Correction: This article has been corrected to clarify information.

AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Panhandle Meat Processing is a family-owned and operated business offering livestock and game processing, while also raising and processing their own livestock to sell directly to customers.

Donnie Trammell, one of the owner-operators, said his goal is to make high-quality beef available to every customer.

“You raise the cattle, you sell them to the to the big guys, and then the big guys process them, and then they sell them to the grocery stores,” he said. “So, big guys will tell you what they’re gonna give you and they’ll tell the grocery store what the grocery store is going to have to pay. So since we took all the middlemen out, we’re totally in control of the costs.”

It all starts with their livestock. Donnie raises grain and grass-finished beef, and his son Justin raises lamb, pasture-raised pork, and poultry.

“I raise a lot of specialty animals. So, my hogs are a red meat heritage breed, and I raise them without corn or soy. So they’re, they’re not nearly as big as your commercial hogs, but they have a lot of good flavor,” Justin Trammell said. “And then same thing with the sheep, they’re, you know, grass-finished animals, and then my poultry, they’re all free-range.”

Then comes the processing and dry-aging stage.

“So our dry-aging process is just like it used to be with the whole half carcass in there, which then all the enzymes and bacteria can break it all down in 21 days, and that it just improves the two things, the flavor, and the tenderness,” Donnie said.

According to Donnie, they have 15 to 17 employees who start the day early, at 6 a.m.

“While we’re not doing nearly as many animals, the quality of the cuts is extremely higher than what you’re gonna get in the store,” said Justin. “And that just goes towards the higher quality overall.”

“We have such an exceptional crew,” Donnie added. “You know, they’re actually part of the food chain, is what I tell them, because they’re bringing that from the live, all the way to the dinner table.”

Justin said they are a family business that is transparent with customers.

“It’s building community and being accountable to the people in that community. Because you know, if you buy something from us, you know what you can expect as far as quality goes, and you know, exactly who’s raising it,” he said. “Anytime people want to see how we’re doing stuff, we’re happy to have them come out and see.”

Donnie said they got the building approved last January, so they are a relatively new operation. However, they are opening another storefront soon to get their products in front of more customers.