Restaurants
Fresh or frozen carcass programs and standing cut orders, with a farm name you can put on the menu.
Standing Meat Orders for Restaurants, Grocers and Schools
Little Blue's Farm has raised beef, pork and chicken outside Morton, Illinois since 2012, and we supply restaurants, butcher shops, grocers, schools, caterers and food banks across central Illinois and the wider Midwest. Half and whole carcass, fresh or flash-frozen, or individual cuts by the case. We deliver, and we bring it in.
Buying for your own family instead? We sell quarter, half and whole beef for home freezers on our bulk beef page →
Quick Summary
Little Blue's Farm is a family farm in Morton, Illinois that supplies wholesale beef, pork and chicken to restaurants, butcher shops, grocery stores, schools, caterers, food banks and other institutions across central Illinois and the Midwest. We sell by the half or whole carcass, by standing order, or by the case, and we are one of the few suppliers in the area that can deliver a fresh, never-frozen half or whole beef on a weekly or biweekly schedule. Wholesale pricing generally starts around 100 pounds of a single product. All processing is done at a USDA-inspected locker. Call (309) 613-0563 or request a price sheet to talk through products, volumes and delivery.
Who We Supply — Restaurants, Grocers, Schools and More
If you serve food, sell food, or hand food to people who need it, we can probably supply you. Here's who we work with most.
Butcher Shops and Meat Markets
Half and whole beef and hogs delivered on your schedule, cut in your shop, your way.
Grocery Stores
A single-farm supply you can label and trace, from a farm your customers can drive past.
Schools and Colleges
Naturally raised beef, pork and chicken for food service, with local sourcing you can document.
Caterers and Event Kitchens
Volume orders sized to the event, with lead times set well ahead of the date.
Food Banks and Pantry Networks
High-volume protein from one source, delivered to a central hub.
Three Ways to Buy Wholesale Meat From Our Family Farm
We would rather sell you a whole animal than a case of one cut, and we will tell you why: the price works out better for you, the supply is steadier, and we are not left holding the cuts nobody ordered. But we are flexible. Plenty of our accounts buy exactly what they need and nothing else, and that is fine too.
Half or Whole Carcass
The best value we offer, and the only way to get fresh, never-frozen product.
You take a half or whole beef, or a half or whole hog, cut to your specification at a USDA-inspected locker. We coordinate the butcher date and deliver.
Best for butcher shops, restaurants doing whole-animal menus, and anyone with the cooler space and the knife skills to break it down.
Standing Wholesale Order
A recurring order of the products you actually move, on a schedule we both plan around.
Most standing accounts take delivery every two weeks or monthly. Because we know it is coming, we can reserve butcher dates ahead of you instead of scrambling.
Best for restaurants, grocers, schools and food service kitchens that need the same thing every month.
Volume and One-Time Orders
A single large order of one product or a handful of products, no commitment.
Wholesale pricing generally starts around 100 pounds of a single item. Below that we can still help, but it is closer to our retail pricing.
Best for caterers, events, seasonal menus, and anyone who wants to try us before setting up something regular.
Fresh Half and Whole Carcass, Delivered Weekly or Biweekly
Most of what we sell is flash-frozen, and for most products that is the right call — it holds quality better than anything else we have tried. But there is one thing we can do that very few suppliers around here can, and it is worth knowing about.
We can deliver a fresh, never-frozen half or whole beef, or a half or whole hog, on a weekly or every-other-week schedule. It comes off the rail at a USDA-inspected locker and goes on the truck. If your kitchen breaks down its own primals, or your shop cuts to order, that is a completely different product than anything a distributor is going to back up to your door.
A few honest limits, because we would rather you hear them now than after you have built a menu around it:
- Fresh is carcass only. Half and whole beef, half and whole hog. Individual cuts and cased products are flash-frozen, with no exceptions.
- It has to be scheduled. Fresh delivery runs on butcher dates we reserve ahead of time, which means we need a standing arrangement rather than a phone call on Tuesday.
