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Selling meat wholesale can be profitable, but only if you know how to move the whole animal. A 1,200-pound steer typically yields a hot carcass weight of about 750 pounds. After trimming, deboning, and moisture loss, the final amount of retail beef is closer to 480 pounds. That’s just 40 percent of the live weight. On average, one animal provides about a dozen filet mignons, a dozen New York strips, and a couple dozen ribeyes. The rest includes tougher cuts like chuck, round, and brisket, which require the right buyer, the right preparation, and a strong sales strategy.
The challenge is that these cuts often move slower. While buyers gravitate toward steaks, the tougher cuts are left behind. Without a clear plan for pricing, packaging, and buyer education, farmers risk tying up inventory and losing potential revenue.
This guide explains what wholesale cuts are, how they differ from retail cuts, and which beef and pork primals matter most. You’ll also find proven ways to increase sales through better pricing, upselling, buyer education, smart bundling, and farm e-commerce platforms like Local Line that simplify selling wholesale cuts.
Wholesale cuts, also known as primal cuts, are the large sections first separated from a carcass during butchering. These are the foundational portions from which all smaller cuts are derived. After processing, primal cuts are broken down into subprimal cuts, which are then further processed into retail cuts for consumers.
For example, the loin is a wholesale (primal) cut of beef. Within the loin, you’ll find subprimal cuts like the short loin and sirloin. These are then sliced into retail cuts such as striploin steaks, sirloin roasts, and tenderloin medallions.
Selling wholesale cuts allows farmers to avoid the extra time, labour, and cost of processing meat into many individual retail cuts. It also opens the door to selling to chefs, restaurants, and butcher shops - larger volume buyers who value the ability to portion and process meat to their own specifications.
Want to expand beyond meat? Read more about selling wholesale produce
There are eight primary wholesale cuts of beef, each with unique characteristics, cooking methods, and value. Here’s a breakdown of each:
Located near the shoulder, the chuck contains a lot of connective tissue, making it ideal for braising and slow-cooking. It’s commonly used for ground beef, roasts, and stew meat.
Cut from the upper rib section, this primal includes premium cuts like ribeye and prime rib. It’s prized for its marbling and tenderness.
The loin sits between the rib and round and is home to some of the most tender cuts, such as tenderloin, striploin, and T-bone steaks.
The round comes from the rear leg. It’s lean and less tender, making it suitable for roasts, jerky, and ground beef.
Cut from the chest, brisket is a tough but flavourful cut, popular for smoking or slow braising.
Located below the rib, the plate includes short ribs and skirt steak—tough but full of flavour. It’s also a common source of ground beef.
Cut from the lower abdominal area, the flank is lean and best cooked quickly at high heat or used in stir-fry and fajitas.
The shank comes from the leg and is typically braised. It’s commonly used for soup bones or ground beef.
Pork is typically divided into four main primal sections:
Often split into the picnic shoulder and Boston butt. Pork shoulder is often used for roasts, pulled pork, and sausages.
The loin runs from the shoulder to the hip and includes chops, tenderloin, and roasts.
The belly is often used for bacon, pork belly, and side ribs.
The back leg is often cured or smoked into ham.
Selling meat by wholesale cuts offers several benefits:
Now that you understand the basics, let’s look at how to increase your wholesale meat sales.
1. Make ordering wholesale meat easy
Buyers appreciate fast, simple ordering systems, especially busy chefs and food hubs. Offer:
👉 Local Line makes this easy with a full-featured farm e-commerce platform built for wholesale farm sales, including recurring orders and online payments.
Wholesale customers may want slight variations to fit their menus or retail preferences. This could include:
Offering customization adds value and makes you more competitive. Just be clear about the limits of what you can offer based on your processor’s capabilities.
Clear, honest pricing is essential for wholesale success. You can price by:
Break down what the buyer is paying for: the meat, processing, packaging, and any delivery costs. Buyers should know what to expect in terms of yield and cut availability.
Platforms like Local Line make it easy to set different price lists for retail and wholesale customers.
👉 Want help pricing meat by weight? Download the free guide to selling meat by weight.
Repeat wholesale customers are incredibly valuable. Focus on building long-term partnerships with:
Attend local industry events, food shows, or even farmers’ markets to meet potential wholesale buyers face-to-face. Offer samples and talk through your product in person when possible.
Modern buyers care about where their meat comes from. Highlight your farm’s:
Include farm story cards with your deliveries or showcase these elements in your online storefront.
Bundling is one of the best ways to simplify your sales and move more product. Try offering:
👉 Local Line’s Custom Box Builder makes it easy to create and sell bundles online with flexible contents and pricing.
Don’t stop at primary cuts. Offer customers add-ons to increase order value, such as:
Small add-ons add up, especially when buyers are already purchasing in bulk.
Read more about cross-selling vs upselling
A professional farm logo, packaging and branding add credibility and help build loyalty. Ensure your meat is:
Consider adding QR codes or farm info on each label to link buyers back to your website or story.
Wholesale beef subscription boxes are a recurring sales model that combines bulk buying with predictable demand. Instead of selling one-off bundles, farms offer chefs, food co-ops, retailers, or bulk buyers a scheduled delivery of mixed beef cuts on a weekly, monthly, or seasonal basis.
