Carrie Richards @ Richards Regenerative

Wholesale Over DTC, Regenerative in Schools, and the Problem with Big Brands

On this episode of the ReGen Brands Podcast, Anthony speaks with Carrie Richards – the fourth-generation rancher behind Richards Regenerative. Carrie shares her incredible journey working with her siblings to transform their family ranching business to sell healthy, regenerative beef, and all she has learned along the way. Consumers can find Richards Regenerative ground beef and steaks at Sprouts Farmers Markets in California, Arizona, and Nevada, as well as at Richards Regenerative online store and Amazon.

From Book Club Freezers to Regenerative Beef Brand

Richards Regenerative traces its roots back to 1941, when Carrie Richards’ great-grandfather purchased the family’s 6,500-acre ranch in Oregon House, California. The ranch operated as a traditional cow-calf operation for decades, but by 2011, Carrie and her siblings noticed a growing consumer interest in pasture-raised, grass-fed meat and decided to start a new chapter focused on local sales of regenerative meat. Families nearby began approaching Carrie’s father to request whole animals, and Carrie and her siblings began selling whole beef to friends and family in the Bay Area. They also joined the American Grassfed Association to formalize their regenerative production standards and hired a part-time salesperson to begin building restaurant and butcher shop accounts, laying the foundation for what would eventually become the Richards Regenerative brand.

“I sold a half beef to my book club out of my friend’s garage freezer!” – Carrie

Pivoting the Land and the Business

When Carrie and her siblings stepped in to take over the family ranch, they inherited a very traditional cattle operation. At the time, the ranch ran about 600 mother cows and followed a conventional model: buying animals from their cousins, selling nearly all calves at auction, and keeping a few replacements for the herd. Finishing cattle and selling beef directly was not part of the business, and the idea of operating a meat company was an entirely new and foreign concept. Carrie moved up to the ranch full-time in 2016 to lead this transformation, only to realize how much she had to learn—from where to source hay and how to manage irrigation, to understanding the complexities of water districts and landowner responsibilities.

“I had all these ideas of what I wanted to do with the ranch, but I had to listen to the land and figure out what it could actually support.” – Carrie

As Carrie adapted to ranch life and its responsibilities, she also had to learn what the land itself could handle. Not all of her initial visions—such as rotating chickens or multi-species integration—proved viable, especially given the region’s extreme heat and lack of irrigation. Over time, the ranch settled into a more climate-appropriate model focused on grass-fed beef and a pastured pork program. Carrie connected with peers through the American Grassfed Association and the Savory Institute, which helped shape her understanding of regenerative and holistic management. Today, Richards Regenerative strategically utilizes pasture throughout California based on seasonal forage quality and supplements with hay as needed to maintain animal condition. Cattle graze on the family’s non-irrigated land from December to June, then move north to irrigated pastures in Modoc County through November. They also lease land with the White Buffalo Land Trust in Southern California. Cattle are harvested and processed year-round, with animals sourced from their cousins, their business partner Spencer Smith, and leased properties—ensuring a consistent, grass-finished supply throughout the seasons.

Building Markets Through Mission-Driven Partners

The sales strategy for Richards Regenerative evolved from a scrappy, grassroots start into a robust, multi-channel operation with a strategic emphasis on wholesale. Between 2012 and 2019, they grew from selling just 16 head of cattle to moving up to 20 loads a month. Early on, they explored every possible sales avenue—selling prime cuts online, supplying butcher shops, restaurants, and grocery stores, and finding strong demand for their trim products among large customers like Shake Shack. Their partnership with Cream Co. began in 2019 and proved critical, enabling Richards Regenerative to access a wide array of wholesale buyers. Today, their business is roughly 90% wholesale and 10% direct-to-consumer. Carrie credits their continued success to having solid markets for all parts of the cow: strong institutional demand and a reliable wholesale partner in Cream Co. for trim, a premium retail outlet in Sprouts for middle cuts, and a growing DTC channel for prime cuts.