- November and December run tighter. The locker takes in deer processing through hunting season and the calendar gets crowded. We plan around it every year, but lead times stretch.
If fresh is what you are after, call (309) 613-0563 and ask for Adam directly. That conversation goes faster on the phone than through a form.
How We Price Wholesale Beef, Pork and Chicken Orders
We do not publish wholesale numbers, and we will tell you exactly why: the right price depends on what you are buying, how much of it, and how often. A butcher shop taking a whole beef every other week and a caterer buying ground beef twice a year are not the same customer, and quoting them the same number would not be honest to either one.
What we can tell you up front is how it is structured. Wholesale pricing is either a discounted rate on a whole or half animal, or a percentage off our retail pricing on individual products, and which one you get depends on volume. The more of the animal you take and the more predictable your schedule, the better the number gets. That is not a sales tactic — it is just how the cost of raising, hauling and processing an animal actually works.
Tell us what you need and we will send you a real price sheet, not a range.
Delivery, Order Lead Times and Payment for Businesses
How Delivery Works
We deliver ourselves. Our regular routes cover Peoria, East Peoria, Washington, Pekin, Morton, Mackinaw and Bloomington-Normal, and we run throughout Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri. There is no charge for the delivery itself, just a fuel fee based on your route. Frozen accounts usually take delivery monthly or every two weeks. Fresh carcass accounts run weekly or every other week. We carry it in — we do not leave it on a dock.
How Much Notice We Need
Anything involving a butcher date needs to be scheduled ahead, because we are reserving a slot at the locker on your behalf. For products already cut and in the freezer, the lead time is short. The one stretch in the calendar is November and December, when the locker takes in deer processing. We still get orders through it every year. We just need to know sooner.
How You Pay
Most accounts pay by check or card at the time of delivery. For orders that involve a butcher date, we typically take a card deposit up front and the balance on delivery. Net 30 terms are available for established accounts that require them, which covers most schools, institutions and larger organizations. Tell us what your accounting department needs and we will work with it.
Can a Family Farm Supply Your Volume? Here's Our Capacity
It is a fair question and most buyers are too polite to ask it, so we will answer it first. The worry with buying from a farm instead of a distributor is that the farm runs out in month three and you are on the phone looking for a replacement mid-service.
With a schedule in place we can run 30 to 40 head of cattle and 20 to 40 hogs per month.
That is real, sustained capacity, not a best week. But it depends on one thing: we have to know it is coming. Butcher dates get reserved ahead, and reserving dates against orders that never materialize is expensive for a farm our size. So the more predictable your order, the more we can lock in for you — and the further ahead we can hold it.
Which is the honest version of why a standing account gets treated differently than a phone call. It is not favoritism. It is a calendar.
Why Buy Wholesale Meat From One Farm Instead of a Distributor
A distributor gives you breadth. One phone call gets you beef, produce, paper goods and everything else, and if that is what your operation needs, a distributor is the right answer and we will not pretend otherwise.
What a distributor cannot give you is a single known source. Case-ready ground beef can pool cattle from dozens of operations across several states. Ours comes from our pastures outside Morton, from cattle we raised, and the man who raised them answers the phone at the number on this page.
- One farm, one story. You can name us on your menu, your case card, or your sourcing documentation, and it is verifiable.
- A consistent product. Same pastures, same feed program, same processing. The ribeye in March eats like the ribeye in August.
- Grass-fed or corn-finished, your call. We raise both, so we can match your spec instead of asking you to match ours.
- Fresh carcass, which almost nobody local offers. Covered above, and it is the reason most of our restaurant conversations start.
- A real person on the phone. Questions about feed, care, processing or a delivery all go to the same number. There is no account rep and no ticket queue.
- Ten minutes away. If you are in the Peoria area, you can drive out and look at the cattle. Try that with a distribution center.
