The Northwest Leading Butcher and Purveyor of High Quality Game and Sustainable Meat Will Now Offer Meat From Their Own Farm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Nicky USA announces the purchase of a certified Organic farm in Aurora, OR where they plan to grow their own animals for top chefs across the Northwest. The Portland based butcher and meat purveyor will grow rabbits, game birds, and other unique animals using humane and sustainable practices. The purchase marks a return to owner Geoff Latham’s roots as a farmer and distinguishes Nicky USA as the only Northwest meat distributor to also raise their own meat.
The 30.9-acre Nicky Farm is located along the Pudding River providing an ideal habitat for many different animal species. It is currently home to flocks of wild geese, coveys of quail, a century old farmhouse, and a barn similar to one that already appears on the Nicky Farms logo. Restoring the farm from its original use of growing hops and raising cattle, it is a perfect fit for the many characters behind Nicky USA.
Going back to their roots, the first animals to be raised on the farm will be their keystone protein, rabbit, which owner Geoff Latham began selling in 1991. Beginning with locally grown rabbits Geoff developed relationships with chefs across Portland and built a reputation of providing a high quality product. These chefs encouraged him to carry more hard-to-find proteins, and Nicky USA soon sealed their reputation for providing specialty, high quality meat and game for their customers.
“I am lucky to have established my business in a place with some of the nation’s best chefs and locavores who are excited about locally grown high quality protein. Because of them I am now able to fulfill my life-long dream of growing my own meat on my own farm,” says Geoff.
In an effort to provide more responsibly grown products, Nicky USA launched their “Nicky Farms” brand in 2009 marking game meats grown by sustainable, family-owned farms across the Northwest. Now, in addition to processing, marketing and selling Nicky Farms products, Nicky USA will join their family farmers in growing their own meat for the Nicky Farms label.
In addition to acting as a working farm, Nicky USA will host chefs and interested persons for farm dinners, hunting trips, boating on the river and tours of the property, with the goal of deepening the connection between the farm and tables across the Northwest. An open house is planned for summer 2013.
Founded in 1990, Nicky USA is the Northwest’s leading butcher and distributor of game birds and meats. The Portland-based company has forged relationships with local and international ranchers, as well as James Beard Award-winning chefs in an effort to make game a mainstay of specialty markets and fine restaurants. Nicky USA now offers a specialty line of products called Nicky Farms, featuring Northwest raised rabbit, quail, elk, fallow venison, water buffalo, emu and American bison. Nicky Farms also has a line of specialty sausages that combine Northwest ingredients such as: an elk sausage with wild huckleberries and pinot noir, venison and blueberry and spicy water buffalo. Nicky USA hosts Wild About Game – this year on September 8, 2013 – an annual Iron Chef-style cooking competition and festival promoting sustainably raised game birds and meats. Nicky USA recently opened a second location in Seattle and orders can be made through nickyusa.com or by calling 1.800.469.4162. For more information, call Nicky USA at 503-234-4263 or visit www.nickyusa.com. Follow NickyUSA on Twitter and Facebook.