re into one restaurant, you’ll get into other restaurants through referrals.
“But you have to believe in your product,” Verelli says. “The name of the game is believing what you’re selling is the best out there. And you have to eat it, too. It was easy to believe in bison because it was good for you and it’s very tasty.”
Based in Montreal, NorthFork Bison Distribution Inc. operates one of the largest federally approved bison meat-processing plants in Canada. The company’s bison are raised in clean, natural environments without utilizing chemicals, hormones or pesticides, it states. Additionally, NorthFork is involved in every step of processing, including managing natural grazing, transportation, processing and packaging.
DEMAND FOR SUPPLY
So much has changed for NorthFork Bison since Verelli launched his company in 1997. After struggling to land those first few accounts in those early days, the company barely can keep up with demand for its bison meat.
To keep up with demand, Verelli says NorthFork Bison tries to keep its inventory levels high throughout the year to make sure it can meet customer demand as well as honor its contracts with ranchers. “We try to keep inventory throughout the whole year to make sure we have contracts with ranchers that ensure they’ll have a steady supply to give us,” Verelli says.
In fact, NorthFork Bison completely rearranged its relationships with ranchers about 10 years ago to exert more control over its supply chain. Today, the company works directly with ranchers instead of purchasing meat through third-parties.
“We did that over 10 years ago because we decided to control the chain,” Verelli says. “We have our own processing plant and our own delivery trucks, and we took it from there.”
By controlling the supply chain, NorthFork Bison can maintain its quality standards in every step of its operations. For instance, Verelli says while the industry standard is to vacuum-seal buffalo meat for preservation, NorthFork Bison uses a process called “railing” to age its meat naturally, which adds more taste to the meat.
“We age our meat on the carcass on railing, then vacuum and then sell to our customers so there is no plastic taste or smell,” he says.
NorthFork Bison backs up its product with a full guarantee. “We are so confident that NorthFork Bison meats are the best-tasting, highest-quality you’ll find, every NorthFork Bison meat purchase comes with a 100 percent unconditional satisfaction guarantee,” the company says. “If [customers] are not entirely satisfied with [their] purchase, we will refund [their] full purchase price, no questions asked. We hope this guarantee allows [them] to shop with confidence in our quality, and in our commitment to serve [them].”
ABOVE AND BEYOND
The future is bright for bison meat, which means NorthFork Bison has plenty to look forward to in the years to come. Aside from providing quality bison, the company has expanded its offerings to include elk and wild boar. Verelli says NorthFork Bison is willing to serve as an industry expert in a variety of capacities for its clients, including aiding in marketing their bison products or delivering product for customers in a pinch.
“We deliver to our customers directly and we always keep an inventory for the products they request,” Verelli says. “Also, anything they want to promote, we’re there to help them out with that, too.”
Written by Article by Jamie Morgan for
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