CUSTOMER GUIDELINES
HAMPTON MEAT COMPANY MISSION
We are in the health business: creating healthy customers, healthy regional farmers, healthy workers, and a healthy food community. We are connecting local farmers to local eaters, helping to retain food dollars in our local communities, and providing a safe, healthy, affordable food supply.
OUR SERVICES
Hampton Meat is a USDA Inspected facility, establishment number 19716, processing animals for producers primarily from Southeast Tennessee. We slaughter, cut, and pack beef, hogs, lamb, and goats. Our commitment is to provide our producers with the highest quality of meat cutting, based on your specifications. Hampton Meat prides itself on our customer service, and we know that our success is tied to yours. Whether you are selling custom beef for individual customers or USDA inspected product bearing the stamp of inspection, we can handle your needs.
SCHEDULING ANIMALS FOR SLAUGHTER AND PROCESSING
To schedule animals please contact us at 423-334-1079 or Hamptonmeatprocessing@gmail.com. We schedule on a first come, first served basis. Our lead time for scheduling can vary greatly depending on
the season, so it is important to plan ahead. Hampton Meat only accepts animals for slaughter that have been previously scheduled.
1. RUSH ORDERS: We understand that at certain times you may require a rush order. If a rush order is necessary, we will work with you on an individual basis to do the best we can. Based on our scheduled workload, rush orders may incur extra charges or may be declined. Proper planning and communication will usually avoid rush orders and additional charges.
DROPPING OFF YOUR ANIMALS
1) DROP OFF DATE: Hampton Meat requests animals be dropped off the day before slaughter. This provides time for the animals to recover from the stress and heat fatigue incurred during
transportation, thus giving you a better meat product. It also ensures that we are able to minimize negative production issues on the Kill Floor.
2) DROP OFF TIME: If you want help with unloading, you should bring your animals the day before your slaughter date and during our drop-off hours, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm, so we can provide
assistance. However, the drop-off pens are available for dropping off animals 24 hours/day.
3) DROP OFF INSTRUCTIONS
Our pens are located behind the building.
Animal Identification Tags: To avoid delays, make sure your animal has a legible ear tag or fill out a tag and place it on your animal when dropping off. Tags are located in the red box connected to the drop off pen.
Cut Sheet – Located in the red box connected to the drop off pen or you can download from our website www.hamptonmeat.com. Do not use personal names for USDA labeled animals. We will not slaughter an animal until we are sure of ownership. Circle which organs you want to save. Any organs not selected at time of drop-off will not be saved. It is the farmer/producer’s responsibility to ensure Hampton Meat receives cutting instructions within 3 days of animal drop-off.
4) ANIMAL LIABILITY: Customers are responsible for your live animals. Hampton Meat assumes responsibility for meat at time of slaughter.
5) CANCELLATION POLICY
We understand things can happen and you may need to cancel or reschedule your appointment. We will typically call and verify your appointment 2 weeks before your scheduled date. We ask that you provide Hampton Meat with at least 2 weeks notice of any appointment cancellation or change in the number of animals being brought. Short notice or no notice will be subject to the following fees:
· Beef appointment $100
· Hog, Lamb, Goat appointment $50
CUTTING INSTRUCTIONS
Hampton Meat has standardized cut sheets for each species. We MUST have your cut sheets when the animals are dropped off to ensure that we have enough time to review your instructions and ask any clarifying questions we might have before processing your meat. Cut sheets are available on our website, www.hamptonmeat.com , or in the office. You can also request that we email you the digital file. If we do not receive cutting instructions within 3 days after drop-off, your animal will be processed as “butcher’s choice.” We are available for consultation regarding cutting strategies at no extra charge, and we encourage you to ask questions. It is the farmer/producer’s responsibility to ensure Hampton Meat has cutting instructions for that animal.
1. CUTTING INSTRUCTIONS: To deliver your cutting instructions or ask any questions related to your order, please contact us at: Phone: 423-334-1079 or Email: hamptonmeatprocessing@gmail.com
2. CUTTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR WHOLE, HALF AND QUARTER ANIMALS: It is the producer’s responsibility to provide all associated cut sheets for all animals.
SLAUGHTER AND MEAT PROCESSING SCHEDULE
We want to share our typical processing schedule for each week, so you can understand how we operate and make production decisions based on our workload. The schedule is subject to change without notice.
