Despite more than a year of increased logistical complexities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sitkinak-based Alaska Meat Co. endured and stayed involved in the local communities it’s long been serving.
On July 20, the Alaska Chamber honored the cattle company for its ongoing efforts by giving it the Bill Bivins Small Business Award, an honor bestowed annually to businesses with fewer than 100 employees.
“I was obviously surprised when I was notified,” said Jason Pyron, co-owner of the company. Alaska Meat Co. raises 800 free-range head of cattle, with no antibiotics or other additives involved in the rearing process.
“It’s probably as close to wild beef as you can sustainably manage,” Pyron said. “We sustainably harvest local cattle from Sitkinak Island that are born and raised there.”
The Kodiak Island Housing Authority nominated the company for the state chamber award. The housing authority used some of its $1.3 million in CARES Act money to help pack the freezers of 99 households who live in rent-controlled apartments with Alaska Meat Co. beef.
"We’ve been working with the Kodiak Island Housing Authority as part of the effort to identify different ways that we can work with local communities beyond just providing them with beef,” Pyron said. “That includes helping people understand the food supply chain as well as the challenges associated with being a sustainable and local food supply in Alaska and Kodiak.”
The Alaska Chamber specifically acknowledged Alaska Meat Co. for its local partnerships and its effort to make time to visit and network with local organizations.
“Alaska Meat Co. is a leader in its field,” the Chamber said in a statement. “Their cattle are raised, processed and shipped directly to Alaska consumers without changing hands. Vertical integration of the supply chain, locally driven demand and sustainable agricultural practices with zero additional inputs (supplemental feed, antibiotics, etc.) aren’t factors many companies can boast about.”
The Chamber also noted: “The company consistently offers to connect with and educate the community about ranching practices on Sitkinak Island. Alaska Meat Co.’s practices are not only sustainable for their cattle and local wildlife, but also culturally sensitive.”
Pyron and his family purchased Alaska Meat Co. in 2015, and have operated it on a seasonal basis on Sitkinak Island.
Pyron acknowledged that there’s been challenges during the pandemic, especially with outreach. However, with vaccination rates helping to improve transitioning from the pandemic, he said the company has been talking about resuming some normal outreach opportunities.
He added that regardless of the current challenges, Alaska Meat Co. “continues to improve partnerships across the communities, specifically just how we can better integrate with food and livestock co-ops that are within Kodiak.”
During seasonal operations, Alaska Meat Co. employs as many as two dozen people, in addition to local contractors. At the height of the pandemic, national chains had to shutter processing plants following outbreaks within their ranks. For Kodiak’s cattle company, the pandemic had other impacts.
“The pandemic has made an already complex logistical role more complex with the challenges various freight companies have gone through,” Pyron said. “Operating in remote locations and communities with varying degrees of sensitivity and exposure to the unknown health and scientific uncertainties we’ve been working through has also been a huge challenge.”
Despite the challenges, Pyron noted his company has persevered, something he attributed to a solid customer base.
“One of the things to be thankful for is Alaska’s loyalty to Alaskan businesses and loyal customers,” Pyron said. “We’ve been very fortunate to have that through trying times.”
He noted that as a private business, Alaska Meat Co. believes “it’s important to try and serve all the local communities.”
That includes serving in ways that apply to local communities’ traditional values.
“That’s in regard to how we treat our cattle and how we serve our beef to consumers, as well as how we act in the community to ensure that we can maintain products and services in both rural and urban environments,” Pyron said.
