Why We Started Riverview Ranch

There are moments in life when something slowly shifts from an idea into a reality.

That’s really how Riverview Ranch began.

It wasn’t originally a business plan. It wasn’t a formal strategy. It started much simpler than that.

It started around our family table.

Over the past year, our family has begun raising more of our own food here on our property in Bandon, Oregon. At first, the goal was simply to offset some feed costs and enjoy the process of caring for animals ourselves. We raised chickens. Then sheep. Then pigs.

And somewhere along the way, we realized something important.

The food was incredible.

Not just good. Truly memorable.

Great Food, Great Compliments

We found ourselves eating meals in which nearly 80% of the protein on our plates each week was raised right here on our own land. Friends and family who tried it kept saying things like:

“We’re fully convinced that you gave 100 chickens a nightly turn down service, daily massages, sang to them daily, and fed them caviar every single night because that was probably the best roasted chicken we’ve ever had!!” - Mark & Janene.

Or:

“This pork is unbelievably flavorful.” - Gary.

Or:

“First night tasting our lamb, and I don’t think we’re gonna go out to dinner anymore. We may not even leave the house.” - Mark & Janene, again.

Or:

“That was the best chicken, and I saved the bones to make bone broth the next day. I loved using everything!” - our friends at the Rolling Pin.

That feedback changed something for us.

We realized this wasn’t just benefiting our family anymore. This could become a way to bless other people, too.

Sustainable Lifestyle

Another thing surprised us: the lifestyle itself.

For over a year, we tested whether this kind of life was sustainable for our family. We discovered that ranch life actually fit naturally into the rhythms we had already established at Riverview Pet Lodge. We already had experience caring for animals. We already had a team that understood responsibility and routine. The ranch didn’t feel like it was competing with our lives—it felt like it belonged inside of it.

That mattered.

Something is grounding about living close to the land. There’s something meaningful about looking out your window and seeing animals grazing peacefully in the pasture. There’s something deeply satisfying about gathering eggs in the morning or sharing a meal that you raised yourself.

Riverview Ranch grew out of all of those things.

It grew out of gratitude.

It grew out of provision.

And it grew out of the realization that maybe what we were building could serve more than just ourselves.

Today, Riverview Ranch is becoming a small, family-run operation focused on pasture-raised chickens, pork shares, lamb shares, and fresh eggs.

But underneath all of that, it’s still really about the same thing:

Providing good food, stewarding the land well, and sharing the blessings we’ve received with others.