Revolutionizing the meat supply industry with Belcampo CEO Anya Fernald

Explicit content warning

07/02/20 • 81 min

With all the unhealthy, unethical meat being produced and distributed in the US, the time is ripe for people to start doing things differently. Enter Belcampo, a company that is revolutionizing meat for the wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet. Today we have their co-founder and CEO, Anya Fernald, on the show to talk about her life story and the evolution, ideals, and practices of Belcampo. We kick things off by hearing some context behind Anya’s philosophy. She details her childhood influences and hobbies, and how she fell in love with essential eating and sustainable farming while traveling through Europe learning to make cheese as well as about the practices of traditional agricultural societies. We hear about how this contrasted with her experience of the terrible food culture back in The U.S., leading her to start practicing regenerative farming and eventually founding Belcampo. Anya gets into the practices that make Belcampo different from conventional factory farms, also talking about how they are sequestering carbon, and spreading their approach to farming by partnering with local ranchers. Next up, Anya shares more about the evolution of the company from its roots as a restaurant and butcher evangelizing for wellness, also getting into the exciting new avenues for growth that lie ahead for them! For all this and much more from a true visionary in the field of sustainability, be sure to tune in!

Thank you to our awesome show sponsor, makers of Ben’s favorite grass-fed collagen and powdered MCT: BUBS, a company making just a few extremely high-quality products and giving back a whopping 10% of their sales to charity. Ben uses their powdered collagen and MCT in his coffee every morning. Use the code MUSCLE for a full 20% off your purchase HERE.

Timestamps

The value of exercising to uplift mindsets in this difficult time. [0:15]
Introducing Anya Fernald, Belcampo, and today’s sponsor, BUBS Naturals. [1:35]
How Anya and Ben adjust their carnivore diets with olive oil, avocados, and more. [4:47]
Learn how to make pemmican, and what goes into making different cuts of meat. [7:51]
The role of Anya’s farming childhood and love of domestic crafts in her career. [15:23]
Moving from culinary training into essential eating and sustainable farming. [18:48]
Anya’s training making bread, cheese, and exploring links between place and food. [21:46]
How great Anya felt traveling and working in Europe on a diet of meat and cheese. [23:30]
Shifts in Anya’s view of food while living in a traditional agricultural society in Sicily. [25:14]
Moving back to the US and becoming unhealthy due to the poor state of meat there. [31:07]
Getting the idea to source high-quality meat by deciding to self-rear cows for food. [31:15]
Launching Belcampo in 2012 after realizing there was a gap in the market for sustainable beef. [34:30]
Challenges selling sustainable meat due to high costs and low-profit margins. [38:58]
How much simpler good quality meat is to cook and make taste great. [42:12]
The difference between cruel factory farming processes and those at Belcampo. [44:10]
How Belcampo’s rearing process sequesters rather than emits large carbon amounts. [50:38]
Belcampo’s empowerment project outsourcing their farming style to local ranchers. [56:48]
Growth areas for Belcampo: e-commerce post COVID and stocking grocery stores. [1:03:50]
Building the Belcampo brand from its days as a restaurant evangelizing for human and animal wellness. [1:06:38]
Problems with wellness food powders and the culinarian glorification of poor health. [1:10:33]
That we are disconnected from our food and how to experience more vitality. [1:13:22]
Traditional food pairings and how this concept feeds into recipes in Anya’s cookbook. [1:16:14]
The point of cravings and how being attuned to them can make you healthier. [1:17:18]

Timestamps

The value of exercising to uplift mindsets in this difficult time. [0:15]
Introducing Anya Fernald, Belcampo, and today’s sponsor, BUBS Naturals. [1:35]
How Anya and Ben adjust their carnivore diets with olive oil, avocados, and more. [4:47]
Learn how to make pemmican, and what goes into making different cuts of meat. [7:51]
The role of Anya’s farming childhood and love of domestic crafts in her career. [15:23]
Moving from culinary training into essential eating and sustainable farming. [18:48]
Anya’s training making bread, cheese, and exploring links between place and food. [21:46]
How great Anya felt traveling and working in Europe on a diet of meat and cheese. [23:30]
Shifts in Anya’s view of food while living in a traditional agricultural society in Sicily. [25:14]
Moving back to the US and becoming unhealthy due to the poor state of meat there. [31:07]
Getting the idea to source high-quality meat by deciding to self-rear cows for food. [31:15]
Launching Belcampo in 2012 after realizing there was a gap in the market for sustainable beef. [34:30]
Challenges selling sustainable meat due to high costs and low-profit margins. [38:58]
How much simpler good quality meat is to cook and make taste great. [42:12]
The difference between cruel factory farming processes and those at Belcampo. [44:10]
How Belcampo’s rearing process sequesters rather than emits large carbon amounts. [50:38]
Belcampo’s empowerment project outsourcing their farming style to local ranchers. [56:48]
Growth areas for Belcampo: e-commerce post COVID and stocking grocery stores. [1:03:50]
Building the Belcampo brand from its days as a restaurant evangelizing for human and animal wellness. [1:06:38]
Problems with wellness food powders and the culinarian glorification of poor health. [1:10:33]
That we are disconnected from our food and how to experience more vitality. [1:13:22]
Traditional food pairings and how this concept feeds into recipes in Anya’s cookbook. [1:16:14]
The point of cravings and how being attuned to them can make you healthier. [1:17:18]

