From pasture to plate, the Francis family is building a local food brand rooted in quality beef, community connection, and a growing list of provisions
BERRYVILLE, ARK. – What started as a tent and a cooler at the Fayetteville farmers market selling beef is now a small-town storefront packed with locally raised meats, fresh produce, handcrafted goods, and a cattle program evolving to meet demand.
Henry and Kylee Francis launched Evergreen Beef Co. to meet a growing demand for locally sourced beef while supporting the family farm. As their customer base expanded, so did their offerings – leading to the opening of their retail storefront, Evergreen Pasture & Provisions in downtown Berryville, Arkansas. Though it began with their family’s cattle, the Francis family now supports and serves a network of local growers, makers, and community members.
Kylee is the third generation on her family’s 300-acre cattle farm in Berryville, Arkansas. Although it was historically a dairy farm, her father pivoted the operation to exclusively beef cattle in the 1990s, she said. Sigmon Simmentals supplies Evergreen’s beef by raising primarily Simmental and SimAngus-influenced beef cattle.
“I grew up in 4-H and FFA and was very involved in the American Junior Simmental Association exhibiting cattle,” Kylee said.
Her deep roots in the cattle industry inspired her to pursue degrees in agricultural business and communications at the University of Arkansas, where Henry also studied agricultural business.
Henry came from a different background but has always held a passion for the rural lifestyle and farming, Kylee said.
When an old peer mentioned the need for a beef vendor at the Fayetteville farmers market, the Francises saw an opportunity to add value to the family farm.
“We quickly found out that there was a huge market and a huge white space in the Fayetteville area for direct-consumer beef that was easily accessible at a farmer’s market,” Henry said.
Evergreen beef was selling out every week – and when the Francises made the move to Berryville last year, they noticed their new community had a demand for local provisions. With their experience and passion, they knew they could serve their community best through the food system.
A storefront may have started as a pipe dream – a 10-year plan, Henry said, but the dominos fell into place quickly, and Evergreen Pasture & Provisions launched shortly after the move, becoming Henry’s full-time gig.
“We want to have products that meet the community’s needs and that consumers are looking for. We also want to be an outlet and a sales channel for local growers, makers, and bakers who either don’t want to, or just don’t have the know-how, time or capacity to find a permanent sales channel for their goods,” Henry said.
Although the store is small, customers can find an assortment of goods sourced from within a 75-mile radius including but not limited to raw milk, eggs, baked goods, seasonal produce and a various assortment of proteins like their pasture-raised poultry and of course, Evergreen beef.
“We are striving to have as full of a grocery basket as possible,” Kylee said.
While the shelves are stocked with a variety of local goods, beef remains the heart of Evergreen’s offerings.
To keep up with the demand for their beef, the Francises have expanded not just their supply, but also the variety of cuts, packaging and price points they offer.
“We are really trying to have the most diverse assortment as we can in terms of both product mix and then price points within that, just to make sure that we’re accessible to as many customers as possible,” Kylee said, “So having a strong steady supply of ground beef is just as important to us as making sure that we have as many premium steaks as we can offer.”
Seasonality also plays a role in their beef offerings. New flavored beef brats were introduced this summer but a larger selection of hardier cuts like roasts, short ribs and briskets will fill the coolers in the fall and winter.
From a pricing standpoint, the Francises are intentional. By researching fair market value, they strive to find a happy medium between prices set by fellow local producers and those found at mass retailers – without losing sight of the value of their beef.
Kylee said they know they provide a premium beef product – purebred genetics that are fed a balanced diet.
“Most of the time our animals are scoring around high choice, really, really quality meat, so we want to make sure that we’re not discounting ourselves in pricing since this does feed into our livelihood,” Kylee said.
The demand for beef, along with product and pricing decisions, has also changed the way the family manages the cattle.
“The biggest thing that we’ve had to change is just reprioritizing what we are keeping back in the herd in terms of calves versus what we would have historically culled to the sale barn to be grown out somewhere else,” Kylee said.
Since the timeline for raising beef stretches over two years – including both gestation and finishing – Kylee said it’s been a learning curve to predict how many animals to retain for next year’s supply. But it’s a dynamic they’re beginning to feel more confident managing.
Managing the herd to meet demand has been a learning experience, one that drives their plans for sustainable growth.
Looking ahead, the Francises hope to incorporate more regenerative practices into their operation, including exploring grass finishing. Currently, their cattle are pasture-raised and grain-finished to maximize flavor.
But most of all, for the Francises, this journey is rooted in connection.
“Our mission is to connect our community with the best locally sourced protein, produce and provisions, all while supporting and empowering farmers and makers in the bigger Northwest Arkansas area,” Kylee said.
Even as the product list grows and the shelves fill out, the beef business remains the backbone – a tie to their agricultural roots and a reminder of how it all started.
To follow their evolving journey and discover the latest offerings, find Evergreen Pasture & Provisions on social media @evergreen.thestore.
