56 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN February 2026 got into it, the more I felt that the amount of time I was investing was not worth the size of the project. We either needed to be done or go bigger.” This decision led Albers to buy and build a beef processing plant to focus on solving some of these problems they ran into. By purchasing the old Coors Light distributorship building in Norfolk, they began building out modules in it for further processing. “We use a third-party kill plant in Omaha; that way we can trade some of the beef before it even comes here,” Albers explains. “We’ll sell off some of that fattier trim and any cuts that we may not need or want and try to generate a little cash flow. Then we move on to trying to value up the rest of the animal in my plant.” The plant further processes beef, then warehouses the refrigerated product to store and ship from. They have room for gradual expansion and plan to add more smokehouses and more freezer storage. They have built the business to ship product for several companies and are looking forward to creating more products for their customers with their stateof-the-art packaging and processing facility. Their business is well known across Nebraska and beyond for changing the game of local beef marketing. Albers attests that it takes time to build brand awareness and for people to find you and start buying from you. The same is true on the meat processing side, taking years to build the layers of business in the small processing world. “On the processing side, it’s definitely just about being in the meat industry and meeting people,” Albers says. “I started talking to a company I’m going to work with six years ago. Now, we’re about 15 months into it, and that relationship that I started working on six years ago is paying off.” From the consumer side, Albers jests that they still have people who don’t know where their retail store is located, but building a social media following and doing some paid ads have helped to build brand awareness from Norfolk to across the nation. “Our retail is about 35 percent online sales, and 65 percent is in-person, and most of those customers are within 30 miles of the retail store,” Albers states. “The retail really gave us the runway to build the plant. We have a good following in Norfolk, and we’re really happy with where the retail side is.” Looking toward the future, Albers plans for the processing plant to value-up the animal through further processing and contract work. Their focus will include more ready-to-eat products, including smoked and pre-cooked proteins like snack sticks and summer sausages. Local Beef, Lasting Impact From small, relationship-driven beef businesses to larger scale processing and retail operations, Nebraska producers are demonstrating that direct-to-consumer beef sales can succeed in many forms. Whether simplifying bulk purchases for families or investing in infrastructure to serve customers across the state and beyond, these operations share a common focus on transparency, quality and trust. As consumer interest in local food continues to grow, producers who listen closely to their customers and adapt with intention will be well positioned to strengthen local economies and build lasting connections between farms and the people they feed. ~NC~ BUILDING TRUST AND OPPORTUNITY THROUGH DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER BEEF MARKETING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 54 Blake Albers of Albers Craft Meats.
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