The Charolais Cattle Ranchers Who Are Taking The U.S. By Storm
Sun 10 Apr, 2022
Over six decades ago, a Montana ranching couple decided to purchase their first Charolais bull.
Little did they know that this was to be the start of a hugely successful family cattle business that would span decades and diversify into many other areas of business, heralding them both as nationally- and internationally-recognized leaders in promoting the Charolais breed.
The benefits of breeding with Charolais cattle
Have you 'herd' about the DeBruyckers?
In 1963, a passionate and driven young couple from Montana, Lloyd and Jane DeBruycker, began using a Charolais bull in a cross-breeding program on their commercial cattle.
Lloyd and Jane DeBruycker
The canny pair quickly realized the tremendous gain in red meat production and the incredible enhancement in the quality of the beef, and DeBruycker Charolais was born.
From a small start, they built a family-owned business that today includes thousands of deeded and leased acres, 2,200 mother cows and are marketing 1,000 bulls each year.
Fast-forward to today and the three-generation family all work together to produce the best Charolais cattle in the country, selling over 700 of their prime bulls at auction each year.
Says Brett DeBruycker, son of Lloyd and Jane, and owner of DeBruycker Charolais: "It’s a big family operation, we're all kinda separate from each other, but we work together, we market together and we have the same goals for helping our customers”.
Very sadly, the legend that is Lloyd DeBruycker, passed away in September 2021, but he leaves behind a thriving family business that’s already going to new levels, and is now developing into exciting new industries beyond the well-established breeding and selling aspects.
“Lloyd created a new standard for the quality of the Charolais breed in America and that will endure,” says Dr Francisco Javier Ruvalcaba Coyaso, “I’m sure right now he’s in the Charolais Hall of Fame!”
Charolais cattle characteristics and advantages
But why did Lloyd and Jane originally choose the Charolais breed?
They soon discovered that Charolais cattle are notably superior to other breeds in many ways, but most of all, superior in their sustainability – their conversion of grass to weight is the best out of all the breeds.
They recognized that the Charolais deliver tremendous muscling and conformity, while also showing good growth and herd uniformity, and they have outstanding natural live weight gain for age.
When it comes to adaptability and handling, the Charolais is any cattle rancher’s dream, as they are very easy to manage in terms of temperament and can fit into any feeding system – whether it be grass-based or intensive feeding.
Charolais is the best cattle breed for calving: Ease of calving ensures reduced stress in breeding season and the calves arrive with a distinct color code: Charolais-cross calves have dominant color markings which provides a guarantee of their parentage.
While you’ll find some breeders dabbling in various cattle fads, the long-time DeBruycker Charolais family business motto goes:
“Just facts, not fads”
Following these cattle breeding words of wisdom has resulted in their famous top-quality genetics and herd uniformity – both desirable qualities for cattle breeders in Montana and around the world.
Charolais beef for sale
Over the decades, due to their ethical business, breeding and customer relations practices, the DeBruycker Charolais family business has developed a truly loyal following, with many ranchers from all over the country repeatedly flocking to the annual bull sale in Montana.
However, the DeBruyckers believe it’s now time to deliver Debruycker quality in new and exciting ways.
“Our family has been consuming this beef our whole life,” explains Brett, “beef that’s been raised on our ranch, and fattened on barley and grain. We feel that DeBruycker steaks are some of the best steaks we’ve ever had – in great restaurants or at home – and now we want to share this great beef with our customers.”
DeBruycker Charolais Meats tenderloin beef steak
And so the DeBruyckers have diversified their offerings and are testing out 'pastures new'.
Much to their customers-in-the-know's delight, they're introducing the hotly-anticipated DeBruycker beef to the rest of the United States via their new website, DeBruycker Charolais Meats.
Click here to discover the super easy way to buy your beef online.
Now customers from all over the United States can have fresh, clean 100% Montana Charolais beef delivered from the DeBruycker ranch straight to their table and the family is delighted to be sharing “The same great taste our family has enjoyed for decades”.
As seen on the Food Network, DeBruycker Charolais Meats are really delivering!
Customers visiting the website can choose from any and all the beef cuts, including quality brisket, short rib, pre-made patties, shoulder roast, chuck roast, T-bone – every cut you could ever dream of.
DC Meats have also created subscription boxed beef, allowing customers to sign up to have their chosen beef delivered every couple of months on subscription – hassle-free.