Each box typically includes a rotating mix of ground beef, roasts, and select steaks, which helps move a wider range of cuts beyond premium steaks. This approach reduces leftover inventory, improves carcass utilization, and smooths cash flow between processing dates.
Wholesale subscription boxes work especially well for:
By locking in repeat orders, wholesale beef subscription boxes lower sales risk and reduce the time spent reselling cuts after each processing run.
10. Leverage social media and email marketing
Keep your audience engaged and aware of product availability. Share:
Grow your email list fast and send occasional updates to both wholesale and retail buyers.
Get a head start: Download these 20+ FREE farm marketing templates
Your meat processor is a make-or-break part of your wholesale strategy. Find one that:
Taking time to vet processors upfront reduces costly mistakes, improves cut consistency, and gives you more confidence when selling wholesale cuts.
Understanding your product inside and out builds trust and confidence. Know the average hanging weight, expected yield, and common uses for each cut. Offer clear explanations and cut sheets that show where cuts come from and how they’re best cooked.
Wholesale buyers appreciate education, especially newer chefs or shops. Help them get the most out of the cuts they purchase.
Read more about how farms can combine education and storytelling into their marketing
Selling meat wholesale can quickly become complex, from managing orders and pricing to building bundles and communicating with buyers. That’s where Local Line comes in.
Thousands of farms use Local Line to simplify and scale their wholesale sales. With farm-focused software features designed specifically for meat producers, you can:
Farmers using Local Line report an average sales increase of 23% and save hours per week on admin tasks.
Want to simplify your wholesale meat business? Start with Local Line today - it’s quick and easy to get started!
Wholesale cuts are also known as primal cuts. These are the large sections first separated from a carcass during processing and serve as the starting point for subprimal and retail cuts. These foundational cuts include various cuts based on the muscle structure of the animal, such as the loin primal or rib primal, and are later broken down into retail favourites like ribeye steak, sirloin steak, or flank steak. Primal cuts are the basis for different cuts used in a range of cooking techniques and portion sizes.
The eight primary wholesale or primal cuts of beef are chuck, rib, loin, round, brisket, plate, flank, and shank. These cuts are created from different muscle groups and vary in fat content, tenderness, and ideal cooking time. For example, the rib primal includes marbled meat such as ribeye steak and beef short ribs, known for their rich flavour and tenderness. The loin primal includes high-end sirloin and short loin cuts like New York strip, porterhouse, and filet mignon. Each primal yields various cuts suited for grilling, roasting, slow cooking, or other different cooking techniques.
The four main wholesale pork cuts are shoulder, loin, belly, and leg. These primal sections include different cuts with varying fat content and muscle fibre, which influence how they should be cooked. For example, the shoulder contains tougher cuts that benefit from slow cooking methods, while loin cuts such as pork chops are perfect for quick cooking methods like grilling. Cuts from the belly are often used for bacon or braising, while the leg is commonly processed into ham.
Popular and budget-friendly wholesale cuts include ground chuck, chuck roasts, ribeye subprimals, pork shoulder and belly, and bulk beef options like quarter or half carcass bundles. For grilling, tender cuts like New York strip, sirloin steak, or ribeye steak offer rich marbling and great flavour. For slow cooking, tougher cuts such as beef short ribs, eye of round, flank steak, or brisket contain more collagen that helps tenderize the meat over time. Buying wholesale provides access to various cuts that fit different cooking techniques and portion sizes.
Primal cuts are the large foundational sections removed from the carcass based on the muscle structure and toughness of each area. Subprimal cuts are smaller portions taken from primals, such as the strip loin from the short loin or flat iron from the chuck. Retail cuts are the final packaged products offered to consumers. Different cuts within these categories vary in fat content and collagen levels and are suited for different cooking techniques like low and slow cooking or quick grilling depending on their muscle fibre and tenderness.
Wholesale meat can be more profitable for farmers when selling in volume, especially to food service buyers or local butcher shops. By focusing on primal and subprimal cuts such as the beef loin or rib primal, producers reduce packaging and labour costs. Offering various cuts suited to different cooking methods, like sirloin cuts for grilling or pot roast for slow cooking, allows for broader appeal and higher efficiency in processing and sales.
You can find wholesale buyers by reaching out to chefs, caterers, butcher shops, food co-ops, and local grocery stores that prioritize sourcing bulk beef and different cuts. Food service clients often look for consistency in portion sizes and prefer specific items like sirloin steak, beef short ribs, or eye of round. Platforms like Local Line can help you showcase your product range and manage orders for popular beef cuts with varying fat content, tenderness, and cooking applications.
Yes, using a platform like Local Line allows you to manage both retail and wholesale sales from a single dashboard. You can set custom pricing, inventory levels, and packaging for different buyer types. Whether you're selling melt-in-your-mouth beef like filet mignon or tougher cuts like ground chuck for pot roast, you can offer various cuts and portion sizes that suit different cooking times and techniques while meeting the needs of home cooks and professional kitchens alike.
Yes, to sell wholesale meat legally, you must process it at an inspected facility and comply with local food safety regulations. Whether you are selling high-end loin cuts like New York strip or more budget-friendly options like ground chuck, your cuts must meet safety and labelling standards. Proper licensing helps ensure that different cuts are handled appropriately based on the muscle structure and intended cooking methods, whether for a local butcher or a commercial food service buyer.
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