Our Family History
We trace our family tree down two different roots, both leading to Montana. In 1942, Bill Nefsy moved from Wyoming with his wife, Lorene, and young daughter Virginia. They leased a cattle ranch south of Miles City that would start Nefsy’s ranching legacy. Historically Miles City has been referred to as The Cow Capital of the World.
After serving in WWII, C.M. Coffee moved from Texas with the dream of building a better life. As a true cowboy, C.M. knew the best way to achieve his dream was by raising cattle in the wide open spaces of eastern Montana. Through a partnership with Nefsy, C.M. met, and eventually married, Virginia. C.M. was able to do what he loved and continued to build his herd, ranch, and family. C.M. and Virginia brought their two children, Bill and Caren, into the western way of life and passed down their knowledge and values.
Today, Caren, alongside her nephew, Colt, and niece, Abby, continue to manage and grow the legacy that C.M. and the family built. Using C.M.’s same cowboy principles, Coffee Cattle strives to provide the best health, feed, and welfare for our animals, as well as the highest quality Black Angus beef for our customers. We hope you will enjoy the decades of care, experience and integrity that goes into all of our beef. As we now start on our next generation at Coffee Cattle, it is our goal to have a lasting relationship from producer to consumer. Here, it is truly from our family to yours.
Our Herd History
Since the 1950’s, Coffee Cattle has raised a closed herd of all natural Black Angus cattle. We define a “closed herd” as a base group of cows producing their own replacement heifers each year and not adding any additional females to the herd. Since these females are the foundation of our beef, continually reinvesting in them makes a difference. Just as we value our own family’s legacy, we also value that of our mother cows.
Independently raised purebred bulls are purchased each year for their desired traits to grow our herd. We only introduce registered Black Angus bulls sourced from top breeders around Montana. In fact, we attend many bull sales each year across the state, carefully selecting a diverse group of bulls with our desired traits. Certified Angus Beef (CAB) has a program, “Targeting the Brand,” which identifies superior registered Angus bulls with the genetic potential to sire offspring that meet the CAB’s quality specifications. These bulls have the CAB “stamp of approval” on their sale papers, indicating their genetic predisposition to carry those qualities.
What does this mean for you? Having a closed herd means better control and development of genetics, animal health, animal quality and just plain better beef. Our herd genetics exhibit the traditional Black Angus traits that bring you the flavor, quality and nutrition we all want to feed our family and friends. Additionally, our history proves the importance and benefits to sustain the same herd for almost 75 years. Today, we are proud to continue this legacy while raising our cattle the traditional way.
Our Herd Care and Feeding
Our free to roam cattle are raised on the open range of eastern Montana where the skies are blue and the air is clean. Our cattle do not receive supplemental hormones at any time. We handle our cattle as little as possible, reducing stress and maximizing gain. Natural grass grazed from the prairie is at the heart of our beef quality. We then finish our cattle in our own feedlot right on the ranch. We feed alfalfa and corn primarily grown on our land along the Tongue River. So, from start to finish, we know our cattle are getting premium, natural feed.
Similarly, our beef is processed locally. The process is USDA certified and is more controlled than in larger processing facilities. With Coffee Cattle Beef, you have peace of mind in knowing how your beef is raised and treated. This eye for detail, control of every step in the process, and long-standing experience shows on your grill and on your tastebuds.
Our Herd Quality
We are proud of the cattle we raise and the beef they provide. Because of that, we enroll in many programs to validate the treatment and quality of our cattle. These programs ensure the cattle in our fields, and the beef on your table, are guaranteed to be held to some of the industry’s highest standards for animal welfare and meat quality. Our grass fed and grain finished cattle are raised on the plains of Montana as our family has for 80 years.
- Non-Hormone Treated Cattle (NHTC)
This verification program ensures cattle have not received supplemental hormones at any stage of their life. This program is USDA approved and third-party audited for accountability and dependability. NHTC - Verified Natural Beef (VNB)
Beef raised. "Natural" is something we see in the marketplace, but it is not a set Standard across the board. The IMI Global Verified Natural Beef Standard allows buyers to be assured that cattle have never received any Beta-Agonists, Ionophores, Antibiotics or Animal By-Products. Verification Beef - GAP Certified
The Global Animal Partnership is a nonprofit which seeks to promote the welfare of farmed animals by rating the welfare standards of various farmed animal products. Our herd is raised in accordance with their high standards. We are proud to be GAP Certified. GAP Beef Standards - Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Certified
Beef Quality Assurance is a program that provides systematic information to U.S. beef producers of how good husbandry techniques can be coupled with accepted scientific knowledge to raise cattle under optimum management conditions. Beef Quality Assurance - Beef Care Certified
CARE Certified is a suite of sustainability standards that certifies participating farmers and ranchers are implementing best practices in animal care, environmental stewardship and supporting their local communities and the people within them. Care Certified - Age and Source Verified
This third party audited program, ensures that the cattle are born on our operation and requires certain documentation that proves they are not an imported product. The Cattle Site - Angus Verified
This verification guarantees the Angus genetics found in our cattle. Angus Verified
