We've just picked up our third purchase from Stemple Creek Ranch - a half beef this time. The quality of this beef is consistently outstanding. This ranch provides animals with excellent care that shows in the meat. They're also great to do business with and communicate quite well. If you haven't tried getting meat directly from a rancher, this is one to try! You won't regret it. The flavor is so deep and the character of the meat is quite different from conventional ranchers. Try it! read more

Stopped by Stemple Creek this morning at the Farmers Market to inquire about beef Tenderloin filets. They are asking $40.00 for an 8 oz filet. That makes the Filets $80.00 a pound. WELL that is just outrageous, and in my opinion, all they are doing is ripping out the public. Needless to say, I didn't buy any. I used to buy from them. But no more .SHAME on them. read more

Absolutely first class meat products, easy web ordering, and never had a delivery issue.

I contacted Stemple Creek Ranch to request a quote for one of their products and to discuss the regular quantities I'd need. The only response I received was a curt "no thank you," which felt extremely dismissive. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and called two more times, only to have my calls redirected without anyone ever answering my questions. Honestly, I felt this was because my English has a bit of an accent -- they acted like they couldn't understand me, even though I haven't had this issue with any other farm or supplier. Every other company I've contacted has been respectful and helpful. It's a shame that my experience with Stemple Creek Ranch was so rude and unwelcoming. No business for you. read more

NOT an honorable business. My longtime friend and business colleague and his wife big steak eaters and every time we eat in a steak restaurant they rave about the steaks from this facility. So I finally submitted. Wanted to get a nice dinner put together for my wife for Valentines. Ordered the product on Sunday received it late Thursday afternoon, and the product was warm. When finally trying to get a hold of them, a Connor Hackett spent his entire time wanting to argue with me as to the temperature of the product when one receives it and the fact that it's always shipped with dry ice. The box that I received at 5:15 PM in Palm Springs with the outside air temperature of 72° when I opened the box that was number one no dry ice and number two some of the product like the hot dogs were cool but not cold. The hamburger meat was cold in the center and very soft on the outside and the fillets were cold in the center and soft on the outside tip. This man seemed to only want to do one thing and that is argue with the customer. Good luck with ordering something from these people it may come in edible or it may come in as just junk if you wouldn't even feed your dog. read more

Fantastic place! The food was outstanding quality and taste and the owners of the ranch are so welcoming. I highly recommend it!

Beautiful venue to host an event or wedding. It was picturesque and weather was perfect at the time of my August event. Definitely achieves the "rustic barn" vibe only without feeling like you are in an actual barn because it's so clean, but it can get hot inside so it's nice to be able to go outside for some fresh air. The guest restroom structure looked newly built and was super clean and well-kept. Parking was available on site and the ground was a mix of gravel (from parking lot to the structure) and wood floors and concrete (inside the structures, in case guests need to know what to select for suitable event footwear). Overall my friend group had a wonderful experience at this stunning location. read more

My review is on the steaks I ordered directly from their website. Outstanding! The packaging, the ice and all that was done perfectly. The steaks were great! For all the grass fed steaks I have tried recently, they have the best tasting and tender steaks. I will be ordering more when I'm done with my current order. Thank you! read more

This vender engages in dishonest practice in the weighing of their products. I buy their meat from farmers market. Sometimes they wrap their meat in a thick layer of coated white cloth-like material in addition to the normal clear plastic packaging. I was initially annoyed by that because I couldn't see what the meat looked like and assess the quality. One day after my purchase, I noticed the printed weight seemed to be heavy compared to the size. I borrowed the scale from another vendor. It turned out the actual total weight is exactly the same as the weight I was charged for(printed weight). The vendor did not subtract the tare weight of the packaging. I was charged for the weight of the meat and the weight of the packaging. Especially with the additional weight of the heavy "white cloth", I think the total packaging must weigh more than 0.1 lb. I went back to the Stemple Creek booth and showed it to the vendor. She denied it until I showed her a picture of the meat on a scale. She did not apologize. I guess it is business as usual for them. read more

