What does private labeling cost?

It is quoted per project, separately from the flat processing fee of $850 whole or $450 half. The quote depends on label complexity, packaging type, and volume, and we agree it with you before harvest. Nothing appears on your bill that you did not approve.

Do I need my own barcode?

Only if the package will be scanned at a register, yours or a store's. That requires a GS1 US company prefix, which you register directly with GS1. Once you have it, we print the codes on your labels. Ranches selling halves, quarters, or at a farmers market usually do not need one.

Can I use my own label design?

Yes. Send your artwork and we place it within the layout the required elements need. If you do not have a design, we can produce a clean label with your ranch name and the required elements.

Can the label say grass-fed, no antibiotics, or Product of USA?

Each is a special claim that must be supportable with records, and some require prior label approval from FSIS. Product of USA is now limited to animals born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the United States, with documentation. Tell us the claims you want at booking and we will tell you what each needs.

Call and tell us what you have in mind. One animal with a private label is a normal request, and standing programs are quoted on volume.

Can you also hold or ship my inventory?

Pickup is at the plant in Springtown, frozen and boxed. Call to discuss anything beyond that; we would rather tell you plainly what we can and cannot do than have you plan around a guess.

Private Label

Your brand on the package, our inspection behind it

USDA-inspected beef with your ranch name on every package: compliant retail labels, barcodes if you need them, and packaging that looks like it belongs in a case. Restaurants and wholesale buyers, see the foodservice page.

Who This Is For

Ranchers who sell beef, or want to

Because we operate under USDA federal inspection, FSIS Establishment 2918, beef processed here can be sold anywhere in the United States. Private labeling is the rest of the job: making sure every package carries your name and every element the law requires, so a customer, a market manager, or a grocer never has a reason to say no.

Ranch brands selling by the cut
You raise the cattle and sell steaks, ground beef, and boxes under your own name, at markets, from the ranch, or online. You need every package to look and read like a product, not a freezer bag.
Halves and quarters, done properly
You sell shares of animals to families. A labeled package with your brand, the cut name, and the net weight is what turns a one-time buyer into a repeat one.
Getting into a store
A grocer, a butcher shop, or a farm store has agreed to carry your beef. They will want a scannable barcode, consistent package weights, and your inspection status in writing.
Show steer sponsors and gifts
A buyer who kept a show steer and wants to give branded boxes to customers or employees. Small run, high presentation.

Fresh-cut ribeye and strip steaks laid out on trays in the cutting room — Steaks cut and ready for packaging and labels.

Anatomy of a Compliant Label

What every package has to carry

Five elements are required by federal rule. Your brand, a barcode, and any claims are yours to add. We build the layout so all of it fits and reads.

Element	What it is	Status
Your brand	Ranch name, logo, and colors. You supply the artwork; we place it within the required layout.	Optional
Product name	The standardized cut name: Beef Ribeye Steak, Ground Beef 80/20, Beef Chuck Roast.	Required
Net weight	Printed per package at packing. Every package is weighed, so every label is exact.	Required
USDA mark of inspection, EST. 2918	The federal mark with our establishment number. This is what makes the beef legal to sell and what a buyer checks first.	Required
Safe-handling statement	The standard raw-meat handling instructions, required on every package of raw beef.	Required
Name and place of business	Yours as the brand owner, with our plant as the processor, in the format FSIS requires.	Required
GS1 barcode	Needed only if the package will be scanned at a register. You register the company prefix with GS1 US; we print the codes.	Optional
Claims	Grass-fed, no antibiotics, Product of USA, breed names, and similar. Allowed only with documentation, and some need FSIS approval before they can print.	Optional

Claims

What you can say, and what it takes

Every word on a meat label beyond the required elements is a claim FSIS can ask you to prove. Most are fine with records. A few need approval before they print.

Claim	What you need to have	How it is handled
Product of USA / Made in the USA	Animal born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the US, with records you keep	Compliance rule in effect since January 1, 2026
Grass-fed, grass-finished	Feeding records and a written protocol	Special statement; expect a documentation review
No antibiotics ever / raised without antibiotics	Treatment records and a signed affidavit covering the animal's life	Special statement; typically needs prior FSIS label approval
No added hormones	Records showing no implants or hormone use	Special statement; requires the FSIS-mandated qualifying statement
Breed claims (Angus, Wagyu, Longhorn)	Registration or breed documentation	Special statement
Pasture raised / family ranch / your county	Truthful and not misleading; keep support on file	Generally allowed; we will flag wording problems

Summarized from FSIS labeling policy. Requirements change; we check each claim against current guidance when we build your proof.

