Niman Ranch: How "Sustainable"?
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009
This article in the SF Chronicle does a great job chronicling the tension between creating sustainable food and running a business. My jaw dropped when I read this:
“But in nearly 30 years of existence, despite becoming the darling of high-end chefs and turning the brand into a household name, Niman Ranch never did turn a profit. In fact, it was broke.”
Niman Ranch beef and pork is literally everywhere in the Bay Area. There was a time when it was a name touted on menus at Chez Panisse and Zuni Cafe but these days, I’ve seen it at local burger joints, the ballpark and even sausage street carts (the nicer ones). With so much volume, I figured they found a way to turn a profit.
In many ways, this is the central tension of sustainable, artisan food businesses. The most voted-on comments in the SF Chronicle article talk about not buying Niman Ranch any more–a testament to the belief in the Niman founder’s vision.
But 30 years is a long time never to have turned a profit. It starts to defy the broader sense of the word “sustainable”…
