When you are a small family owned ranch, it is a little hard to think of yourself as being in any particular business category other than agriculture. But, agriculture is a very broad category. So, the best descriptor of us is that we are a Direct Business to Customer Seller. We produce goods; we market ourselves; and we sell our goods directly to our customers. We produce in very small volume, and we market only to local customers, so we typically get to enjoy the benefit of getting to know our customers personally. We have separate business models for our online services that can be found in our Ranch Learning Center or in our Ranch Consulting Services sections.

Our main customers who purchase foods from us locally are those who prefer to feed their families foodstuffs that have been grown in a natural environment; an environment that they have an opportunity to visit in person to see exactly how the operation is run. We also seek out customers who appreciate the rich farming and ranching heritage of our area and want to help keep that heritage alive by putting foods on their table that have heirloom significance. Many of our customers simply believe that small business owners / local producers are still the backbone of our country, and they prefer to shop organizations like ours. And, some of our customers have an adventurous spirit and like to add interest to their tables with remarkable foodstuffs that many of us do not even realize can be parts of our diets. Because we are primarily a working ranch with an onsite gardening system, we ask our local customers to shop with us online and to arrange to visit us for pick up. We do occasionally, in special circumstances, arrange to deliver to our customers rather than having them come to us.

Because we sell foodstuffs, our selling policies are relatively simple. Some of them are determined not by us but by Texas Laws. The following are things you will need to know:

• Once you have taken possession of your purchase, all sales are final. If you order online, we are happy to make exchanges in your order before you accept it. But once your order is in your possession, we cannot take food items back or make refunds on them.



• If you find that your food item is not what you expected, please let us know. We are always happy to do what we can to make you a happy customer. We may offer you a replacement or perhaps a credit towards a different item. We want you to love our foods as much as we do.



• All of the prepared foods we sell are considered Cottage Foods under Texas Cottage Food Laws.



• In order to meet the requirements of Texas Cottage Food Laws, when you purchase prepared foods from us, we must put the product directly in the hands of the buyer, so the customer must come in person to pick up.



• When we purchase ingredients to use in our prepared foods, we do our best to source ingredients that have been minimally processed, and we do not use ingredients that have been biologically engineered (GMO).



• We will prepare special order items that have little to no gluten in them, but we do not sell items specifically as "gluten free" because we are not a gluten free kitchen. We cannot guarantee that our products meet the safety standards of "gluten free" that someone with an extreme gluten intolerance would need.



• In order to meet the requirements of Texas Law regarding selling meats that have been raised on our property, we sell only meat that was processed and packaged at an inspected facility, bears the State of Texas inspection seal, was delivered to us hard frozen, and has been kept in a hard frozen state until it was given over into our customer's possession.

It is part of our mission to produce foodstuff that is not commonly sold in grocery stores. Even our items that are found regularly in stores are different from those store products. All of our products have been either raised locally by us in a natural environment on a small scale using minimal equipment. Or, they have been prepared on a small scale in our home kitchen using humanely raised ingredients and/or minimally processed ingredients. While we do not carry an organic certification, we do our best to use organic farming prinicples and products whenever we are able to do so. The majority of our fresh produce is grown from heirloom seed. And, we invite our customers to visit and see for themselves exactly how all of our products are raised and/or made.

The cost per item of producing foodstuff in this way is significantly more than is the cost per item of things that are produced on industrial farms, finished in feedlots, and/or prepared in mass in factory kitchens. Therefore, we benchmark the prices of our products against those one might find at a Farmer's Market or at a higher end grocer such as Whole Foods, Central Market, Natural Grocers, or Sprouts. Although, even when purchasing from those establishments, the customer does not have the advantage we offer of being able to come see our operation for themselves.

Whenever possible, we also use national reports to help us ensure that our prices are inline with national averages. For example, we benchmark our grass-fed beef prices by comparing the price of the same cut at stores like Wild Fork Foods and Whole Foods Market to the USDA Grass-fed Beef Monthly Sales Report. In order to make shopping online a little easier for people, we use the number we have decided on from those reports as our "basis price per pound". It is not an exact number. Our meat prices are then set by averaging the size of the items and then rounding down toward the smallest of the items. We then charge the basis price of the average weight regardless of actual size. For example, if we have 3 sirloin roasts; one is 1.98 lbs, one is 2.31 lbs, and one is 2.35 lbs, the averge size of our available sirloin roasts is 2.21 lbs. At a basis price of $14.00 per pound, that makes the price of the average weight $30.94. But, because we round down, our nearest number that gives an even dollar figure is 2 lbs. That makes each of the roasts cost $28.00. If you happen to get the one that is 1.98 lbs, you would have paid $14.14 per pound (just slightly over our basis price), but if you get the one that is 2.35 lbs, you would have paid $11.92 per pound which is somewhat less than our basis price. Unless you tell us you want a smaller one, we will always deliver from our stock in order from the largest to the smallest. And, when we call to confirm your order, we will let you know if you are paying a few pennies extra above the advertised basis per pound price because we are down to the smallest of a group in stock. We use similar pricing practices with things like baskets of fresh vegetables or bunches of fresh herbs because it is always too difficult to get absolutely uniform weights or sizes.

