Founded by veteran cattle pros Dustin Dean and Jason Peeler in July 2014, Dean & Peeler Premium Beef—an authentic cattle operation in the heart of South Texas—is taking its one-of-a-kind beef product to the restaurant masses. The family-owned and operated ranch, which is located in Floresville, Texas, has exclusively partnered with another family-owned company—Houston-based Martin Preferred Foods—to catapult its Black Label beef to restaurant menus across the Lone Star State.
The newly cemented partnership serves as part of Martin Preferred Foods’ Local Program, which touts a mission of raising awareness and distribution for Texas purveyors.
“As a Texas-based company, our current objective is to continue to raise the profile of local farmers and ranchers, especially in this era of increased hyper-locality,” says Jeffrey Tapick, Martin Preferred Foods CEO and president. “Our alliance with Dean & Peeler further highlights this goal, as we are committed to spreading the unique appeal of the brand’s Texas beef to our growing customer base for years to come.”
“We spend countless hours nurturing our cattle in order to produce a finished product that showcases the utmost quality and attention to detail; Martin Preferred Foods truly understands this commitment,” says Peeler. “As a family run company, it was important to Dustin and I to partner with a distributor that shared our core value of community. We’re proud to welcome Martin — a family-owned company with nearly 75 years of experience—to our extended family.”
Dustin & Jason’s lifetime in cattle production and feeding has translated into both of their families investing in one singular mission: creating beef for beef connoisseurs. This means providing an unparalleled yet consistent steak experience for both the restaurant and consumer, which is achieved by using the best practices in animal husbandry.
The Texas-born duo utilizes a variety of tactics to achieve this goal including the selection of high quality Angus-based genetics—a skill Dustin Dean, who earned his Ph.D in Beef Cattle Development & Marketing Texas A&M, has perfected—and managing individual animal health and nutrition needs.
The only ranch in the country that is both locally and vertically integrated, Dean & Peeler’s strategic process works to eliminate the variability in animal production as well as the ongoing inconsistencies usually found in beef products.
Key phases of Dean & Peeler’s Premium Beef System include a 100 percent locally sourced vegetarian diet that utilizes ingredients gathered within a 150 mile radius of the Texas ranch; ownership of each animal from birth to harvest; and the animal’s full lifespan being spent in Texas, with 90 percent of its life unfolding merely 35 miles from the Alamo. The result of these techniques is premium beef that touts unparalleled quality and consistency.
“Chefs often fall victim to a box of meat product riddled with inconsistencies. It’s an epidemic that is not only frustrating for the back of the house, but can also lead to an inconsistent customer experience,” explains Dean. “Looking at the current U.S. cattle supply, we knew the variability in animal production styles created inconsistencies in the final product’s quality. We created an all-encompassing system to not only fix this issue, but also to develop one of the most sustainable cattle programs in the country that directly and indirectly employs more than 50 families in the South Texas region.”
Consumers can currently find Dean & Peeler Black Angus beef at restaurants and hotels across the state of Texas including Loro (Austin), Treaty Oak Distilling (Dripping Spring), Poitin (Houston), Botika (San Antonio), Hotel Alessandra (Houston), Hugo’s (Houston), Four Seasons Austin (Austin), Salt & Time (Austin), The Gaylord Texan Resort (Grapevine), The St. Anthony Hotel (San Antonio), and Rosso & Flynn Modern Butcher (Austin). To find out more about Dean & Peeler, visit martinfoods.com/dean-peeler
