Chicago! Get Some Fresh BisonBison Through Our Indiegogo Campaign

CHICAGO, IL– Thankfully, it’s no longer the 18th century and conditions have improved significantly from how they were depicted in Upton Sinclair’s, The Jungle. Our 100% grass-fed and in-field humane slaughtered bison meat will not only make you look tasteful, it will continue to improve your image as a Midwest, sustainable meat capitol. BisonBison Co. is proud to announce that we have partnered with Gepperth’s Meat Market (Lincoln Park) in order to get our perks (namely our 100% grass-fed ground bison meat) to the BisonBison herd across the country. Now through August 29, if you support the BisonBison Co. Indiegogo Campaign and select the 2-lbs. of ground bison perk, Gepperth’s Meat Market will hold your bison meat for pick-up for sometime after the Labor Day holiday!

Now go on, Chicago and GET SOME!

Washington, DC! GET SOME Fresh BisonBison through our Indiegogo Campaign

WASHINGTON, DC– A powerful city deserves a powerful meat, which is why BisonBison Co. is proud to announce that we have partnered with Union Meat Company (Eastern Market) in order to get our perks (namely our 100% grass-fed ground bison meat) to the BisonBison herd across the country.

Now through August 29, if you support the BisonBison Co. Indiegogo Campaign and select the 2-lbs. of ground bison perk, Union Meat Company will hold your bison meat for pick-up for sometime after the Labor Day holiday!

Now go on, DC and GET SOME!

New York! GET SOME Fresh BisonBison through our Indiegogo Campaign

NEW YORK! To the city that never sleeps and knows how to eat, BisonBison Co. is proud to announce that we have partnered with Ottomanelli & Sons Meat Market (West Village) in order to get our perks (namely our 100% grass-fed ground bison meat) to the BisonBison herd across the country.

Now through August 29, if you support the BisonBison Co. Indiegogo Campaign and select the 2-lbs. of ground bison perk, Ottomanelli & Sons will hold your bison meat for pick-up for sometime after the Labor Day holiday!

Now go on, NYC and GET SOME!

Bison is a game meat? Where’s the game?

Since the 19th century, bison has fallen under the category of meats known as “game” meats, which unfortunately, has often relegated bison meat to an entirely different portion of the grocery store (or in most cases, it’s not even available). This label has led some people to claim bison meat to taste “gamey” (not sure what that means) by association, but it is in fact, not “gamey” at all.

Bison have more similarities to cattle than they do any game animal. However, cattle were chosen by civilizations because they could provide meat and milk more safely and cheaply (Lott, 2002). That left bison to roam the Great Plains, and by default they became one of America’s many game meats.

It is still possible in some states – like Montana – to hunt for bison, but it really shouldn’t be termed “hunting” at all as there really isn’t much of a hunt (bison like wide open spaces, hang out in groups, and are really hard to miss). Why do you think the American bison population was on the brink of extinction in the 19th century (see below drawing)? It wasn’t because they were particularly good prey.

Late 1800s bison hunt for passengers “on the line of the Kansas-Pacific Railroad” (Library of Congress)

Nutritional Smackdown: Bison vs Beef, Chicken & Pork

The US Department of Agriculture maintains the National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, which contains nutrient information on over 8,000 foods.  In a side-by-side comparison with beef, chicken and pork, ground bison is higher in all the good stuff (vitamins /minerals (e.g., iron, zinc, niacin, B12), protein, and omega 3’s) while lower in all the bad stuff (calories, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium). It’s no surprise that the American Heart Association considers bison a lean meat option to combat high cholesterol and obesity — the two main risk factors for stroke.

                        

 

BisonBison Co. July 20 Launch Party!

BisonBison Co. launched on Saturday, 7/20/2013 with a BBQ in Dolores Park, San Francisco. Roughly 200 people came to the event, and we were featured in FuncheapSF and Zagat. We had great feedback from happy BisonBison fans who were eager to get their hands on more!

Check out our Indiegogo campaign & support now through August 29 to receive fresh bison meat and other perks!

“But aren’t bison nearly extinct?!”

Bison are not in any danger of extinction. We get asked the question a lot and we wanted to dispel any rumors your grandma may have told you, so you can get on with enjoying our 100% grass-fed bison.

Don’t worry, your grandma isn’t losing her mind, she just has old information. American bison (aka buffalo as some know it) nearly went extinct in the late 19th c. At the time there was a strong market for bison hides which resulted in the mass slaughter of bison in the Great Plains. It was a hunter’s paradise — European elites would come to America to shoot Bison. “Buffalo Bill” Cody even served as grand marshal on a South Dakotan bison hunting safari with the Russian Czar. Prior to their mass hunting the bison population numbered around 30 million and, as late as 1720, their habitat ranged from Pennsylvania in the east to Oregon in the west, and from Mexico in south all the way up to Canada’s Northwest Territories.

TODAY’s bison population numbers around 500,000, and is growing due in large part to commercial bison ranching. Ranching really took off in the 1970s spurred by the simple economic efficiency of bison – bison eat grass and don’t require costly feed or feedlots – just land. Basically, they’re about as low maintenance of animal you can find, and their meat has seen a large increase in popularity during the 2000s mainly because it’s delicious.

BisonBison Co. plans to promote this population resurgence (both commercially and through donation to Great Plains land trusts), but we need your support to do this! Please check out our Indiegogo campaign and donate to receive 100% grass-fed bison meat and other perks now through August 29.

Bison are from America. Cows are from the Near-East?

It’s true — the real American meat is bison — not beef, as some might believe.

Of the 1.3 billion cows in the world today, recent DNA findings from fossils unearthed in Iran indicate that domesticated cows originated from the same herd of 80 cows somewhere in the Near-East (Iran / Turkey area) around 10,500 years ago. It’s not exactly known when cattle was introduced to the Americas, but early records indicate their presence on voyages made by Cortez and Columbus to Mexico and the West Indies, respectively.

The American bison (or American buffalo), however,  has been a long time resident of the Americas, with evidence of the species’ ancestors crossing the Bering Land Bridge to North America as early as 500,000 years ago. The birth of the American bison happened more recently between 5,000 to 10,000 years ago. So, if there was such a label as “Born in” on packaging, BisonBison Co.‘s would read “Born in America.”