Because the majority of our prepared foods recipes are our uniquely our own, we benchmark them against similar products sold in specialty shops such as Painted Tree and local private bakeries as well as against retailers who sell similar specialty items such as Starbuck's, Panera Bread, and the specialty bake shops in Central Market and Whole Foods Market.

Our online shopping system works as follows:

• There is no need to create an account or to sign up for anything to shop with us. Simply stroll virtually into our online shopping system and begin shopping.



• From our home page, open the "Online Country Store" to see all of the items that we typically sell online. Some may be out of stock, but you will be able to check with us to find out when they may be available again. Or, click on one of the quick links below "Online Country Store" to be taken to just that department of the store. When you visit a department from a quick link, you will only see what is currently available for sale.



• When you find an item you would like to purchase, check to see how many of that item are available and enter the amount you would like to purchase in the box provided. Then continue shopping by using one of the buttons provided to take you to other items or by just scrolling to the next item. As you continue shopping, enter the number of the item you wish to purchase for each item you are selecting.



• Once you have entered the amount you would like to purchase for each item you are purchasing, click the button that is in the box of your last item that says "Complete Your Order".You only need to click that button on the last item you wish to purchase. All of the items you have entered amounts for will be carried forward from there.



• You will be taken to a page where you will see everything you have just ordered. If there is anything wrong in your order, you should be able to click the back button on your browser and be taken back to the place where you just were. All of your choices should still be resident, but check to be sure nothing has changed. Make any additions or changes you need to make and then repeat the "Complete Your Order" step.



• To complete your order, please provide your name and how we should contact you. Then confirm that your order is indeed what you intend to purchase. Once all is correct, click on the "Confirm Your Order" button. This is the step that sends your order to us.



• At the next step, you will see all of the details we have received about you. And, you will be given an opportunity to go to a page to print our or save your order. This is optional, but it will help us if you keep record of what you ordered.



• Next wait for us to contact you to schedule an appointment to fill your order. Or, if you prefer a quicker reponse, you are welcome to reach out to us instead.



• Keep your appointment where your order will be waiting for you. Simply pay for the order when you receive it.

For a full visual demonstration of the system, please view our demo.

We do not, at this point, have in place a way to track your order or to let you pull up a previous order. So we rely on you to keep record of what you have ordered. As with all technologies, sometimes there is a hiccough in the system. If you have not heard from us within 48 hours, please reach out to us.

Your order is not fully confirmed until we have contacted you (or you have contacted us) and the appointment for your pick-up has been made.

We have several items that we sell through special orders only. You can make a special order in our online shopping system, but a special order is one that we do not even begin to produce until your order has been confirmed.

All of our baked goods are available by special order only. We ask that you give us a three day turn around (after final confirmation) to prepare a baked good for you. Because of the cost of ingredients, and because the majority of our baked goods freeze well, we make baked goods available by special order in the following way:

• individual sizes provide 3-4 servings each, and we require a minimum order of 3 of the same item to make it as a special order



• family sizes provide 8-10 servings, and there is no minimum order



• event sizes provide 16-24 servings, and there is no minimum order

We grow micro-greens, micro-herbs, and micro-grains by special order only. Because of the space and time required, we make these available by special order as follows:

• individual trays are 5" X 5", and we require a minimum order of 4, but they can be up to 4 different plants as long as the grow time is the same



• family trays are 10" X 10" with no minimum order required, but each tray must be all one kind of plant



• event trays are 10" X 20" with no minimum order required; each tray can be all one kind of plant or can be a up to 2 different plants as long as the grow time is the same



• micro-greens take 10-14 days to grow



• micro-herbs take 14-24 days to grow



• micro-grains (including wheat grass and alfalfa) take 10-21 days to grow

Because we are a working ranch/farm and a very small operation, we ask that you receive your online orders by apointment only.

You will need to come to us to pick up your order, and there is no charge for us filling the order for you. There is also no minimum on an order except in cases of special order minimums.

Texas State Law requires that some of our products be placed directly from us into the hands of our customer. Because of this requirement, we try to make pick-up appointments at times that are most convenient for you. Early mornings and late evenings are not a problem for us. We are closed each week from 4:30pm on Friday until sunset on Saturday. And we do have animals (incl our livestock) that we care for, so we try to schedule our pick-ups around their feeding schedules. But we do our best to be flexible in order to meet our customers' needs.

We prefer to take payment when you receive your order from us. So, when you are picking up your order from us, we want you to check your order and be sure it is exactly what you expected before you pay. The only exception is special orders. Because we are not just filling an order from our stock but are instead making or growing something just for you, we do ask that you place a 50% non-refundable deposit on special order items when we contact you to confirm your order. When you receive your order, that deposit will be credited to your balance.

We take payment as cash, with all major credit or debit cards (incl corporate cards), with Zelle, or with Venmo. We do occasionally accept checks (personal, business, bank / cashiers if made out to us, or travelers in small denominations), but we prefer to not do so. Unless we have made prior arrangements with you, we do not take purchase orders for payment. Please use Zelle or Venmo for a special order deposit. If you do not have Zelle or Venmo, check with us, and we will work something out.