Let us set the scene, shall we? 14 acres of green grass spread out underneath a blue Oregon sky. You can chop your own wood, tend to your own garden and raise your own animals. This is exactly what San Diego Symphony Orchestra bassist W. Gregory Berton fantasized about as a kid. But now, as an adult, his dream has become a reality. And what he thought was just time off from his musical career, turned into none other than his very own accidental beef business.
Greg Berton grew up knowing that he wanted to own land one day. Somewhere he could raise pigs, chicken, and cattle. Eventually that’s what he did. Berton purchased 14 acres of land in Oregon where he could buy calves in the spring and fatten them up for auction in the fall.
As he spent more time split between his classical career in San Diego and his cowboy dreams in Oregon, people began to ask about his cattle. He had never thought of doing anything with them other than fattening them up and selling them at auction. A former member of our orchestra, violist Gareth Zehngut, bought him a book called Grass Fed Beef. Zehngut proposed that instead of selling the cattle at auction, Berton could sell beef to paying customers (starting with Zehngut).
After much research and consideration, Berton decided to make his beef available to his friends and colleagues in the orchestra. Once the word got out that Greg had Grade A grass fed beef, his accidental business boomed! Over the years he has sold to friends and family as well as to more than 20 people in the orchestra, including San Diego Symphony Orchestra Music Director Jahja Ling. To meet the demand of his new clients, Greg sells about a half dozen cows per year. Each cow is about 800 pounds of pure grass fed beef. That’s a lot of beef!
What’s Greg Berton’s favorite way to prepare a burger? Check out his recipe below!
FUN FACT: To purchase beef from Greg Berton, you’re required to buy part of the living cow before it goes to the butcher. That way you are butchering your own piece of meat!