Facility Guide

Small footprints. Big compliance. Use these plans and practices to design a clean, efficient, retail-exempt butcher shop on your ranch.

Your Shop = A Retail Backroom (Done Right)

Under the retail exemption, you’re allowed to receive USDA-inspected carcasses or sub-primals and then cut, grind, package, label, freeze, and sell to consumers. You are not slaughtering on-site. 

Your facility should look and run like a grocery store backroom butcher area—with professional sanitation, temperature control, separation of clean/dirty zones, and meticulous record.

Quick Reminders:

• No slaughter or canning/retort under retail exemption.
   
• Keep ≥75% sales to household consumers; stay under FSIS dollar caps (25%) for non-household sales.
   
• Labels cannot use the USDA inspection legend. Follow safe-handling labeling rules.

Three Proven Sizes That Scale With You

Choose the footprint that fits your volume, crew size, and budget. All three layouts preserve product flow (receiving → cold storage → trim/cut → pack/label → finished cold) and people flow (dirty to clean).

1. Layout A: 500–650 sq ft (1–2 cutters, ~6–12 cattle/month)

• Receiving Cold Room (8'×10'): roll-in cooler; 34–38°F.
   
• Cut Room (12'×14'): one table, band saw, grinder, knife rack, sanitizer dip.
   
• Pack/Label (8'×10'): vacuum sealer, scale, printer, label station, stainless table.
   
• Finished Cooler/Freezer (8'×10'): blast or reach-in freezers.
   
• Hand wash & Sanitizing Station at entries; janitor closet with mop sink & chem cabinet.
   
• Supervisor Desk nook for logs/records.
   

2. Layout B: 800–900 sq ft (2–3 cutters, ~15–30 cattle/month)

• Staging Cooler (10'×12') + Finished Freezer (10'×12') separated.
   
• Cut Room (14'×18'): two tables, larger band saw & grinder, trim cart lanes.
   
• Dedicated Packaging Room (10'×12'): two sealers, twin scales, label QA station.
   
• Vestibule & Gowning: coat hooks, hair/beard nets, PPE racks.
   
• Utility/Compressor Room isolated for noise/heat.
   

3. Layout C: 1,100–1,200 sq ft (3–5 cutters, ~30–60 cattle/month)

• Dock/Vestibule with air curtain & pest-proof doors.
   
• Raw Cooler (12'×16') and Finished Freezer (12'×16') with pallet access.
   
• Cut Room (18'×20'): three tables, band saw, grinder, slicer, trim sink, color-coded zones.
   
• Pack/Label (12'×16'): line flow (tray → seal → weigh → print → apply → case).
   
• QA/Lab Nook: thermometers, scales, label approvals, probe calibration.
   
• Employee Hygiene Core: lockers, restroom, handwash stations at all transitions.
   

Equipment Core (all sizes):
Band saw, grinder (staggered plates), vacuum sealer (chamber type), calibrated scales, label printer, stainless tables/carts, knife sterilizer (180°F), handwash sinks (knee/foot), mop sink, floor drains, NSF shelving, spare gaskets/blades.

Cold, Clean, Durable

• Floors: sealed epoxy or quarry tile w/cove base, pitched to drains (¼″ per ft).
   
• Walls/Ceilings: FRP or insulated metal panels; sealed seams; light-colored for visibility.
   
• Drains: basket strainers + backflow; separate mop sink drain.
   
• Water: hot 140–160°F at sterilizers; 120°F general hot; backflow prevention.
   
• Power: dedicated 220V for saws/sealers; GFCI at wet areas; labeled panels.
   
• HVAC/Refrigeration: maintain 34–38°F raw cooler; ≤41°F pack room; negative air from raw → finished to control aerosols.
   
• Lighting: shatter-proof covers; ≥50 fc at cut tables.

Keep Dirty Away From Clean—All Day, Every Day

Design your map so product and people never U-turn back into dirty zones.

Flow (Product):
Receiving Cooler → Cut Room (raw trim on red carts) → Pack/Label (clean tables) → Finished Freezer.

Flow (Personnel):
Entry → Gowning → Handwash → Cut/Pack → Handwash → Exit.
No bathroom-to-production re-entry without full handwash/gowning.

