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Pasture to Plate

People, Animals, Healthy Soils

Celebrating 22 Years

Pasture to Plate

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Who We Are

The PASTURE TO PLATE WHOLE ANIMAL BUTCHER SHOP at 1420 Commercial Drive in Vancouver stocks the finest quality meats and delicatessen, it also draws the connection between our city store and the Rafter 25 Ranch where the animals are born, raised and harvested. At PASTURE TO PLATE we stand for transparency and live up to what we say we are doing. Being totally vertically integrated assures the integrity of the organism, PASTURE TO PLATE, and it assures that you, as the valued customer and quintessential link in the chain of wholesome food production, are paying for what you see and what you want and what you know is good for you.

OUR STORY

Jasmin and Felix

Jasmin and I (Felix) met in boarding school in Switzerland and became high school sweethearts. During the summer holidays of 1977 we hitchhiked through Canada, starting in Montreal, to get to know what ultimately was our choice of country to live and grow in. Vehicles readily stopped and gave us rides and we got to know many wonderful people that way. What a generous people these Canadians were and still are! Back in Montreal I stayed behind with a bleeding heart and hitched rides back to Alberta where I studied Agriculture and Farrier Science at Olds Agricultural Collage, while Jasmin finished her teachers training in Schiers, Switzerland. This was before cell phones and PCs and staying in touch for young love was a challenge to say the least…

Why Pasture to Plate Meats?
Healthier Lifestyle, Ethical Treatment, Environmentally Conscious

P2P Beef

Our cattle spend the entirety of their lives on the ranch and surrounding range.

The cows calve between May and June so the calves get a good start with warmer weather and nutritious milk from grazing cows. They will spend all of summer and fall on the vast range with their mothers (approximately 160’000 hectares). When the snow flies, most of the herd naturally turns toward home though there are always some who need to be rounded up.

P2P Pork

Our hogs spend their entire lives on the ranch.

Piglets are born in our farrowing barn which allows for year-round safe, warm nesting. In cold months they may spend several weeks in the barn until they are sturdy enough to be outside.

P2P Lamb

Our sheep spend the entirety of their lives on our ranch. Throughout much of the year they are grazing on irrigated pastures, during the cold season they are hay fed (we do grow the bulk of our hay on ranch) and supplemented with fodder (sprouts grown from certified organic heirloom wheat). Through all seasons our sheep have access to Redmond Salt and Clay which offers up any minerals they are in need of, keeping them healthy, making their meat, fat and bones super nutrient dense and distributing minerals naturally on the land.

P2P Chicken

Brynna Martin & Clint Engerhart of Williams Lake raise a portion of Pasture to Plate’s chicken. They purchase the same certified organic feed for the birds and use similar outdoor shelter systems while the birds are growing. These birds are also processed at our Chilcotin Harvest facility.

P2P Turkey

Hatched from eggs that have not been vaccinated or medicated, our turkeys are sheltered during the early stages of development. They are fed BC certified organic heirloom grains, fodder (sprouts), fresh spring water (we add live probiotics to the water when they are small) and have access to Redmond Salt and Clay.

P2P Eggs

Our laying hand are hatched from eggs that have not been vaccinated or medicated. The pullets are raised like our broiler chickens, eating certified organic, BC heirloom grains, sprouts, fresh fresh spring water (we add live probiotics to the water when they are small) and have access to Redmond Salt and Clay. Hens start laying at around 6 months of age.

Merino Wool

Our sheep are shorn each spring. Their wool is processed into many beautiful items, including skeins for home knitting projects. The washed, carded and spun wool is available to order online and is for sale in our stores. See our ‘Collaborations’ page for finished products made with our wool!

Deep Litter & Fodder

Fodder is grown for the animals on the ranch during the cold months to supply them with some fresh greens. This is a great way to naturally support their immune systems while also keeping up the high nutritional value of the meat and eggs. Growing fodder is much like growing sprouts at home in your kitchen, only we do it on a large scale. Organic seeds and grains are first soaked, then spread on growing trays. When the sprouts have grown into young plants and are several inches tall, they are fed fresh to the animals.