While the meat is good, their delivery service GLS has left more than one order on the street instead of delivering to our porch. The first time that happened, I contacted Stemple Creek & they suggested I write delivery instructions requesting the package be left on the porch. Really, this just should be standard, especially with an almost $300 package. I wrote clear instructions this time, yet the carrier ignored them - see attached photo. Perhaps Stemple Creek pays less for this carrier than UPS & unfortunately, this is a case of you get what you pay for. Sadly, we can't depend on a safe delivery, so won't be ordering again. read more

Stemple Creek Ranch - delivery left on street, not porch - Specialty Food Near Me

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From start to finish, my wedding experience with Stemple Creek (Katie and Lauren) has been one of the most positive venue experiences I have ever had. I got married on March 18, 2023, and it was the best day of my life. Katie and Lauren were professional, kind, and the venue was the most beautiful place I could imagine to get married at. The team at Stemple Creek was so on top of everything, easy to work with, and also very communicative. 10/10 would get married again if I could, and definitely at Stemple Creek! read more

I've enjoyed Stemple Creek meat for years. Grass fed, but not tough cuts of various kinds. Always top notch. When I saw that they started shipping meat I started checking boxes! Ribeye, heritage pork, hamburger meat and more. There was an issue with the shipper they chose (rhymes with "oops") and the meat came in a couple of days late and was no longer cold. The very helpful Stemple Creek person got on the phone with me and she made sure that we were shipped a new box with the same order. Plus, she sent it via another carrier so the same issue doesn't happen again. Great food and great service... read more

Stemple Creek Ranch - A perfectly cooked STF ribeye... Delish! - Specialty Food Near Me

Liked the meat very much. The hamburger ground with bacon were epic. Want to support local family farmers as farmers are the of America! But 3 grown blue collar men who work hard & myself needed larger portion of each item. Don't want to cook korean ribs & a flap steak to get enough meat for one big dinner. Would love larger portion of each cut for bigger family needs. Wish I could do half a beef like I could do in midwest & not have things like heart, liver, bone marrow removed & sold separately. Would like half of what was butchered. I am interested in ordering again but for now am stuck with costco to get serving sizes for big meat eaters. read more

We've ordered 2 boxes from Stemple Creek since the Covid lockdown, and have been very impressed both times. I've enjoyed having cuts of meat that I wouldn't normally purchase and figuring out how to prepare them. And you can't begin to compare their beef to anything you'd get in a store, even a high-end market. It is amazing - great flavor and very tender. This time around we got a beef and pork combo, the pork comes from Llano Seco and so far we've had the chops which are to die for. Amazing. Can't wait to cook the shoulder this weekend. read more

Stemple Creek Ranch was the best decision we made for our wedding. When we toured the ranch initially, it was love at first sight. It felt comforting and inviting every time we visited. The ranch did not disappoint on the day of our wedding either. The trees stood tall, the fall flowers were in bloom, and the sky was painted with beautiful colors amongst the golden rolling hills. Additionally, the site managers, Lauren and Katie, are also the best humans. We are so grateful for them. They were flexible and supportive throughout the whole wedding process. They also added so much joy to the day of our wedding as well. Stemple Creek Ranch will always hold a special place in our hearts because our favorite day was there. We can't wait to come back to visit one day. read more

Bought a whole sheep from them a couple years ago, the meat and price was good but they didn't give me any organs despite my request to get them. Since then the prices have been absolutely ridiculous. $55/lb for rib eye? No thanks! read more

