Bell Beef couldn’t be more simple – it’s beef, raised and sold by the Bell family of Cortez.
According to Bell Beef’s website and promotional materials, Scott Bell worked in construction for almost 50 years before retiring in 2015. At that time, daughter-in-law Teryn Bell said, he bought 300 head of cattle to raise on his own cattle ranch.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Teryn and her husband, Kasey Bell, jumped into the game to start selling the ranch’s beef directly to consumers.
“Everything’s locally raised obviously, grass-fed, grass-finished, hormone- and antibiotic-free, all that stuff,” Teryn Bell said. “Organic without the organic sticker.”
This is Bell Beef’s first year at the Durango Farmers Market, Teryn Bell said. When The Durango Herald spoke to her at the first market of the season, she said she was just selling ground beef, while finding out what customers would ask for and what’s in high demand.
“Ground beef is always in high demand, so that’s what we start with,” she said.
At the Cortez Farmers Market, Bell Beef brings a freezer trailer loaded with a variety of cuts and roasts.
Even more can be found at Bell Beef’s three-year-old country store, located at 26759 County Road M, just north of Cortez. In addition to the ranch’s meat, the store sells products from around the area, including: Cortez Milling flour; Adobe Milling beans, sauces and spices from Dove Creek; Maddy Marie’s gluten-free tortillas from Mancos; Kelly’s Kitchen salsa from Dolores; and milk and cheese from The Creamery in Beaver, Utah (the only one not from Southwest Colorado).
“Everything’s local except for the stuff from Utah,” Teryn Bell said. “It’s a cute little country store.”
ngonzales@durangoherald.com
