written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . september 2016 learn how and when to remove this template message niman ranch inc. type private industry food distribution founded 1969 founder bill niman headquarters bolinas california oakland california usa key people bill niman founder and former chairman no longer associated with company jeff swain ceo jeff tripician executive vice president eric silvius cfo products beef pork lamb and poultry revenue 75 million projected 2008 number of employees 110 subsidiaries niman ranch pork co. website nimanranch.com niman ranch is a san francisco bay area based ranch meat processor and distributor of high quality beef lamb and pork founded by rancher william ellis bill niman who has since left the company . niman ranch is owned by chicago based natural food holdings part of hilco equity partners . contents 1 history 1.1 early years 1.2 growth and investment 1.3 niman becomes a national brand 1.4 embezzlement scandal 1.5 bill niman leaves niman ranch 1.6 perdue buys niman ranch 2 production and distribution 2.1 partner farms 2.2 slaughter and butchering 3 footnotes 4 references 5 further reading 6 external links history edit early years edit in 1969 niman a hippie and elementary school teacher moved from minnesota to the small coastal town of bolinas california . 1 there he purchased a ranch for 18 000 to begin a part time pig goat and chicken farming operation . his first cattle were acquired as trade for tutoring services . 2 for several years niman operated as a typical family farm . in 1978 orville schell journalist and factory farming critic became a partner in the operation and the company was renamed niman schell meats . the next year they began to raise cattle exclusively . the us government condemned the then struggling farm by eminent domain in 1984 to become part of the point reyes national seashore . niman and schell received 1.3 million in compensation and were allowed to continue grazing cattle on the property for the rest of their lives in exchange for nominal rent . growth and investment edit by 1994 the company had developed a reputation for high quality beef but demand was exceeding the company s production capacity . in 1994 niman met iowa pork farmer paul willis and began private labeling willis meat under the name niman schell . 3 in 1997 niman undertook an ambitious expansion aided by management changes and several million dollars of funding . that year investors rob hurlbut and mike mcconnell became owner partners and the company was renamed niman mcconnell . hurlbut a former manager of coffee for nestle became the ceo . orville schell left to become dean of the uc berkeley graduate school of journalism . subsequently the company also accepted funding from pacific community ventures a community development venture capitalist itself funded in large part by the california public employees retirement system calpers . 4 revenues grew in the period from 3 million in 1997 to 5 million in 1998 and 20 million in 2000 as niman began to sell packaged meats in grocery stores . 2 projected revenue for 2008 was 75 million . niman becomes a national brand edit growth of niman ranch is credited to restaurants that list it by name on their menus . from nearly the beginning niman was unique among small farms in that it sought to create a consumer product brand . the development of california cuisine and by extension much of modern american cuisine is often attributed to celebrity chef alice waters . when waters opened her iconic chez panisse restaurant in 1971 bill niman sent her pork for evaluation . waters agreed to buy pork from niman and included both the name and company logo on her menus . 5 in 2001 niman entered an agreement to sell pork to the chipotle mexican grill restaurant chain . to meet the demand paul willis recruited hog farmers mostly from the midwest to raise pigs under contract . 6 today niman ranch sells to 1 200 restaurants and restaurant groups . 7 two large grocery chains whole foods market and trader joe s also carry niman s branded meat products as well as smaller grocers throughout the united states . safeway and other large chains have periodically carried the products on a regional basis . success has brought considerable competition . whole foods market and trader joe s now carry their own house brands of high quality premium meats using many of the same production and marketing techniques . 6 in july 2006 chicago based natural food holdings part of hilco equity partners bought a major stake in the company ; at the time niman ranch was losing close to 3 million . in january 2009 due to bankruptcy niman ranch was merged into its chief investor . 8 the current ceo jeff swain said that the company is making 7 000 a week since natural food took over rather than losing 10 000 . 9 embezzlement scandal edit in april 2010 former niman ranch treasurer gary steven gross was indicted by a federal grand jury of defrauding the company of more than 1.6 million . 10 bill niman leaves niman ranch edit in august 2007 bill niman left the niman ranch after increasing confrontations with a new management team over money and animal protocols . bill niman is no longer part of the company and is forbidden to use his surname commercially . 11 he refuses to eat the company s products because he alleges such problems as the use of antimicrobials less verifiable feeding standards and poor animal treatment . 9 bill niman continues to live on his 1000 acre 4 km ranch in bolinas 7 with his third wife environmental lawyer and animal welfare activist nicolette hahn niman . she convinced him to spare from slaughter their pet cow girlfriend when they were first married in 2003 . 