So from watching television you probably know that happy cows from California make great cheese, but did you know that they taste really good too?! Although I've been visiting many local farms over the past few years this was my first visit to a cattle farm, and honestly, I was quite excited. I've been experimenting with vegetarianism a bit lately, but the bottom line is that I'm still a meat eater and regularly love the taste of a juicy, tender cut of beef. Stemple Creek Ranch is a family owned and operated ranch that has been on this Marin site since 1902. They raise cattle and lamb here for the meat. Our group from Bay Area Green Tours met up with Loren Poncia and his wife Lisa to learn a bit of history about the ranch and learn more about their product as well as their ranching practices. At the time of our visit we were told that there were about 600 animals here. I assume the number includes both cows and lambs even though we saw many times more cows than lambs. Our discussion was based mainly on the cattle. Loren cherishes his bulls here as they are the key to producing healthy cattle on the ranch. Each bull is responsible for mating with 25 cows and on average most cows are impregnated within the first month. They give their bulls up to 75 days to impregnate a cow. Momma cows on the ranch average about 12 years, but the bulls are quite older. Loren believes his oldest cow is about 19 years. As cherished as his bulls are though we were told that 3 or 4 bulls are bought or sold each year simply to change the genetics around. All of the animals at the Stemple Creek Ranch are raised naturally and feed on fresh grasses, hay produced on the ranch and fresh water from an abundance of creeks that run throughout the ranch. The ranch extends for many miles out to the Pacific Ocean. Through the use of electronic fencing his cattle move from pasture to pasture feeding on freshly grown grasses for up to 3 days before moving on to another. As a rule each pasture is allowed to rest for at least 60 days before they are used again. We took a walking tour into one of the pastures where the grass was literally up to our knees in height. Loren showed us which grasses his cattle preferred to eat and even gnawed on some himself to show us how his animals will eat the grass. Although all of the grasses are eventually eaten by the animals he explained how some of the cattle will often return to the same exact spot each time in the specific pasture remembering their favorite grass was there. Loren often wishes his cattle could be fat like corn-fed cows but knows all too well that the product from grass-fed cows, although leaner, offer fewer calories and are higher in Vitamin E and Omega-3 fatty acids. As each animal reaches a certain maturity and size the animals are taken to a USDA facility in Petaluma to be "harvested." Loren does not like to use the word "slaughter" when describing the process his animals go through. As Lisa took over taking us through the pasture Loren returned to the house to fire up his grill and surprise our group with samples of the beef from Stemple Creek Ranch. They opened up their home to us so that we could use their restroom facilities to wash up before sampling the product. He and Lisa had prepared some tender, braised beef prior to our visit and these were cut into bite size pieces for our enjoyment. Meanwhile, Loren had the grill going cooking up dozens of fresh inch thick burger patties and marinated Korean short ribs. The fresh beef had a unique flavor that is difficult to describe. It was absolutely delicious. Beef and lamb from Stemple Creek Ranch can be purchased in large quantities through their website. For those who don't wish to purchase half an animal they do sell choice cuts of their beef and lamb every Sunday at the San Rafael Farmers Market and at the Valley of the Moon Certified Farmer's Market at the Sonoma Plaza on Tuesday evenings. The ranch offers regular tours for the public. You can find specific dates for public tours by checking their website. read more

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My first experience with Stemple Creek was great. Loved everything from the ground beef to the steaks. Then I ordered from them again during the pandemic and it took a couple of weeks to get my order (which is fine, it's a pandemic and people are hoarding) but the meat I got was of vastly inferior quality. No fat at all in the steaks. I got some NY strips and some ribeye. They were sadly too lean and disappointing as steaks, so I ground them up with unrendered some beef fat and some good quality chuck into fancy burgers. I don't mind an occasionally variable product (it is a natural product, after all), but at this price point, I expect better meat with consistent quality. I won't be trying it again. Too expensive to be a disappointment. I am glad other people seem to be having better luck so please don't avoid buying from them because of my review - try it for yourself. read more

We got married here and it was absolutely perfect, as well as fitting our budget (unlike many other options is the Bay Area). Katie who runs events is the BEST. I'd highly recommend Stemple Creek for events and especially for weddings! We just can't wait for our photos, which we'll share with Katie so she can't post to their insta! read more

When friends offered us the opportunity to buy in on a cow, I jumped at it. At first I thought, wow, that's a lot of beef, but we have enough freezer space for it. It is worth every penny, and look, my 700th review! This is some of the best-tasting beef you'll ever buy. It's local, grass-fed, and delicious! We even did a side-by-side comparison with some Safeway stew meat when we realized our share of stew meat wasn't going to be enough for the evening. Comparing the marbled deliciousness of Stemple Creek to whatever it was we bought from Safeway... there is really no comparison! It was obvious even after cooking which was the clear winner. Whenever I ended up with Safeway meat on my plate, I would grimace and just eat it. Every piece of Stemple Creek stew meat on my plate was savored. So friends, if any of you are ever asked to split a Stemple Creek cow in the future, the answer is always YES! Unless you're vegetarian/vegan. PS - They do ranch tours! read more

