About Bear River Valley Beef
Our Family
Hugo is a native of Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. He comes from a farming background in Africa and greatly enjoys the life of a working cattle ranch. He has been managing the Bonanza and Seattle ranches for the last 18 years, which are owned by his stepfather, Bill McBride, a fourth generation rancher.
His wife, Elizabeth, is a native of England and holds a Cooper Institute Certificate in Nutrition and Kinesiology. They have 3 children, Ryan, Aaron and Matthew. Elizabeth assists Hugo on the ranch and runs the farm office. Their ranch is a family run operation.
After running a traditional cow/calf operation for many years and establishing a superior cow herd whose calves were sold into the commodity market, Hugo realized that he could provide a much better product and service by retaining ownership of the cattle and finishing them on grass.
"I just wanted to let you know that the beef is amazing! I love it. it is the best grass fed beef I have had thus far. I will spread the word on how good it is. If you are ever looking for people to help you distribute it in this area , let me know. Once anybody tries it, they will want more."
Larry Feinman
Our Ranch
According to "Tales Remembered - How Ranches Got Their Names" written by the late Viola Russ McBride (Bill's Mom and daughter of Joseph Russ, one of the pioneers to settle this area), the Seattle Ranch was so named as the Alaska gold rush was on about the time this piece of land was acquired and everybody was talking about difficulties and opportunities at the take-off point, which was Seattle, Washington.
The Bonanza Ranch was named in the 1860s when there was so much Indian depredation in the back country to the east that many ranchers moved their livestock to the coast where there was less trouble and more protection. As a result, many Bear River and Mattole ranges were seriously overgrazed. Apparently, overgrazing was, at that time, considered a permanent injury to a range. When Joseph Russ purchased what is now the "Bonanza Ranch" he was accused of being "land crazy" - that the range was "all ate out". "You just wait" countered Russ, "that ranch is going to be a Bonanza". And so it turned out to be and so it was named.
Ferndale
The Victorian Village of Ferndale, full of surprises, deserves more than a day to discover. 265 Miles north of San Francisco, it's a beautiful drive from the major airports (Sacramento, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose) or fly into the Arcata/Eureka airport in McKinleyville, 45 minutes north of Ferndale. Ferndale is located in the Eel River delta, bordered by the Eel River on the north, the ocean on the west and the mountains to the south. The entire village is California Historical Landmark No. 883.
