Livingston’s Newest Jewel

Ruby Cattle Company moseys downtown

Joe Gulley III grew up on his family’s ranch, herding cows and mending fences. He fell in love with ranching, which fostered an independent spirit and a respect for the land. “You learn to work hard and be self-reliant, which is something I value,” Joe says.

His father, Joe “Doc” Gulley Jr., a veterinarian and farmer, made it his mission to preserve and improve the land for the health of the herd. For generations, the family produced and sold cattle. At some point, however, they realized the market was changing. Beef producers were earning less in commercial markets, while more people were willing to pay for locally raised beef.

“We decided to focus on quality,” Joe says. “To do that, we knew we had to go straight to the consumer.”

As we went through the process, we realized that our goal was to get people to try our beef one time. If they tried it, usually that was enough to get a repeat customer.”

— Joe Gulley III, Ruby Cattle Company

Going To the Market

Today, Ruby Cattle Company sells its grass-fed beef several different ways. Its online market, powered by a fast and reliable Eastex internet connection, sells and delivers fresh steaks and summer sausages to areas throughout southeast Texas. The company also sets up shop at farmers markets as far away as Houston. But it’s the company’s newest venture that really sets it apart — the Ruby Cattle Company retail store in downtown Livingston. “As we went through the process, we realized that our goal was to get people to try our beef one time,” Joe says. “If they tried it, usually that was enough to get a repeat customer.”

The store sells its grass-fed meats and summer sausages, along with other local foods, like Texas wines, honey, coffees, candies and sauces. “It’s been a good relationship between us and other local producers,” Joe says.

No Place Like Home

Even though the Gulley family knew they were onto something with the direct-to-market approach, they were still surprised at community response. “It’s just going exceptionally well, better than any of us had even hoped for,” Joe says. “I had hoped it would be more of a supplement to our online sales, but it’s far exceeded that. The community has supported us and come out for it.”

East Texans aren’t the only ones going local, however. Statistics show that more and more communities have turned to locally grown food producers when and where they can. A Gallup poll from 2018 found that 73% of Americans tried to include locally sourced foods in their diets — a statistic that’s likely grown in recent years with demand and supply chain problems.

Reasons for the switch vary. Some consumers want to support local farmers whose dollars go back into the community, or they believe locally produced food is better for the environment. Others like the nutritional aspects of fresher food that hasn’t been shipped long distances. But many simply do it for the taste. “When you buy ground beef from a chain store, what you’re getting is fat from cows in San Antonio and processed older cow meat from Georgia and ground up tendons from Nebraska,” Joe says. “Then they mash it all together into something that doesn’t even look like meat and they reconstitute it.”

Ruby Cattle Company meat is different. “When you buy ground beef from us, it’s coming from a steer in its prime, versus some kind of leftovers from a bunch of other stuff,” Joe says. “It makes a difference in the flavor, and it makes a difference in the health aspect.”

Blades of Grass

When the Gulley family first switched their business model, they decided to try organic farming — a long, complicated process they soon realized wouldn’t necessarily increase the quality of their product.

Around 2015, they learned if they let their cattle graze on grass instead of feeding them carbs like grain, they’d have a healthier product. “Cows are ruminants,” Joe says. “It’s an animal that’s designed to break down forage. What we realized is when you add carbs, which is just a complex sugar, it produces something completely different than what was intended. It’s the difference between someone eating candy bars and ice cream to get fat quickly instead of feeding them healthy foods over time.”

Joe says he can talk for hours about how grass-fed beef also decreases carbon footprints and improves health. “How long do you have?” he says with a laugh, before getting back to business. “All that said, it’s worth it for us from a health standpoint and a quality standpoint. We’re proud of that, and we try to improve every year and move in the right direction.”

Finding Ruby's Retail Outlets

Ruby Cattle Company offers several ways to buy fresh, locally raised grass-fed beef. The Ruby Cattle Company shop in downtown Livingston at 413 North Washington Ave. sells beef and some pork products, as well as Texas wines, honey, cheeses, gift baskets and much more.

You can also order online for local deliveries by going to rubycattlecompany.com. Or find the company at different farmers markets around the region by following the Ruby Cattle Company Facebook and Instagram pages. Currently, Ruby Cattle Company does not ship its products.