At New Leaf Community Markets ingredients are our inspiration. When it comes to our meat department we’re all about naturally and humanely raised everything. We visit all of the farms, ranches and producers that we work with so that we understand exactly where our product comes from and how it is handled.

For everything in our case, we carefully select for flavor and ensure that all brands meet or exceed the following standards:

•   Fed a 100% vegetarian diet without the use of animal by-products

•   No antibiotics or added hormones

•   Humane handling

•   No cages, crates or confinement houses

Mary’s

Non-GMO & Air-chilled Chicken

Third generation owned and operated Mary’s organic poultry products are humanely-raised in Sanger, CA and are antibiotic-free and treated with compassion at every stage. Fresh air and open space mean a difference you can taste. The Non-GMO Project Verified chickens are always individually air-chilled. Individual air-chilling, predominant in Europe, as opposed to communal water baths, leads to more flavorful and natural chicken.

Stemple Creek Ranch 

California-raised Grass-fed Beef

Nestled in the coastal hills near the town of Tomales, CA, this fourth-generation family ranch uses sustainable and organic farming practices through regenerative agriculture to promote biodiversity. Animals are humanely raised on pasture land with room to roam, and are 100% grass-fed and grass finished.

Oregon Country Beef

Non-GMO Beef

Oregon Country Beef is raised on sustainable, family-owned rangeland without antibiotics or added hormones. That’s because this co-op of 80 salt of the earth family ranchers, founded in 1986, is dedicated to progressive ranching. All co-op members, throughout the Western U.S. including California, strive to leave their land better than they found it. Oregon Country Beef is Non-GMO Project Verified and all ranchers follow rigorous standards on everything from responsible grazing, grasses management, and maintaining healthy soil and water quality, to good vegetarian feed and clean energy facilities.

First Light

New Zealand-raised Grass-fed Wagyu

Raised on open pastures and supported by a co-op of New Zealand farmers, First Light wagyu cattle are Non-GMO Project Verified, 100% grass-fed and spared antibiotics or added growth hormones. First Light is the first New Zealand meat company to be awarded the internationally recognized Certified Humane accreditation. This celebrates their commitment to animal welfare. Their animals never set foot in a feedlot, they maintain diverse, thriving pasture lands and they specialize in wagyu breeding. All of this results in well-marbled, flavorful grass-fed beef.

SunFed Ranch

California-raised Grass-fed Beef

SunFed Ranch, founded in 2011 by longtime California ranching families, operates under the highest standards. They raise cattle humanely in a low-stress environment with plenty of room to roam. 100% grass-fed and 100% grass-finished, this responsibly raised beef is also antibiotic-free with no added hormones. Committed to quality, these family ranchers with roots in the foothills of the Sacramento Valley and rangelands of Klamath Basin, produce sustainable beef that’s free-range and delicious.

Cascade Creek Lamb Company

California-raised Grass-fed Lamb

For generations, Cascade Creek ranchers have used progressive, sustainable farming methods. They raise their free-roaming sheep in pastures along the nutrient-rich coastal, mountain and valley regions of the West Coast. The result is a flavorful product you can feel good about purchasing and serving. Cascade Creek sheep are compassionately cared for by family ranchers. They raise each herd in harmony with the best nature has to offer.

Beeler’s Pure Pork

Non-GMO Pork

Beeler’s Pork heritage-breed Duroc pigs are raised with compassion and are free to roam outside in a crate-free environment. Minimally processed, with no more than four or five ingredients in each product, Beeler’s Pork is vegetarian-fed, antibiotic-free and Non-GMO Project Verified. There are also no added nitrites, nitrates or chemical preservatives in any of their products.

Diestel Family Ranch

California-raised Turkey

This fourth-generation family farm in the Sierra Nevada foothills is focused on sustainable and regenerative farming practices that ensure the health and well-being of their turkeys. Raised under strict Global Animal Partnership standards without antibiotics, Diestel turkeys are always fed a 100% vegetarian diet, without fillers or growth stimulants, made from grain that’s freshly milled daily on the farm. We are so pleased that Diestel now offers certified organic and Non-GMO project verified turkey, too!

NOTE: Not all products are available at our Downtown Santa Cruz store. This store has a limited assortment to best reflect customer demand and prevent food waste.