Previous Episode

Q&A: Learning to ask the right questions

Welcome back to another live edition of the Muscle Intelligence show! Today we focus on giving you some new perspectives on your exercise routine and this Q&A session looks at more effective ways, taking inspiration from the strategies of great people as a jumping-off point. We are really aiming to give you a new paradigm for exercise, how it is meant to be, rather than a preconceived notion of what it is! The conversation starts with an exploration of fitness as a more meditative pursuit and how mindfulness and awareness will take you further than a focus on the weight being lifted.

We then move into some talk about methods for improving weaknesses; Ben shares simple and actionable strategies for honing in on the more avoidant parts of your body and routine. Ash raises the question of how much each individual should reasonably know about what the processes are carrying out, noting that clients may have different concerns to a coach. Ultimately, exercise will play a different size role in each of our lives and we do not all have to be world-experts on our routine, but we all need to be present while completing it! The conversation then turns to a contrasting approach to fixing problems, focussing on strengths, and applying these strategies to weaker areas. For all this and a whole lot more on bringing yourself into your body and program, listen in with us today! Do not forget to check out our awesome show sponsors, BLUblox for the finest in healthy eyewear! Get 15% off the best blue-light-blocking glasses at https://blublox.com/muscleintelligence, using the code 'MUSCLE'!

Timestamps

Getting away from what you think you know and the dogma of exercise. [1:40]
A more meditative approach to fitness; inside and outside the body. [2:49]
Shifting the focus of weightlifting away from a number. [9:51]
Practical ways to improve on the weak parts of your exercises and routine. [14:07]
Smarter techniques for avoiding injury and making constant progress. [17:02]
Client concerns versus those of a coach; protocols are not the answer. [21:36]
The mindful dimension to exercise and the opportunity it provides in this respect. [24:28]
Prioritizing habits and daily practices over short term willpower. [28:56]
Awesomeness versus awfulness; the part that attitude plays in setting goals. [31:50]
Differences between Ben's leg days and back days in the past. [37:13]
Eye-fatigue, screen time, and the difference that blue-blocking glasses can make. [39:03]

Next Episode

Q&A: What does human connection have to do with fitness?

If you listen to your body as you exercise, you can feel your emotions arise to the surface. Many people try to mute out these feelings, or they exercise to distract themselves from feeling. In today’s episode, Ben and Ash talk about why it’s important to listen to your body and work through your feelings. As Ben mentions at the start of the episode, these moments are opportunities to connect with yourself which is an important part of connecting with other people. Ben talks about how exercise like yoga has helped him to explore his feelings and he reflects on how this helps in the long-term — where muting negative feelings only helps in the short-term. Ash and Ben then discuss how this makes you more proactive in life as it improves your focus while decreasing anxiety.

Ben links this to the energy work of John Amaral and shares the story of what happened when he attended a “nutty” neuro-feedback workshop. Near the end of the episode, Ben provides advice on how you can reinvent yourself by changing your habits before talking about why breathing, walking, and posture are the top three things that you should listen to in your body. To quote one of Ben’s good friends, “your body will tell you everything you need to know, if you're willing to listen and pay attention.” Listen to this episode to find out how.

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Timestamps

Why Ben is back on a yoga kick and the benefits of yoga when muscle building. [2:26]
Ben introduces the topic of connecting with others along with the self. [2:52]
Feeling your emotions as they arise during exercise. [6:20]
Why exploring your feelings results in long-term benefits. [7:18]
How Ben convinces people in difficult situations to focus on exercise and meditation. [8:47]
How John Amaral changed Ben’s life and helped him realize what he wanted to do. [10:01]
Ben explains what John does by sharing a story from one of his workshops. [12:04]
The importance of having an open mind and exploring different approaches in life. [15:51]
Hear about Ben’s “nutty” experience with neuro-feedback. [17:24]
How we can learn about ourselves by listening to our bodies. [19:32]
Nurturing our human connections as a way to uplift our lives. [22:02]
Connecting to yourself before connecting to others and how this might affect sex. [24:42]
Why you should put aside distractions and take a day to explore your feelings. [26:57]
Ben’s message to listeners; know that you are stronger than your circumstance. [29:19]
Learn how changing your habits is the secret to reinventing yourself. [31:42]
Why the idea of balance is subjective; you need to figure out your own targets. [34:55]
Hear when and why Ben does yoga and why he doesn’t like yin yoga. [36:43]
Ben’s top three things to watch in your body; breathing, walking, and posture. [39:17]
Fixing your walking by focusing on points of weakness or instability. [42:17]
Ben talks about his mentors — some of the best exercise gurus in the world. [43:57]
Learn about Ben’s squat and body workout series; it teaches from the fundamentals. [45:25]
How Ben’s heavy olive oil consumption has benefited him and which olive oil he buys. [47:56]