12 his first wife died in a horseback riding accident in the 1970s 11 and his second 11 year marriage ended in divorce . 13 because ms. niman is a vegetarian bill niman eats almost no meat . 12 in 2005 niman co authored the niman ranch cookbook . he now raises mostly goat meat for slaughter as well pigs on an organic farm in iowa . 11 written by nicolette the book righteous porkchop finding a life and good food beyond factory farms was released in feb 2009 . despite her own vegetarianism she argues that nonfactory meat consumption is not necessarily less eco friendly than a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle . 14 perdue buys niman ranch edit in september 2015 perdue farms a large poultry company announced that it was buying natural food holdings the owner of niman ranch . 15 production and distribution edit among the products niman ranch distributes are beef steaks and roasts pork chops ribs and roasts lamb chops and roasts ground beef pork and lamb fearless franks hot dogs beef or pork cured and uncured pastrami corned beef brisket uncooked ham bacon guanciale pancetta salame stew meat and bones and pig feet . uncured processed meat is preserved with a similar process involving celery juice a natural source of nitrites . partner farms edit niman ranch claims that their livestock are 100 % traceable from farm to fork . the company sold niman s original cattle feedlot in 2008 because it was not financially viable . 9 the company works closely with 50 cattle ranchers nine sheep farmers and 470 pork farmers . 7 each must agree to a detailed set of protocols for raising and treating their animals . these include animal feed is all vegetarian . no animal products other than milk for lambs . animals must be humanely raised on environmentally sustainable ranches . no antibiotics except in individual cases to treat illness . however the company does use antimicrobials which were forbidden under bill niman s watch . 9 no ionophores or hormone supplements . animals are individually pre approved and must be traceable to the farm where they were born . all vitamins minerals and other supplements must be approved . when it can not purchase all available supply niman ranch favors full time family farmers . pens and other enclosures and facilities must allow animals to express their natural behaviors . animals remain with their social groups . there are other standards with respect to pen sizes bedding bunks shade water treatment of sick or injured animals and herding practices . niman ranch inspects each supplier for adherence to the protocols . hog farmers are audited yearly for compliance with the animal welfare institute rules for ethical treatment . angus hereford and shorthorn cattle graze on pasture for 14 18 months . when they reach 900 pounds they are finished on a diet of barley corn wheat soy molasses and hay . in exchange for agreeing to these terms niman ranch pays a premium of several cents per pound over commercial wholesale prices . it also guarantees a minimum floor price for pork if the hog market crashes . 2 slaughter and butchering edit most niman ranch pork is processed at a slaughterhouse in iowa lamb in california and beef in utah . after slaughter animals are transported and butchered to order at a company owned facility in oakland california . there some cuts of steak are dry aged . as of 2006 the company was engaging meat processors in atlanta boston and washington dc as regional hubs to better serve national distribution agreements . this section needs to be updated . please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information . october 2016 6 footnotes edit bjerklie 2004 a b c idoch 2005 rodell 2005 barron 2004 gale 2006 a b c kaihla 2006 a b c hastings 2005 duxbury 2009 a b c d finz 2009 lee 2010 a b c severson 2008 a b finz 2008 gollan 2005 niman 2009 http www.nytimes.com 2015 09 09 business perdue expands in specialty meat business.html references edit anonymous august 24 2003 weddings celebrations ; nicolette hahn william niman the new york times retrieved 2008 02 13 barron rachel august 27 2004 . vcs see green in community ventures . east bay business times . american city business journals . retrieved 2009 02 27 . bjerklie steve february 25 2004 . niman s new model . meat processing . archived from the original on 2006 10 17 . retrieved 2007 01 17 . duxbury sarah february 22 2009 financial difficulties herd niman toward merger san francisco business times retrieved 2010 05 05 fasano natalie 2008 book review the righteous porkchop by nicolette niman eats.com retrieved 2009 10 31 finz stacy february 13 2008 odd couples culinarily mismatched mates achieve harmony in the kitchen san francisco chronicle retrieved 2008 02 13 finz stacy january 16 2009 niman ranch founder challenges new owners san francisco chronicle retrieved 2010 05 05 gale daryl october 11 2006 niman ranch s steve kerford on going direct target marketing gollan jennifer may 2 2005 grown in marin better beef naturally grown in marin marin independent journal retrieved 2008 02 13 hastings michael june 29 2005 niman tries for happy tasty animals winston salem journal idoch 2005 international directory of company histories 67 st. james press retrieved 2007 01 18 kaihla paul april 12 2006 . marketing designer meat . business 2.0 . cnnmoney.com . retrieved 2009 02 27 . lee henry k. april 23 2010 niman ranch ex official indicted fraud sfgate.com retrieved 2010 05 05 niman nicolette hahn 2009 10 31 the carnivore s dilemma the new york times retrieved 2009 10 31 rodell besha june 15 2005 bill niman an all natural pig farming rock star independent weekly retrieved 2009 02 27 severson kim october 14 2008 with goat