Meet The Fossen’s — The People Behind The Beef
Lepp’s Beef has been front and center since we opened our doors in 2009. Our commitment to raising high-quality, hormone- and antibiotic-free cattle in BC hasn’t wavered. Seeing this process through from start to finish gives us pride in what we’re serving, and confidence in what you are buying at the meat counter. I am so excited to introduce you to the people behind the beef, our partners in this farming journey, Doug and Erika Fossen, and the Fossen Bar 7 Ranch.
Now in its third generation of farming, Doug and Erika, along with their daughters, are raising high-quality beef cattle in the beautiful Rock Creek Mountains, just outside Osoyoos, BC. The Fossens have been recognized provincially for their commitment to agriculture, sustainability, and ranching, winning the BCCA Ranch Sustainability Award in 2022. Nationally, they were awarded the Environmental Stewardship Award from the Canadian Cattle Association.
Their hard work largely goes unnoticed and deserves to be acknowledged and appreciated. Ranching in BC is no small feat. Our beautiful mountain ranges and lush forests are both a source of beauty and present a challenge. Rugged terrain, significant weather changes throughout the seasons, and pressure from beef being imported from around the world make this one tough gig.
We continue to put every effort into bringing you the best food possible at Lepp’s, while stewarding the land where we grow and raise food. After meeting the Fossens, it was a no-brainer for us that this multi-generational BC family ranch and our Lepp family were a perfect match. You won’t find a family more proud of their work or more passionate about protecting their land. The future is bright for both this BC ranch and your dinner plates! We are so incredibly grateful that you continue to join with us in our commitment to farming and supporting BC agriculture. In the coming weeks, we will share more stories from Rock Creek and conduct interviews with Doug and Erika so you can get to know them. This way, you can confidently say that you know where your beef comes from and it’s the best beef around!
Continue reading to learn more about our beef, the aging process, and what you can expect when purchasing your cuts from Lepp Farm Market.
Our cows are Black Angus Triple A, a breed known for high-quality meat with superior marbling, tenderness, and flavour. The cattle roam freely over thousands of acres of ranch and crown land in the summer, grazing on its lush grasses. In the winter, and are finished on a diet of hay, silage, and barley at the Ranch, where they enjoy spacious and dry conditions.
When the beef is ready for processing, we trust Scott Meats. It is a government-licensed facility and a small, family-owned processing plant that delivers our sides of beef to us so our butchers can practice the old-fashioned art of nose-to-tail butchery.
Before we get to butchering, though, we dry-age our beef in a climate-controlled environment for a minimum of 21 days for enhanced flavour. This process concentrates the flavour through moisture loss and enhances tenderness as enzymes break down the meat. This means you are getting a little more bang for your buck, since the weighted price isn’t correlated with water weight. Once the beef is dry-aged to perfection, we are ready to butcher. Every morning, our butchers prepare the beef into the cuts you know and love using traditional techniques.
We also work hard to minimize waste. Every morning, our ground beef is freshly ground and put in the meat case for our guests to enjoy, and nightly, the remainder is used for other purposes. We sell frozen, use it in our cafe (hello Shephard’s Pie!), or make house-made sausages. With the beef that can’t be used for other purposes, we also make our own dog food! Made with the same beef we sell in-store, Okanagan apples, and squash.
You can be sure that our meat case is always stocked with the freshest beef in all the cuts you know and love, plus some new ones to discover as well. You can feel good knowing exactly where our beef is coming from, how it’s raised, and processed. We are proud of our beef products and hope you love them.
If you are looking for custom cuts or have any questions about our beef, its cuts, or the best ways to cook them, do not hesitate to ask any of our employees at the meat counter or call them at 604-851-5377, ext. 114. They are always happy to help!
