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Nearly 600,000 pounds of meat consumed monthly in homes, restaurants, and school cafeterias around the island come from an impressive family operation run by Ganaderos Alvarado Inc., which began by raising cattle on a 700-acre farm in Barrio Tanamá in Arecibo.

Agricultural businessman Juan Alvarado Alvarado, together with his children, Gabriela and Alberto Alvarado Sanz, captains an effort that began in the 1950s in the southern zone and that was later expanded with the acquisition of the regional slaughterhouse where they now slaughter between 200 and 300 animals per week.

In addition to the slaughterhouse, the Alvarado family has a processing and packaging plant. They also distribute the product through supermarkets and megastores around the island.

Gabriela, a business owner and lawyer, says that at Finca Alvarado they raise about 700 cattle, but they also buy animals from other ranchers on the island.

“The animals on all our farms always move freely, they’re never confined and the only thing they feed on is natural forage grass. Different techniques are used when the animals move so that they continue to obtain nutrients from different pastures or forage,” she explained.

“This is very important because it’ll produce a very nutritious meat, low in fat, a meat that is 100% natural, free of antibiotics and hormones, and in these times, this is very important because [this product] is almost non-existent worldwide. “It’s 100% meat,” she assured.

Don Juan, 66, said that the process of raising and growing the animals takes around 18 months when many reach a weight of 1,700 pounds.

“On Mondays, we slaughter the animal; on Tuesdays, we process and package it. On some Tuesdays, depending on the client’s needs, meat is delivered or picked up, and on Wednesdays, it’s already at the point of sale. In less than 48 hours after the animal arrives at our facilities, the final product is already out for sale,” mentioned Alvarado Alvarado.

Gabriela added that “it’s an extremely fresh product, unlike all that imported meat, which often takes weeks to arrive in Puerto Rico and, with all the different routes and changes in temperature, we don’t know what happens to it. This is also a product controlled by its own environment and you won’t find anything fresher than that here.”

Alvarado Sanz, who belongs to the third generation of ranchers, mentioned that some studies by the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (UPRRM) confirm that the meat sold by their business contains only 3% fat.

“There are studies from the UPRRM where they analyze a piece of steak and it’s 3% or less. As for chicken, if you grind it whole with skin and all, you have about 8% fat. This is versus the 3% that our meats have. It’s not made up, we have equipment that can calculate the fat percentage, but the UPRM is there to support it independently. That’s lean, lean meat,” she insisted.

She also emphasized that the price of their product is competitive.

“The cost of meat varies on a daily or weekly basis, but the price is currently very competitive with the meat that’s imported into Puerto Rico. It’s difficult to maintain it, especially given the impact of inflation costs,” she explained.

“As of this month (August), the investment has been $250,000 so far in 2022. Annually, although it varies, the family investment is close to $350,000, which is the company’s investment for its operation. We continue to invest to stay ahead of the curve and keep innovating,” she said.

The operation employs about 55 people full-time and, Gabriela added, “we have several positions open for the farm, maintenance, and the processing and packaging plant”.

“There are many opportunities in the meat industry in Puerto Rico, because the island produces only between 8% to 10% of the beef we consume. We’re already in supermarkets and institutional markets, and we want to enter the food service market in restaurants,” added Gabriela.

To achieve this, they must face some challenges, above all, dealing with “external product competition”.

“We always have a competitive advantage because our product is available faster. Our advantage is that you can place an order on a Monday and it can be delivered the same week. Imported products take weeks to arrive in Puerto Rico, and circumstances can vary as the product gets here,” she pointed out.