Our Story

WELCOME TO PURE ISLAND BEEF

Our farm raises both traditional grain fed beef as well as grass fed beef. Explore our website to get to know our farm and our family and how to bring our farm to your table!

HERE'S THE BEEF

Our philosophy for great beef is the same for both traditional grain fed beef and grass fed beef... Cattle raised well and raised naturally. Beef that is dry-aged and tastes great! These are some of the things that set Pure Island Beef apart. But there's more . . .

One of our dry-aged, grass-fed T-bone steaks ready for the grill. All our beef (grain or grass fed) is aged 30 days for extra tenderness and flavour.

Soils and climate matter too, and that’s one reason all our beef begins on a very special island called Manitoulin. Rising from the cold waters of Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada, Manitoulin is the largest freshwater island in the world. It’s also one of the world’s best places to raise beef. Blessed with a cool climate, calcium-rich limestone soils, ample freshwater and a forested landscape dotted with small grassland pastures, Manitoulin has produced some of the world’s finest cattle for more than a century. But as vital as geography is, it’s really just the start. You need to get intentional about breeding, feeding and aging to produce beef that delivers an exceptional eating experience every time. That’s why we developed the four-part approach that Pure Island beef is famous for:

The bull, the one with the ring in his nose, is Gus, one of our foundation Shorthorn bulls. The Shorthorn breed comes originally from Britain, and delivers exceptionally tasty beef that ages well.

This is Prime Cut 741S, one of our foundation Angus herd sires.

Part #1: Great Breeding

More than 25 years ago now, we began a cattle breeding program to raise great cattle to create great beef. Our herd includes Shorthorn and Black Angus cattle bred especially for meat qualities like tenderness, marbling and dry-aging qualities. We believe that beef should be judged at the dinner table, not the weigh scales.

Part #2: Dry-Aging is Key

No beef ever reaches its full potential for flavour or tenderness without weeks of dry aging. But you need to intentionally raise cattle so beef can be aged this long. And to be honest, not all the animals we raise end up with full aging potential. That’s why only the best carries the Pure Island name.

One of our T-bone steaks ready to come off the grill and onto the table. Dry aging, a controlled balance between fat and lean, and intentional breeding makes our beef exceptionally good.

CLICK HERE TO EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE OF DRY-AGING

All Pure Island cattle spend as much time as possible grazing on Manitoulin Island pastures. The blend of wild and domestic plants on pasture makes for healthy and happy cattle.

Part #3: Cattle Raised as Naturally as Possible

All our cattle are carefully raised free of artificial hormones and without antibiotic feeds. We also do everything we can to ensure our animals are comfortable year-round and free to range on pasture whenever it’s available during the grazing season. It’s more trouble this way, but that’s just the way we do things. Our farm is always open for visits, too. Come and see for yourself. If you've never experienced Manitoulin, it's well worth the trip. The Island is not like any other farming area in Ontario. It's a surprising mix of farmland, forest, over 100 inland lakes right on the island itself, with limestone bedrock poking there here and there.

Part #4: We're Really Picky

Cattle breeding is just as important as cattle feeding when it comes to beef quality. Here a group of Angus cattle are on one of several pastures we have.

We use the best of the British breeds to raise the cattle for our Pure Island brand. Farming is an art as well as a science, and all the beef that carries our name has been individually assessed and approved as meeting our standards. In fact, we often taste-test samples from our beef to make sure it meets our standards. What else can we do when we stake our reputation on your full enjoyment of Pure Island beef? Whatever you do, don't just take our word for it. Pure Island beef has a special place in the fanciest butcher shops of Toronto. Click to read what our customers have to say.