Just ate the first bit of "Edgar" (as we're calling him) last night. HOLY DELICIOUS MEAT BATMAN. Seriously, if you're a carnivore, you need to be eating Stemple Creek beef - end of story. read more

I toured this farm once in the summer with a meetup group that advocates eating locally farmed, organic, grass-fed beef. So we had a group of probably 20 people and the manager, Loren, who is also the grandson of the guy who started this farm, gave us a tour of the farm and then grilled some beef for us to try out. All I can say is, I am sold on locally farmed, grass-fed beef! They use the sustainable farming practice, where they rotate the grass they grow in the farm in the way that the soil does not get depleted by over farming. I did not know there are different kinds of grass you can grow on the farm. I also learned that cows fed with grass, which is their natural food, are leaner and smaller with higher omega-3 relative to omega-6. The corn fed cows are bigger and therefore the commercial farms mass produce corn fed cows to maximize their profit. Corn fed cows are fattier though and their meat has higher omega-6 relative to omega-3. The ideal ratio for our omega-6 to omega-3 is 3 to 1, however generally Americans daily intake is about 20 to 1. Also their beef is raised organic, meaning that the cows were raised with organic feed (grass). They are not "finished" organic, meaning maybe the last couple weeks before they were "harvested" by the slaughter house they are not fed with organic grass after the cows leave the farm. We tasted generous portions of grilled burger, New York steak, filet, prime ribs, etc. There was minimum seasoning required (just salt and pepper) and the meat tasted so so good. After the tasting we were free to purchase some meat that they pre-stored in their freezer in their ranch house. I bought as much as my cooler can contain and with lots of beef bones to make bone stock. It took me two months after that trip to finish all the beef I got from that trip. I got filet, chuck roast, burger, New York steak and It was the best beef I have had! I wish I lived closer to the farm so I can get their meat more often. Two-hour drive all the way from San Mateo is no small matter. Loren mentioned that they will have their meat at Whole foods soon but I don't recall I have seen it at my local WF yet. I have friends who participate in the beef-share program where they buy a cow with a few folks and when the beef is harvested they get a fraction of the cow based on the weight of the meat harvested. So I might just buy a few pounds from my friend when they receive their share of the cow. read more

Love, love, LOVE Stemple Creek Ranch beef and lamb -- amazingly tender and tasty. The ranch has been in Loren's family for four generations. They practice environmentally friendly ranching, making sure that the earth and the animals are happy and healthy. Loren and Lisa are great to work with -- just take a farm tour and you'll see how wonderful they are! Find a way to share this with the ones you love. It doesn't get better than this. read more

For the past year I have been sick with stomach problem after stomach problem. Recently I purchased a movie called Food Inc. and it opened my eyes up to how much I don't know where my food comes from. I lived in the middle east and Europe while growing up and we would go to the butcher and buy our meat fresh, all natural grass fed beef. Well, after watching the movie I decided that I'm going to purchase my meat from a local rancher, and support our local farmers and hopefully in the process heal my body. I will no longer buy meat that has been manipulated, filled with hormones, antibiotics and fattened with corn! I did a lot of research. I looked for ranches that are within two hours of my house so that I can actually go and visit the ranch and learn more about the process. I found Stemple Creek Ranch, they raise 100% Angus organic all natural grass fed beef. They are located close to the ocean, therefore, the animals are breathing fresh clean ocean air and eating natural grass. I emailed a few ranches and Stemple Creek Ranch responded right away. The owner, Loren, emailed me right away and answered all my questions. He offered to call me back to answer any other questions I might have. This is the first time I'm buying direct from the farmer so having the owner of the ranch answer all my questions was so helpful. They don't harvest until May timeframe so I have not tried the meat, but I have to say their customer service and knowledge has been amazing and I can't wait until May to pick up my meat and cook some delicious and healthy food for myself and family. read more

Excellent Beef great flavor, tender, no hormones and natural grass fed beef! Thank you , Loren Ponica - Stemple Creek Ranch read more

Stemple Creek Ranch - Specialty Food Near Me

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Love this ranch. Love the owners- their products are delicious. We went on a tour and grilling course here. Such a great experience. I'm a blogger and wrote all about it here. http://thisfineday.com/blog/2013/5/8/grilling-at-stemple-creek-ranch read more