A key driver of Richards Regenerative’s wholesale strategy has been a focus on institutional sales. Carrie and her team joined Beef2Institution – a collaboration with Cream Co., TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation, Community Alliance With Family Farmers (CAFF), Eat Real Certified, Kitchen Table Advisors, and Healthcare Without Harm to connect large institutional buyers with small and mid-size local, regenerative producers. By 2024, Richards Regenerative beef was in 41 school districts across California, in addition to several University of California campuses and UC Davis hospitals. This strategic focus on institutions has helped Richards Regenerative consistently place large volumes of lower-value cuts while supporting a larger mission to help kids, students, and hospital patients access healthy meat.

The Challenges of Big Brand Partnerships

“You can use my face, but only if you’re actually buying from us.” – Carrie

Carrie speaks candidly about the extractive nature of past partnerships with large brands that primarily source imported beef. She describes how some companies would buy a small quantity of domestic, regenerative trim from Richards Regenerative—often just enough to feature her story in marketing campaigns—while the bulk of their supply came from cheaper international sources. At first, the opportunity to work with a major buyer was exciting, especially when it meant moving thousands of pounds of product. But in the long run, Carrie realized these deals often lacked transparency and lasting value. Without robust contracts or a forward-thinking commitment to grow domestic sourcing, these relationships became one-sided, and the brand would continue marketing her ranch long after purchases ended. While she recognizes that many of these companies have good intentions, she’s clear that marketing should stop when the buying stops.

Today, Carrie is proud of her current partners and customers, who are more values-aligned. Her concern now extends beyond branding to the future of the cattle market: with prices at all-time highs and few ranchers expanding herds, she fears a potential crash that could allow large feedlot corporations to consolidate the industry further. In an already challenging landscape where domestic producers are constantly undercut by imported beef, Carrie advocates for honest brand relationships, transparency, and fair contracts for regenerative ranchers.

Data, Labels, and the Future of Nutrient Dense Beef

Carrie sees data—particularly around nutrient density—as a powerful tool to differentiate regenerative beef and help consumers make more informed choices. Through testing with Edacious and the Nutrient Density Alliance, Richards Regenerative discovered that their beef had an exceptionally high omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, far outperforming conventional beef. This confirmed what Carrie already suspected: their animals are metabolically healthier, and that translates into a more nutritious product. She’s excited about the potential of this kind of deep data to help regenerative producers stand out. Still, she acknowledges that it’s hard to translate these findings into clear, compelling in-store marketing. That’s why her team rebranded the company to be called “Richards Regenerative” and redesigned their packaging to be softer and more organic, moving away from the typical green and brown aesthetic to stand out in the freezer case. Carrie is also grateful for influencers like CarnivoreMD Paul Salidino, for endorsing their beef, helping to spread consumer awareness, and solidify their placement in Sprouts.

“When I eat our product, I feel great. When I eat commodity beef, I feel like hell.” – Carrie

How We Get Regen Brands to 50% Market Share by 2050

To get regenerative brands to 50% market share by 2050, Carrie believes we need a multi-pronged strategy that combines market transparency, institutional procurement, consumer education, and robust data systems. Expanding regenerative sourcing in institutions like schools, hospitals, and universities is critical, as it creates steady demand for large volumes of regeneratively raised products and builds public familiarity with the term. Clear and honest country-of-origin labeling is also essential. She believes imported beef, even if processed in the United States, should be labeled as imported to ensure consumers are not misled. She also believes regenerative brands must tell a shared story rooted in nutrient density, flavor, and land stewardship to build consumer demand. Finally, tools like Harvest Path, the Salesforce-based platform developed by Carrie’s brother, can help small and midsize producers improve transparency and traceability across their supply chains. Ultimately, she thinks the unearthing of data by organizations like Edacious holds the key to unlocking both consumer trust and institutional investment.

“Hopefully, the truth that comes out in the data we’re tracking will pivot the way bankers and people with investments look at this, and maybe they will want to invest in change.” – Carrie

This ReGen Recap was written by Katey Finnegan

You can check out the full episode with Will & Jenni Harris at White Oak Pastures HERE

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