Some ideas start with a lightbulb moment, and others start because you tasted something real and amazing and can’t go back to fake. 1889 Meat Co. began with two separate obsessions that eventually collided. The first involved two lawyers who bought livestock to take a break from billing hours. The second involved a farmer’s son who refused to let his family’s cattle disappear into anonymous supply chains. By 2021, these two missions merged, and by 2024, they had a new name and a growing customer base. Customers who plan their weekends around boxes full of South Dakota beef. This is the story of how that happened, and how Ground Buffalo will forever ruin you for regular burgers.
The Country Escape
Seamus and Liam Culhane were successful attorneys who spent their days in offices and not pastures. They did not grow up on ranches or spend their childhoods learning animal husbandry from their fathers. There was the growing feeling that farm-fresh eggs and garden-grown tomatoes were in a league of their own compared to the supermarket ones. So naturally, the same question followed when it came to meat.
So, they started raising livestock. Not as a business, but as something for their families. They wanted to feed their families something traceable, from a specific patch in South Dakota, rather than from an industrial complex somewhere. This is where they discovered something that Midwesterners have known for generations. Where and how meat cuts originate actually matter. The taste, texture, and quality aren’t just marketing words, but physical realities you notice right away.
Stabbin Cabin Meats was born from that experiment in 2016. The name itself gives you that down-to-earth feeling, a little playful, and focused on quality over hype. The Culhanes first started sharing it with their families, then friends, and soon the word spread. Everyone noticed that this meat was different. It had flavor, character, and tasted genuine.
The Son Who Traced Everything Backward
While the Culhanes were discovering agriculture as adults, Michael Fast was living it from birth. Raised on his family’s farm, he took an early interest in how cattle operate. After college, he pursued the dream of bringing quality meat to consumers, bypassing the industrial systems that stripped his family’s work from its identity.
In 2016, the same year the Culhanes started their country escape, Michael established Dakota Signature Meats. He saw firsthand how carefully raised cattle disappeared into anonymous supply chains, only to show up weeks later, barely recognizable under supermarket lights. He wanted to close the gap, do things differently. Within five years, Dakota Signature Meats had grown into a full family business with customers across the country. Not because of crazy marketing trends, but through word of mouth from people who tasted the difference and wouldn’t settle for less.
When Two Great Ideas Came Together
2021 was the year that changed everything. When Stabbin Cabin Meats acquired Dakota Signature Meats, it felt like the perfect match. Two different journeys; one shaped by experience, and the other by heritage, meeting on the same ground. Both share the belief that people should know exactly where their meat comes from. Both brands had the same values. Honoring South Dakota’s agricultural roots, maintaining high standards, and delivering freshness you can trust, right down to the USDA-approved processes and careful vacuum sealing. The result is more of everything that worked. Stabbin Cabin’s carefully crafted products now complement Dakota Signature’s premium cuts. The same farm and integrity, with just a wider range to enjoy.
The Rebrand
In the spring of 2024, the new name arrived: 1889 Meat Co. The company continued offering premium South Dakota-raised beef delivered from farm to door, now under a new banner that referenced the year South Dakota became a state. The main promise stayed intact: direct relationship with local farmers, USDA inspection, and vacuum sealing that locks in freshness until you are ready to enjoy it.
The Ground Buffalo That Demands Attention
Which brings us to the product. The Ground Buffalo is the centerpiece of 1889 Meat Co.’s offerings. This isn’t a novelty meat. It’s not the bison you may have tried once at a tourist restaurant near a national park, served with juniper berries and presentation. No, this is the result of every decision made by the Culhanes, Michael Fast, and the network of amazing South Dakota farmers they work with.
The experience starts with how it looks. A deep, rich color that runs deeper than typical beef, a beautiful burgundy that signals its lean nature. The texture holds firmer, maintaining its shape with confidence, and the smell carries a subtle sweetness that’s clean and direct. Nothing is masked or manipulated. You notice the difference the moment you start cooking. With less fat, it cooks much more quickly, which means more attention rather than less. The aroma is much lighter than beef’s, not as heavy or greasy, but still warm and inviting in a simpler, more natural way.
Then comes the taste. It’s familiar, sitting somewhere close to beef, but with its own distinct character. Something that feels true to where it came from, out on the prairie. Even the texture is just as satisfying, in a way that makes you slow down and actually enjoy each bite, rather than rushing through the meal. It’s a savor-the-moment kind of meat, a meat that tells a story. When you are finished with your meal, this is what matters the most. It’s clean, there’s no lingering heaviness, just a memory of something specific and a desire for more.
Customers convert without making a big fuss. One day, they try it for the first time, and before long, they are planning their orders in advance. They slowly start showing up to gatherings with 1889 Meat Co. instead of their usual options, quietly switching things up without needing to explain why. And in the kitchen, they keep it simple. A bit of salt, some pepper, and a hot pan, and that’s it! No overthinking, no overdoing, just letting the meat speak for itself.
When the Box Arrives
There’s something special about the moment a delivery box arrives at your door. When you open it and feel that excitement, dry ice is still doing its job, everything is perfectly cold and neatly packed. Each cut is vacuum sealed and clearly labeled, so you know exactly where it came from. Spread out over the counter, it feels like more than just food.
It tells a story of people who walked away from office desks because they wanted something real. A story of a farmer who chose not to cut corners, and of early mornings on South Dakota land, where checking fences at sunrise isn’t a choice but part of the work.
1889 Meat Co. isn’t just selling meat. It’s offering a connection to a different way of life. It’s about trusting how your food is raised and prepared, and realizing that when it’s done right, you can actually taste the difference. There’s something surprising about that, too. How distinct and honest food can be when it hasn’t been rushed and overworked.
Continuing The Story
Over Time, things start to shift. Ground Buffalo becomes your new normal, and burgers at the restaurant don’t quite hit the same anymore. Grocery store meats start to feel like a question mark you would rather not deal with. And without noticing, you’ve become part of a group of people who’ve experienced it and can’t go back.
Every time you order, you are stepping into that story again. The lawyers who chose a different path, the farmer who stayed true to his, and the coming together of both worlds and the fresh start that followed. Then you head over to the kitchen, heat up the pan, and continue the story, one burger at a time.