Grilled Porterhouse DeBruycker Charolais beef steak
Also available on the new site are gift cards, surprise boxes, bulk beef-buying options, DeBruycker Charolais merch for the super-fans – they’re even offering delicious doggy marrow bones!
This, however, isn’t the first time the DeBruyckers have ventured into selling their Charolais beef.
“In the 1970s, my dad Lloyd started a meat venture called ‘Char Pac’,” says Brett. "He started marketing Charolais beef to restaurants and grocery store lines. Things were going along well and in just six months they were in the black, but unfortunately the partnership fell apart.”
But, not to be discouraged, 50 years later, after a talk with the family, Lloyd and Jane felt it was time to take another stab at selling their meat and believe that the trust they’ve built with their customers over this half-century will stand them in good stead.
“Today, consumers want to have a connection to the ground and, more than ever before, an understanding of where their food comes from,” explains Brett.
DeBruycker Charolais online beef makes the cut
The internet is a marketing and selling platform that wasn’t available in the 70s, so has delivered an entirely new opportunity for the DeBruyckers to reach customers in all corners of the United States with DeBruycker Charolais Meats.
And so far, so good it seems! Former Certified Athletic Trainer for the Boston Celtics, Frank Challant has sampled some of the best steak restaurants in the U.S., including steak restaurants in New York, Chicago, Denver and Kansas City – to name but a few.
“DeBruycker Charolais beef can certainly hold its own,” Frank muses, “it would be a heck of a contest for tenderness and flavor. We will be frequent repeat customers of DC Meats!”
Another satisfied customer from North Dakota recalls her first experience buying and having DC Meats delivered: “We were pleased with the meat cuts when they arrived, all nicely sealed and neatly packaged. Since then, we've tried the tenderloin steak and we were pleased with the tenderness of this meat cut, as well as the flavor. We look forward to trying one of the sirloin top roasts in our favorite recipes.”
Verdict from North Dakota? "We HIGHLY recommend DeBruycker Charolais Meats!"
DC Meats Ultimate Montana Meat Box
The gift boxes have also been popular, with another customer revealing: “I ordered a DC Meats gift box for my daughter. It was shipped from Montana yesterday and she received it in Florida really quickly. If you need U.S. beef, look online at DeBruycker Charolais Meats – they have some amazing beef that makes a great gift for out-of-town-family, or a treat for yourself!”
Where to buy Charolais beef
While hoping to become established as the go-to online store for U.S beef and selling their produce all over the country, the DeBruyckers are also staying loyal to their local following, and extended family and friends in Choteau, Montana.
Their coveted meat has just been launched in two of the town’s gastronomic favorites: The popular Outpost Deli and Copper Creek Coffee.
Locals can now easily pick up their favorite cut of DeBruycker meat, or treat themselves to a delicious burger!
The Outpost Deli is offering a specially-created DeBruycker Charolais beef burger that has been named after the legend that is Lloyd DeBruycker – the godfather of DeBruycker Charolais beef.
Residents of Choteau can remember the much-loved rancher for years to come when they order the delicious ‘Lloyd’s Legendary Burger’!
Copper Creek Coffee is serving DeBruycker Charolais beef as a specialty item and will also be offering DC Meats beef for sale locally.
This small town in rural Montana is a place where bonds are strong and everyone helps each other, and the DeBruyckers are passionate about passing on this legacy to their next generations.
"We are doing the best we can to raise kids that are going to be coming back to our local economy and our United States economy, and just doing the best they can to help society,” says Brett.
Award-winning Charolais cattle
Lloyd and Jane, their family and their outstanding cattle have all won numerous honors and awards over the decades in showing, breeding, gain and carcass contests, but most notable is Lloyd and Jane’s induction into the American International Charolais Hall of Fame.
However, certificates, medals and trophies aside, at the core of the DeBruycker family is a true love for and a belief in their cattle – they are a family whose sole aim is to nurture and enhance the Charolais breed, and to show the world that the right Charolais genetics possess the ideal attributes for the cattle industry as a whole.
At age 80, when looking back on his and Jane’s incredible life and achievements, Lloyd said: “My most significant accomplishment is that my kids are following in the family business. We all work together and that makes me feel awfully good.”
TAGS: dc meats, lloyd and jane debruycker, charolais breeding, choteau mt