Color Coding:

• Red tools/carts = raw only.
   
• Blue tools/carts = finished/pack only.
   
• Yellow = sanitation only.
  Shadow boards & tags keep it honest.

Clean In, Clean Out

• Pre-Op (before shift): visual check, ATP swabs (if available), sanitizer at 200 ppm (quat) or per label; verify drains clear.
   
• During Ops: knife dips at 180°F; change gloves between raw/pack; wipe downs every 4 hrs; spill response kit accessible.
   
• Post-Op: dry clean → foam → scrub → rinse → sanitize; remove and hang tools to dry; floors last.
   
• Weekly/Monthly: deep descale on drains, coils, and fans; verify gaskets, check condenser filters.

Think HACCP, Even If Not Required

You’re exempt from continuous inspection, not from responsibility. Borrow the best of HACCP:

Hazards to Control:

• Biological: keep meat ≤41°F; rapid move from cut → pack → freeze.
   
• Physical: blade fragments; implement tool checks & magnet trays.
   
• Chemical: sanitizer residues; correct mix & rinse verification.
   

Key Controls:

• Temperature: log cooler/room temps 2×/day; product temps at start/end of shift.
   
• Separation: raw vs. finished tables, carts, and tools; one-way product traffic.
   
• Hygiene: mandatory handwash points, PPE, illness policy posted and signed.
   
• Allergens: if adding marinades/seasonings, segregate area & labels.
   

Records to Keep:

• Temp logs (coolers, rooms, product).
   
• Sanitation checklists & chemical concentrations.
   
• Tool/blade change logs.
   
• Label approvals & lot codes.
   
• Corrective actions (what happened, what you did, who signed).

Look Professional, Stay Compliant

• Formats: vacuum-pack sub-primals, overwrap trays for retail, bulk food-service bags (for limited HRI sales).
   
• Labels: product name, net weight, safe-handling statement, packed-on date, storage, ranch/market name & address.
   
• No inspection legend on exempt product.
   
• Lot Codes: date + batch (e.g., 250928-B1); keep logs linking lots to source carcasses.
   

Right Team, Right Pace

• Crew: start with 1–2 skilled cutters + 1 packer/labeler.
   
• Training: knife safety, sanitation, temperature control, label accuracy, customer service at the counter.
   
• Throughput Benchmarks:
   
  • Small (500–650 sq ft): 1–2 carcasses/day equivalent.
     
  • Medium (800–900): 2–4 carcasses/day.
     
  • Large (1,100–1,200): 4–6 carcasses/day with staging.
    Adjust for species, cut complexity, and crew skill.

No Surprises for Inspectors—or Neighbors

• Solid Trim/Bones: food-waste rendering service; sealed, lidded bins; pick-ups scheduled.
   
• Greywater & Floors: screens on drains; never hose solids; dry-clean first.
   
• Pests: door sweeps, air curtains, glue boards, documented monthly service.
   
• Odor Control: sealed waste area apart from intake air.
   

Open With Confidence

• Local permits (building, zoning, health), fire inspection.
   
• Refrigeration holding temp validation (empty & loaded).
   
• Calibration certificates (scales, thermometers).
   
• Chemical SDS on site; labeled spray bottles.
   
• Pre-op sanitation sign-off; first-week intensified monitoring.
   
• Staff trained; illness & jewelry policies signed.
   
• Trial run with non-sellable product to test flows.
   
• Visitor policy and delivery schedule posted.

What It Really Takes (Ballpark)

Indicative ranges; adjust locally. (You can build the market/store yourself and save up to half this ballpark figures):

• 500–650 sq ft build-out: $45–90k (shell upgrades, drains, FRP), $35–70k equipment, $8–15k refrigeration.
   
• 800–900 sq ft: $75–140k build-out, $60–120k equipment, $15–30k refrigeration.
   
• 1,100–1,200 sq ft: $120–220k build-out, $90–180k equipment, $25–50k refrigeration.
  Financing: USDA Rural Dev., state ag grants, local revolving funds, co-op cost sharing.
   

Every square foot can work hard if you design it right. This guide helps you open fast, stay compliant, and grow on your terms.