MRB Family
Moon River Beef is a woman-owned, family run cattle business. When you purchase from MRB, you are helping encourage sustainable food in Arizona and supporting a local small business. This is truly a family run operation. As with any ranch, each member of the family helps out in all aspects of the operation. We all ride and work cattle, run irrigation on our all natural fields, and work on sales and marketing.
LISA KHAN
OWNER
Lisa Khan was originally born in Ohio. She grew up working with animals her whole life. She had originally planned on being a veterinarian until she got the opportunity to go to law school. She spent her career serving the Phoenix community as an attorney working on a wide variety of issues. She has taken that expertise and applied it to the ranching world helping to navigate the complex web of regulations governing ranching on public lands and selling beef directly to consumers.
ALEXANDER KHAN
SALES & MARKETING
Alexander was born and raised in Phoenix. He spent most of his life riding and ranching in the Phoenix and Cave Creek areas. He also had the opportunity to go to law school, and he has a legal background in water, natural resources, and ranch law. He currently helps to run operations at the ranch and the day-to-day operations of the beef business in the valley.
TALIA KHAN
SUSTAINABILITY
Talia was also born and raised in Arizona. Early on she realized that she had a passion for understanding and explaining the natural world. She pursued this passion throughout her whole life bringing her everywhere from genetics labs in Phoenix, to the wilderness of Brazil. Currently pursuing her PhD, she focuses on sustainability. She helps Moon River Beef to become more sustainable and ecologically minded so that we can continue to provide truly holistic products for our customers.
A little more about the Khan family:
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Why Did You Get Started In Cattle Ranching?
All of the owners of Moon River Beef grew up riding and working around cattle. Five years ago our family had its first opportunity to actually own a ranch of our own. We dove in head first applying all of the traditional and modern skills and techniques we had learned throughout our lives to build our herd and raise the best cattle possible. Two years ago, during the height of the pandemic, we decided to rethink our approach and decided to start selling beef directly to consumers and chefs. During this time people began to become more concerned about where their food came from and how it was raised. Since that time, we have worked to build a truly all-natural beef company that provides the highest quality, sustainable beef to our community.
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How Long Have You Lived In Arizona? What Is Your History Here?
Our history in this state stretches back to our great grandfather who moved to Arizona and lived just outside of Phoenix when that area was still largely agricultural. The Valley was still then the Wild West, and our family grew up with the city as it grew up. We decided to move to northern Arizona so that we could continue to work with animals and cattle at a time when those industries were moving out of the Valley.
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What Is Your Favorite Cut Of Beef? Is There A Particular Way You Prefer It Prepared?
Different occasions call for different cuts of beef. We always like to keep ground beef in the fridge. It is super easy and great for meatballs, pasta sauces, and burgers. Our go to weeknight meal is our NY Strip steaks. They are easy to cook and taste delicious. For special occasions, the go to is tenderloin steaks, or ribeyes. The tenderloin is a lean incredibly tender cut that melts in your mouth. Our ribeye is the king of steaks. Rich and well marbled it is perfect for family weekend meals or date night.
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This Is A Family Run Ranch, Tell Me A Little About Who Manages What In The Business?
This is truly a family run operation. As with any ranch each member of the family helps out in all aspects of the operation. We all ride and work cattle, run irrigation on our all natural fields, and work on sales and marketing. Generally, Lisa runs our family as well as the operations of the ranch and beef business, Alexander focuses on sales and marketing, as well as the day-to-day operations of the cattle herd, and Talia helps out with marketing and the implementation of science based sustainable practices.