Nebraska-based, family-run butcher shop and meat processing company Albers Craft Meats first began in 1928 when Herb Albers Sr. built the Herb Albers Feedlot in cattle feeding country. This small operation grew over each generation, eventually diversifying into multiple businesses. One of those businesses is now known as Albers Craft Meats, ran by Blake Albers.

The National Provisioner sat down with Albers Craft Meats Founder and CEO Blake Albers to explore the background of this premium protein provider specializing in beef, pork and seafood products, as well as the company’s focus on a farm-to-table experience.

The Albers family first established Albers Beef back in 2015, offering home-raised cattle to consumers. At this time, the family decided to prioritize connecting consumers with their local meat products. After building a tasting bar and butcher shop in 2018, Albers Craft Meats became passionate about helping other local producers scale up their operations while adding value to the animal and increasing throughput.

“The biggest challenge for small producers and owned brands is balancing up the carcass. Portioned cuts on strips, ribeyes and tenderloins only really account for about 75 pounds after it gets into that package,” Albers said.

Alberts Craft Meats has honed its focus on getting the rest of the animal sold and creating markets for that meat. “That was where we decided to focus, and that’s where version 3.0 came in, where we built that USDA-inspected facility and really started focusing on our local retail instead of just e-commerce,” Albers said.

In 2023, Albers Craft Meats opened a USDA-inspected beef processing facility in Norfolk, Neb. By constructing this facility, the company was able to process and package beef from their own cattle while processing beef for other family ranchers. Albers Craft Meat prides itself on premium cattle selection, as well as a high-quality culinary experience.

With its online butcher shop, Albers Craft Meats connects consumers to local protein producers. Albers and his wife most prioritize nutrition for consumers in this online marketplace, offering a clean, fully cooked, portioned meats called Prepped Proteins. Each pack in this line includes 6 ounces of high-protein, low-carb meat, seasoned and ready to go. Product examples include Fiesta Chicken, Big Al’s Brisket, Herb Rubbed Chicken and Santa Maria Tri-tip.

With this this new line, Albers Craft Meats hopes to connect consumers with nutritious meat products focused on health and wellness, using this nutrition-focused lineup to introduce new customers to the full line of Albers Craft Meats products.

The company also offers membership and delivery options for customers, with multiple membership plans that address diverse shopper needs. Membership options include monthly access membership with free delivery and access to steak sales and recipe and preparation tips, as well as a monthly delivery membership, featuring a custom beef bundle delivered each month, with free delivery and access to steak sales. The company also offers a delivery annual membership to local customers, featuring free delivery and a rotomolded cooler for product placement.

“Those are separate goals from the processing business motive, which is to help producers, and then the e-commerce side is to help the consumers,” Albers said.

Local retail operations are greatly benefiting Albers Craft Meats, particularly as shop customers come in wanting bulk beef at value prices. Albers finds that this demand benefits both the customers and the company. “It’s hard to ship those bulk beef value items on an e-commerce site and make it all make sense from a shipping perspective, so it’s been a natural thing that’s really complemented the other things we’re doing,” Albers said.

At its brick-and-mortar location, Albers Craft Meats offers a full-service butcher shop experience for customers, featuring local beef, sausages and seafood. The shop also sells custom bundles and holiday gift boxes.