The full path from one steer to a brand, including permits and pricing, is in how to sell your own beef in Texas.

Packaging

Three ways it can come out

Vacuum seal

Chamber vacuum bags for roasts, ribs, brisket, bones, and anything bulky or bone-in. Label applied to the package.

Rollstock

Steaks and all ground products. Machine-formed packages from 6 and 9 mil roll film, thicker than the industry runs, sealed, then labeled. A retail-case look with consistent package dimensions.

Boxes and cases

Packages sorted by cut and boxed with an itemized count. For store or wholesale deliveries, case-packed to a count you specify.

Hundreds of ground beef patties pressed and stacked between paper sheets

Tenderloin filets cut to thickness and lined up on a tray

Three marbled New York strip steaks on the cutting board next to a boning knife

A boneless ribeye steak on butcher paper

How It Works

Decided before harvest, not after

The label is the one part of processing that has a lead time of its own. Start it when you book.

01
At booking
Tell us the beef is for sale under your brand. Share your label artwork, the claims you want, and whether you need barcodes. This is when problems are cheap to fix.
02
Before harvest
We build the label proof with every required element and flag any claim that needs documentation or FSIS approval. Special-claim approvals can take weeks, so this cannot wait until the animal is hanging.
03
Cutting and packing
Cut to your sheet or your spec, packaged in vacuum or rollstock, labeled with exact net weights, blast frozen.
04
Pickup
Shelf-ready boxes plus the weight report and package count, which is also your opening inventory.

What we need from you

Your brand name exactly as it should print, and logo artwork if you have it
The list of claims you want to make, if any
Your GS1 company prefix, if packages will be scanned
Where the beef will be sold: shares, market, store, online
Package counts per cut, or a cut sheet if it is one animal
A phone number and an email for the label proof

Selling to restaurants or a distributor?

That is a different job: portion-cut steaks to a weight, patties to a spec, case-ready boxes, and specs a chef can reorder. It has its own page.

Foodservice cutting

Watch

Packaging and labels on camera

What USDA Humane Handling Actually Means | Beef Plant Series

September 4, 2026

We Bought a USDA Beef Plant in Texas. Here's What Happens Inside

July 29, 2026

See all videos →

Questions

Private label questions

What does private labeling cost?: It is quoted per project, separately from the flat processing fee of $850 whole or $450 half. The quote depends on label complexity, packaging type, and volume, and we agree it with you before harvest. Nothing appears on your bill that you did not approve.
Do I need my own barcode?: Only if the package will be scanned at a register, yours or a store's. That requires a GS1 US company prefix, which you register directly with GS1. Once you have it, we print the codes on your labels. Ranches selling halves, quarters, or at a farmers market usually do not need one.
Can I use my own label design?: Yes. Send your artwork and we place it within the layout the required elements need. If you do not have a design, we can produce a clean label with your ranch name and the required elements.
Can the label say grass-fed, no antibiotics, or Product of USA?: Each is a special claim that must be supportable with records, and some require prior label approval from FSIS. Product of USA is now limited to animals born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the United States, with documentation. Tell us the claims you want at booking and we will tell you what each needs.
Is there a minimum?: Call and tell us what you have in mind. One animal with a private label is a normal request, and standing programs are quoted on volume.
Can you also hold or ship my inventory?: Pickup is at the plant in Springtown, frozen and boxed. Call to discuss anything beyond that; we would rather tell you plainly what we can and cannot do than have you plan around a guess.

Tell us what you are selling

One animal with your name on it or a standing program, the conversation starts the same way. Call with what you have in mind and we will quote the label work before anything is harvested.

Call (817) 404-7405 Foodservice cutting

Monday–Friday, 10am–6pm

Ranchers who sell beef, or want to

Ranch brands selling by the cut

Halves and quarters, done properly

Getting into a store

Show steer sponsors and gifts