Revolutionizing the meat supply industry with Belcampo CEO Anya Fernald

With all the unhealthy, unethical meat being produced and distributed in the US, the time is ripe for people to start doing things differently. Enter Belcampo, a company that is revolutionizing meat for the wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet. Today we have their co-founder and CEO, Anya Fernald, on the show to talk about her life story and the evolution, ideals, and practices of Belcampo. We kick things off by hearing some context behind Anya’s philosophy. She details her childhood influences and hobbies, and how she fell in love with essential eating and sustainable farming while traveling through Europe learning to make cheese as well as about the practices of traditional agricultural societies. We hear about how this contrasted with her experience of the terrible food culture back in The U.S., leading her to start practicing regenerative farming and eventually founding Belcampo. Anya gets into the practices that make Belcampo different from conventional factory farms, also talking about how they are sequestering carbon, and spreading their approach to farming by partnering with local ranchers. Next up, Anya shares more about the evolution of the company from its roots as a restaurant and butcher evangelizing for wellness, also getting into the exciting new avenues for growth that lie ahead for them! For all this and much more from a true visionary in the field of sustainability, be sure to tune in!

Thank you to our awesome show sponsor, makers of Ben’s favorite grass-fed collagen and powdered MCT: BUBS, a company making just a few extremely high-quality products and giving back a whopping 10% of their sales to charity. Ben uses their powdered collagen and MCT in his coffee every morning. Use the code MUSCLE for a full 20% off your purchase HERE.

Timestamps

• The value of exercising to uplift mindsets in this difficult time. [0:15]
• Introducing Anya Fernald, Belcampo, and today’s sponsor, BUBS Naturals. [1:35]
• How Anya and Ben adjust their carnivore diets with olive oil, avocados, and more. [4:47]
• Learn how to make pemmican, and what goes into making different cuts of meat. [7:51]
• The role of Anya’s farming childhood and love of domestic crafts in her career. [15:23]
• Moving from culinary training into essential eating and sustainable farming. [18:48]
• Anya’s training making bread, cheese, and exploring links between place and food. [21:46]
• How great Anya felt traveling and working in Europe on a diet of meat and cheese. [23:30]
• Shifts in Anya’s view of food while living in a traditional agricultural society in Sicily. [25:14]
• Moving back to the US and becoming unhealthy due to the poor state of meat there. [31:07]
• Getting the idea to source high-quality meat by deciding to self-rear cows for food. [31:15]
• Launching Belcampo in 2012 after realizing there was a gap in the market for sustainable beef. [34:30]
• Challenges selling sustainable meat due to high costs and low-profit margins. [38:58]
• How much simpler good quality meat is to cook and make taste great. [42:12]
• The difference between cruel factory farming processes and those at Belcampo. [44:10]
• How Belcampo’s rearing process sequesters rather than emits large carbon amounts. [50:38]
• Belcampo’s empowerment project outsourcing their farming style to local ranchers. [56:48]
• Growth areas for Belcampo: e-commerce post COVID and stocking grocery stores. [1:03:50]
• Building the Belcampo brand from its days as a restaurant evangelizing for human and animal wellness. [1:06:38]
• Problems with wellness food powders and the culinarian glorification of poor health. [1:10:33]
• That we are disconnected from our food and how to experience more vitality. [1:13:22]
• Traditional food pairings and how this concept feeds into recipes in Anya’s cookbook. [1:16:14]
• The point of cravings and how being attuned to them can make you healthier. [1:17:18]