EPIC is proud to present a new initiative that goes above and beyond producing nourishing foods that people love. Consistent with our company values of "doing more with less" and "honoring nature", this year we are focusing our energy towards better utilizing the entire animal!
By seeking ways to use more materials from these brilliant creatures we are better honoring these animals as well as producing some of the most nutrient rich foods we have ever created. Through this initiative we hope to continue moving towards purchasing entire animals and creating economic incentives for ranchers to raise their animals on pasture, We call this EPIC mission "The Whole Animal Project."
The first EPIC product to bear "The Whole Animal Project" seal was the EPIC Beef Liver Jerky Bites. We created this jerky because we believe grass fed liver is one of the most nourishing superfoods on the planet. It is also one of the least accessible foods around. Turns out that most slaughter plants don't segregate organ meats from healthy grass fed animals and conventional feedlot animals. This is an unfortunate consequence of no demand generation and a small niche market. As a result ranchers and processors see liver as a commodity and it's often destined to be converted into fertilizer or processed pet food. Worst yet, it is sometimes simply thrown away! With the help of ranchers like White Oak Pastures, we have successfully created enough market demand to begin segregating and utilizing this nourishing meat. It's by far my favorite product we have ever produced!
Our second effort to better utilize more of these amazing animals launched in January of 2016. The EPIC Animal Cooking Oils are a tribute to how our forefathers once baked, broiled, fried, and sautéed our foods. This time tested product line allows us to convert healthy animal fat into nourishing oils that are incredibly stable and delicious. Asides from cooking applications, our animal oils are terrific for skin moisturizer, lip balm, hand salve, mustache wax, candle making, and the creation of soap! Similar to the nutritional profile of grass fed beef, our cooking oils contain better ratios of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids and are nutritionally a completely different animal!
Next up, we are launching a line of bone broth products in late February! Similar to organ meats, these nourishing beverages make use of skeletal systems that are often converted to compost or processed into dog food. Our human ancestors once prized the marrow found inside bones. Instinctively they understood that the nutrient quantity within was worth the effort to break bones open and extract the flavorful meat! Since we kettle cook our bones under low heat for up to 24 hours, we are able to extract more than the hearty marrow savored by our ancient kin. EPIC Bone Broth is rich in minerals, collagen, gelatin, and protein!
Throughout 2016 will be launching products in compliance with our mission to better honor the entire animal! The Whole Animal Project allows consumers to fully enjoy the wholesome spectrum of majestic animals that lived wonderful lives and died to create nourishing food. Think about it this way, in 2016 you will be able to purchase EPIC Beef Bars that contain specific cuts of whole muscle meat and EPIC Beef Jerky Bites that contain a different whole muscle cut. In addition, you could be consuming organ meat from the same cow, drinking broth brewed from its bones, and consuming oil rendered from its fat! This nose to tail approach to eating is truly EPIC and we look forward to further changing the accessibility of nourishing animal based foods!
As always, you can purchase our Whole Animal Project items at epicbar.com Let us know if you have any ideas for how we can further use more from these majestic animals!