How Our Cattle, Hogs and Chickens Are Raised in Morton
We have been at this since 2012, and we feed our own family of ten off the same pastures your order comes from. That is the whole standard, and it has not changed.
- No added hormones or steroids
- No daily antibiotics — a sick animal gets treated, the herd does not get dosed every day
- No cages, no crates
- Beef dry-aged 10 to 14 days
- All processing at a USDA-inspected locker
- Grass-fed and corn-finished beef both available
Every one of those claims has a person attached to it. Call (309) 613-0563 and ask about any of them. More on our USDA-inspected processing →
Request a Wholesale Price Sheet From Our Family Farm
Tell us what you are looking for and we will send back real numbers for your volume, not a range. If you would rather just talk it through, call (309) 613-0563 and ask for Adam.
Common Questions From Wholesale and Business Buyers
Do you have a minimum order for wholesale pricing?
There is no minimum to place an order with us. To get wholesale pricing, we generally look for at least 100 pounds of a single product at a time, or a half or whole animal. Below that we can still fill the order, it just prices closer to our retail. The best pricing goes to accounts taking a whole or half carcass on a regular schedule, because that is the arrangement that works out best for both sides.
Can I get fresh, never-frozen beef or pork?
Yes, on half and whole carcass only. We can deliver a fresh half or whole beef, or a half or whole hog, on a weekly or every-other-week schedule, coming off the rail at a USDA-inspected locker and straight onto the truck. Individual cuts and cased products are flash-frozen with no exceptions. Fresh delivery has to be scheduled ahead, since we reserve butcher dates for it.
How much beef and pork can you supply per month?
With a schedule in place we can run 30 to 40 head of cattle and 20 to 40 hogs per month. That is sustained capacity, not a peak. The condition is predictability — we reserve butcher dates ahead of time, so the more consistent your order, the more we can hold for you. If you are considering a large standing account, call and we will tell you plainly whether we can cover it.
How much lead time do you need on a wholesale order?
For products already cut and in the freezer, not much. For anything requiring a butcher date, we need notice ahead of time so we can reserve the slot. November and December run tighter than the rest of the year because the locker takes in deer processing during hunting season. We work orders through it every year, but lead times stretch, so plan holiday menus early.
Do you deliver, and how far?
We deliver ourselves and we carry it in. Regular routes cover Peoria, East Peoria, Washington, Pekin, Morton, Mackinaw and Bloomington-Normal, and we deliver throughout Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri. There is no charge for the delivery itself, just a fuel fee based on your route. If your location is outside those areas, ask anyway and we will tell you straight whether we can make a route work.
Do you offer net 30 terms?
Yes, for established accounts that require them. Most of our business customers pay by check or card at the time of delivery, and orders involving a butcher date usually carry a card deposit up front with the balance due on delivery. If your organization has procurement requirements, tell us what they are and we will work with them.
Can I order individual cuts, or only whole animals?
Both. We would rather sell you a whole or half animal, because the pricing works out better for you and it keeps our supply steady. But plenty of our accounts buy only what they need, and that is a normal way to work with us. Wholesale pricing on individual products generally starts around 100 pounds of a single item.
Is your meat USDA inspected?
All of our processing is done at a USDA-inspected locker, which is what allows the meat to be sold wholesale and resold by our business customers. Every carcass is inspected and every package is labeled accordingly. If you need documentation for your own compliance or sourcing records, ask and we will get it to you.
Can I put your farm name on my menu or case labels?
Yes, and we would be glad to see it. Our customers buy from us in part because we are one identifiable farm outside Morton rather than a blended supply chain, and that is worth something on a menu or a case card. If you want photos of the farm or a short sourcing description for your materials, ask and we will send them over.
Do you supply chicken and turkey too?
We supply chicken alongside the beef and pork, raised the same way on the same farm. Turkey is limited right now and we would rather not commit to volume we cannot cover, so ask us before you plan around it. Goat and lamb are occasionally available as special orders. Tell us what you need and we will tell you honestly whether we can supply it.