1) BEEF AGING: Beef needs to dry age at least 3-5 days, and our maximum standard aging time is two weeks. We will typically age beef 7-10 days.
2) PORK PROCESSING DETAILS: Pork does not need to age and is usually cut within 5-7 days after slaughter, based on cutting instructions.
3) PROCESSING FEES: Please refer to current Fee Schedule, available elsewhere on our web site.
PRODUCT LABELING
Hampton Meat offers three types of labeling, based on specific customer needs.
1. LABELING FOR CUSTOM-EXEMPT ANIMALS: For custom exempt processing, Hampton provides stickers that identify the particular meat cuts at no extra charge. These stickers do not include our USDA identification mark, since custom-exempt animals are not required to be processed under USDA inspection.
2. HAMPTON MEAT LABELING: For customers who are just starting to market meat products and for those who do not have their own brand, we can provide Hampton labels that include the Hampton logo and address, the name of the meat cut, the pounds of product in the package, and our USDA stamp. Product with Hampton Meat labels are processed under USDA inspection and can be sold through farm stores and other retailers and to restaurants.
3. BRANDED MEATS: For customers who want to sell meat under their own brand, Hampton Meat offers custom labeling. Please keep in mind that lead time is important for creating these labels. You cannot drop off a beef and expect to get labels made by the time we cut it. To get a custom label made please send your label information to hamptonmeatprocessing@gmail.com. A onetime setup fee of $75 will be assessed on your first USDA processing order.
NOTE: We strongly discourage any special labeling claims such as: “grass-fed”, “pasture raised”, “natural”, breed claims (e.g. “angus”, “Berkshire”), “no added hormones or antibiotics”, etc. These claims must be approved by USDA/FSIS and getting these approvals is very time consuming, with no guaranteed results. We encourage our clients to make these claims verbally, on their websites, through their literature, social media, etc. rather than on a USDA branded label. If you absolutely must have a special claim, Hampton Meat will work with you to get it approved. Due to the extra time it involves we will assess a fee of $200.00, and again we cannot guarantee label approval.
PRODUCT PACKAGING
Hampton Meat packages most products into high quality, BPA free, powder-free vacuum-sealed bags. All products that we use at Hampton have been tested and approved with the FDA for use specifically with food. Although we do our best to ensure a solid seal on all the packages, we are unable to guarantee a 100% sealing rate. There are some things you can do to improve the chances of lasting seals on your products:
1. HANDLE PRODUCT WITH CARE: One of the major causes of broken seals is rough handling. Our plant staff has been trained to handle each piece carefully and gently while the product is under
our roof in order to provide you, the customer, with the best quality product.
2. MAINTAIN APPROPRIATE STORAGE TEMPERATURES: The expansion and contraction of meat when it thaws and freezes can cause the seals on the packaging to loosen. Take extra care to ensure the product is kept at an appropriate temperature. This is also very important for food safety reasons. For your convenience, Hampton Meat offers boxing for your meat in cardboard boxes for easy transport for $10 per half. You are welcome to provide your own boxes or coolers for transport.
PICKUP AND PAYMENT
1. PICKUP
Pickup Notification: Since we are unable to guarantee a pickup time or date in advance, we will notify you as soon as your product is ready. Please do not assume your product is ready before we notify you.
Packing: Hampton Meat offers boxing for your meat for easy pick-up and transport. You are welcome to bring your own boxes or coolers at time of pick-up
Pickup Hours: Our office hours are Monday – Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, so customers should plan to pick up their orders during those hours. However, if you are going to be picking up your product after 2:00 pm, we ask that you notify us ahead of time so we can pre-position your order to minimize interference with our clean up and sanitation schedule.
Pickup Timeframe: Your finished product must be picked up within 7 days of notification of completion.
Storage Fees: Please understand that we have limited freezer capacity, so we need our freezer space freed up within 7 days of completion to ensure continued production. Product left in our facility longer than 7 days will be charged a storage fee of $20.00 per day. Product held longer than 30 days will be donated to the food bank.
2. PAYMENT
Payment: Payment is expected when product is picked up.
Payment Options: Our payment options include: cash, personal or business check, Visa, Mastercard, Discover cards, or American Express (Credit cards will have a 3% transaction fee)
Returned Check Fee: Customers with returned checks will be charged a $35.00 fee and asked to pay with a different method of payment.