Who We Are
Our Name
The term “whole earth” was crafted one day while standing in a computer retail shop on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. We imagined a thriving, unfettered livestock and fowl grazing scenario. The whole earth as a space for grazing, healthy eating, and enchantment.
It was a moment of “wow!” for us.
“Whole Earth” grazing is 6 to 8 inches deep of the finest native grasses, where livestock and fowl are adding to the eco-system. The concept is the opposite of mass commodification and technological processes. It is an aspect of submission to what we cannot truly control or manipulate. Whole Earth grazing means cleaner water, quality soils, beautiful air, and healthy, happy animals and plants.
We use the term “whole” to refer to the notion of being complete; something in its entirety. We also use the term “whole” to refer to the notion of wholesomeness, lusciousness, full of quality and substance. When we couple “whole” with “earth” we get the naming arrangement that conveys: the dynamic and good food establishment that prevents physical diseases and hopefully broadens the opportunity to embark on spiritual healings, improving the whole earth.
Our Mission
To develop high quality, sustainably raised and processed, humanely slaughtered meat and poultry. Whole Earth Meats Inc. is a for profit organization that is committed to preserving the land, water, air, and animal kingdom, and through the dynamism of the time-honored reality of buying and selling, bringing a sophisticated array of meat and poultry products to the local marketplaces.
Our Vision
Whole Earth Meats wants to take part in every aspect of the food system. Serving an integral role in the entire food system is how Whole Earth Meats envisions ensuring that a low-impact to the environment, and thus high quality foods will become more common and benefit the human and her animal and plant co-organisms. Our vision is to incorporate traditional concepts of food and eating into the permanence of communities across the world, the whole world. By operating a business that unravels and re-presents aspects of the entire food system – from the earth to the plate, a Whole Earth family of products and services will emerge.
Our Philosophy
Whole Earth Meats is committed to deriving business concepts and practices in ways that speak true to sustainability and biodynamics.
- Local – rreducing carbon emissions. Concern and active involvement in businesses, communities, and families that are nearby – that are more or less sharing the same water, air, land, plant, and animal life.
- Sustainable/Biodynamic – farms that add ecological value to the land and surrounding wildlife. Farms that raise livestock and fowl on non-genetically modified pasture. Livestock that is grazed exclusively in the warmer months of the lunar and solar calendar, and in the colder months is raised on moist and dry hay. Fowl that is fed grain that has not been genetically modified and offers the best combination of nutritive balance that is complemented with fresh grass and legumes. We use the entire animal in our operation, or, in necessary circumstance, divert offal to suitable outfits in order to limit landfill messes.
- Humane treatment of fowl and livestock – our farmers do not using dehorning or stunning to raise its animals. The utmost care is taken to keep pregnant livestock from slaughter. When animals are in transit, care is taken for the animal’s health, the climate conditions, the transport vehicle, and the length/distance of travel.
- Humane Slaughtering – we ensure that our fowl and livestock are humanely slaughtered without the use of electrocution or cranial knocks, which are common at most USDA and state inspected meat lockers. We use a simple method that is painless to the animal. We are a bonafide Zabiha-Halal meat operation
- Quality Processing – that the highest regard for cleanliness is maintained and practiced; that the carcass is properly allowed to tenderize and age ensuring quality flavor, smell, and color; that a variety of cuts and seamless packaging is repeated each time, ensuring freshness and extending the shelf-life of the meat or poultry cut.
- Low Impact – Our farmers avoid unnecessary water usage; plowing the land with methods that damage the inherent integrity of the local land and water system. We encourage our farms to use renewable fuels when operating farm and road vehicles to decrease the amount of CO2 spewed, to protect our air system. Only livestock and fowl that our customers request are farmed, slaughtered, and processed. We do not support or take part in excessive, industrial scale farming, slaughtering, or processing.
- Reinvestment Interest Free – Whole Earth Meats recognizes that small farmers throughout North America and around the world suffer from inadequate resources and capital. Whole Earth Meats is developing an investment strategy to assist small, sustainable farmers within its present locality radius in making capital investments on their farms and ranches. These capital investments will mean that farms and the food that we eat from them are more effective against climatic changes and that we are better nourished in these times.