Simply amazing! The owner is so kind, the meat incredible, I couldn't recommend them any higher- Last weekend we celebrated with the best steaks anyone had ever tasted- thank you Loren!!! We are fans forever! read more

This review is strictly about their customer service as I'm waiting for my shipment of meat. I'll update when I get it. But first, their customer service is absolutely fantastic! I emailed the morning after my order was supposed to be delivered and the woman in the office, Maddie, got back to me quickly and clearly. Then later on in the day UPS notified me that they now were not going to deliver my order until 5 days after the original delivery day almost assuring that the meat would be defrosted and spoiled by the time it got to me. About 10 minutes after emailing Maddie the update she had already handled getting the package rerouted back to the ranch and making sure I got a replacement order shipped out ASAP. This is how you do customer service, if the meat is half as good as their service I'll be a customer for life. read more

First of all, I hardly ever review anything ,but after traveling the 2+ hours from the south bay to the butcher, I was hoping I would get some truly wonderful grass fed beef. I am a graduate of CIA new york and have eaten some of the best beef in the world until I tasted this stuff. I bought a 1/2 cow. Let me tell you I have never had beef that tastes so strongly of old Mutton in my life! I even called the Ranch and they were nice enough to send me a few extra steaks to try again. These were just as bad, the most heavily lamby muttony flavor I have ever experienced!!! I cannot get over what I paid for and received after driving around 5 hours on top of it. I have had many varieties of grass fed beef from around the world. Unfortunately, never never again will I buy beef from Stemple Creek. My wife and parents and young daughter all refused to eat it. I ended up throwing most of it away. I never like to throw food away, especially meat that is supposed to be better than the rest. what a waste of a cow's life! Honestly, Safeway beef is actully much much BETTER!!!!!!!!!! Enough said. Be careful! read more

I went in on a cow with a bunch of friends (I think my fraction was a 16th or a 32nd), and this is the most fantastic beef I have ever cooked with. The burgers are crave-worthy, the primal cuts are priceless, and the random other bits and pieces will be put to good use as well. read more

Far and away the most delicious beef I've ever tried. Tried the ribeye and we were literally shocked at how outstanding it was. Perfectly marbled, tender and clean-tasting grass-fed beef. The rack of lamb was also sublime, juicy and tender, it tastes like lamb but without that "funky lamb" flavor. The owners are also passionate about sustainable farming and putting out a superior grass-fed product. read more

My local butcher uses them. Fantastic! Also there's another reviewer who gave low reviews years ago. Sounds like a highly trained idiot. Gamey is good and this beef is hardly Gamey, just far superior quality to what is commonly bought. https://eatsiptrip.10best.com/2018/01/09/what-it-really-means-when-your-meat-tastes-gamey/ read more

Fantastic farm fresh meat at a very reasonable price. If you are wondering whether the concept will work for you, talk to the ranch owners, they will give you an honest assesment. I thoroughly enjoyed my Stemple Creek experience and l look forward to many more. read more

I bought some your beef jerky out at a store in point rays station. It was tough and dry and certainly not worth 60 dollars a pound. You can do better. read more

This was my first experience organizing the purchase of part of an animal for several people. Loren Poncia, at Stemple Creek Ranch, was very helpful, responding to all my questions and giving lots of guidance. With Loren's system, it was very easy to arrange the purchase. Plus, they arrange for the butcher, so the meat is cut up and packaged. I just had to pick it up at the butcher's. This was a great experience. I love the meat, and love knowing it's from a grass-fed cow on ranch near me. When I'm ready for more meat, I will get it from Stemple Creek! read more

Stemple Creek Ranch is AWESOME! The owners, Loren and Lisa, are amazing and care deeply about the business and the quality of their products. You are guaranteed to get the best meats and service, sourced from one of the most beautiful places in the world. You can't go wrong with Stemple Creek Ranch! read more

Love these guys. After an awful meat experience...I'm going back to my people! The owners are wonderful. Love their philosophy on how to raise sustainable cattle. Now, it's pricey. Yes. But worth it. I rather have 2x a week an outstanding piece of meat then 4 times ok slabs of something resembling beef. Besides, less is more when it comes to meat! That's my opinion! read more