Our Background
We're John and Emily Barnes, native North Carolinians who believe the best farm-raised meats start with great people, healthy animals, and a genuine love for agriculture.
Long before Bravo Steaks existed, we were two kids growing up on small North Carolina farms. We both spent our childhoods caring for livestock, showing cattle and other animals, and discovering a passion for agriculture that would eventually bring us together.
Neither of us inherited a large family ranch or a multi-generational cattle operation. In fact, agriculture wasn't the primary source of income for either of our families. Everything we've built has come from years of learning, hard work, and a shared dream of farming. Our paths crossed because of the cattle industry, and from the very beginning, we dreamed of building a farm of our own. That dream has taken us across the country through college, careers, and countless opportunities to learn from some of the best people in the beef industry before bringing us back home to North Carolina.
John has spent his career working in nearly every corner of the beef business, from managing seedstock operations to working in beef processing and cattle genetics. He often tells people that his entire adult life has been centered around caring for beef cattle. Emily combined her lifelong love of cattle with a career in healthcare while gaining experience with Certified Angus Beef, Angus breeders, and livestock production both in the United States and abroad.
Our past experiences have shaped how we farm today. Click here to read more about our farming operation. We believe the best beef, pork, and lamb comes from combining proven science, responsible animal care, respect for our livestock and land, and a commitment to doing things the right way, not simply the easiest way. There are no shortcuts when raising high quality meats, and there are no days off on the farm.
When you purchase from Bravo Steaks, you're not buying meat from a large corporation. You're supporting a family that built its farm from the ground up and takes great pride in raising food we're proud to serve at our own table.
