Bill Niman — the man who founded a meat company that brought sustainable, humane and natural meat to homes and restaurants acrosss the country — recently said that standards had changed so much at Niman Ranch that he no longer feels comfortable eating his former company's meat. Admittedly, some of that may come more from sour grapes than tainted beef.
According to a comprehensive profile of Niman in the San Francisco Chronicle, Niman Ranch was never a profitable business over the thirty years it's operated. Niman lost virtual control of the company in 2006, when investors came in to stem the losses that were around $3 million.
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 3, 2009.