About
FIVE GENERATIONS OF RANCHING
Colorado Craft Beef’s story starts over a century ago in the eastern plains of Colorado. In 1909, the Enlarged Homestead Act doubled the allotted acreage a homesteader could settle and in 1917 the great, great grandfather of our founder, Kara Smith, took it upon himself to move west and break ground on a ranch for him and his family, determined to wrench a life out of the semi-arid grasslands. His determination set the stage for what would become our family ranching business, Double Slash N Ranch.
Now, Kara has taken the lead, moving the family ranching business towards a model that allows for selling directly to our customers all across the United States while also focusing on the blending of environmental sustainability and traditional stewardship of the land.
The Land
Colorado Craft Beef’s headquarters is built within a half mile of where our family originally settled, residing on over 5,000 acres filled with wild grasses, and lush, summertime forage. Our cattle enjoy a great deal of space to foam and seek out their own nutrition. We remain, as we always have, dedicated to sustainability and being environmentally conscious. We conserve natural resources Coloradans have been blessed with by closely monitoring the time cattle spend in different tracts of lands and by using solar and wind energy to keep water available for our animals as they traverse the plains.
THE CATTLE
Heavily rooted in tradition, all cattle work accomplished by Colorado Craft Beef is done on horseback, reducing the stress on the cattle and the landscape. Our cattle make up a large portion of the population here at the ranch, but we’re also incredibly proud to share the ranch with extensive wildlife including deer, antelope, coyotes, and wild birds, among others. The // N Brand and Colorado Craft Beef are not only devoted to the Colorado quality and principles our customers have come to expect, but work to ensure that dedication is passed onto future generations.
When you purchase from Colorado Craft Beef you’re dealing directly with us, the ranchers. When we say we run things from start to finish we mean it, and that also means answering calls and responding to emails. Want to get in touch with us? You can contact us directly at [email protected]!