Meet Our Producers
Peter and Anika Gattiker
The Gattiker family farm is one of a growing number of Northwest Premium Meat Co-op producers working to rebuild our local food economy. Peter and Anika Gattiker used to ship their cattle off to feedlots for grain finishing, but the Co-op has allowed them to keep their animals home on the range, grazing on natural diets of native grasses and hay.
Raising beef on pesticide-free and fertilizer-free pasture using low-stress humane methods produces tame, friendly animals. They grow at a natural rate without the use of hormones or antibiotics.
According to the Gattikers, “Having the Co-op in Telkwa is ideal. Now we can finish our beef at home instead of sending it to feedlots.”
The Co-op’s government-inspected abattoir and processing plant, just minutes from their Bourgon Road farm, means their beef is processed only a few kilometers from where it is raised and finished. From start to finish, their beef travels less than 15 kilometers!
Buying food locally not only builds time-honored connections with local farmers and gardeners, knowing our community can feed itself also provides a sense of security. And, as Peter and Anika will attest, local eating is healthy eating.