Why Natural Farm Sources from Brazil

Many consumers value U.S. food production, so it’s natural to ask why we source our bully sticks and treats from South America. Even though the U.S. consumes a lot of meat, there are not a lot of cattle in North America.

The U.S. is actually only home to 9% of the world’s cattle, while South America is home to 60%. Other countries high in cattle are India, New Zealand, and Australia.  

Why Brazil?  

Compared to other countries, South America’s inspection and manufacturing processes are stricter and safer. Cows are also grass-fed there; as a result, the bully sticks are higher in nutrients, containing more carotenoids, vitamin E, and other antioxidants. Plus, it’s more natural. Cattle are free-ranged, which means less stress for the cows (who aren’t crowded in feedlots) and less antibiotics. In many cases, the cows are grass-finished too. Grass-finished is a term used for cows that are fed grass throughout their entire lifespan. We only source the highest quality grass-fed and grass-finished beef, which is grain-, hormone-, and chemical-free.  

Safety Is Our Priority  

Our bully sticks are produced and packaged at our FDA- and USDA-inspected and approved facility in Brazil. While most U.S. bully sticks comes from South America, many of them are packaged in the U.S. The problem with that? Having multiple point-in-contact with the treat increases the risk of bacteria, which is not safe for your dog. The only way to reduce this risk is to have it packaged at the same place where it’s produced. That’s why everything we make is packaged at our food facility!   

Production Span 

Natural Farm own it's food facility, where we make our bully sticks from start to finish. We have complete  control over our production, which is FDA- and USDA-inspected and approved.  

Everything is packaged as soon as it leaves the oven and is cut in different sizes, to eliminate the risk of bacteria. Once the bag is sealed, it goes under 3 hours in a heat treatment, which is an extra step added to ensure there’s zero contamination. After that, every single batch goes in quarantine for 2 weeks. That’s because we take 10 bags out of the batch and send them to the lab to test for salmonella sp. and any other bacteria. We only release the batch after receiving all-clear lab results. This means there’s zero chance of contamination while the product is in the bag and is not punctured or damaged.  

Why did we create this process? We care about you and your dog!