Greenbrier Meat Company celebrates 15 years in business 

By Stephen Baldwin 

“We were in our 20s when we bought this place,” Rem Hoke says with a laugh to his wife, Julie. “Seems like yesterday.” 

“It was a bold move,” she jokes. 

This year, they are celebrating 15 years in operation as a custom slaughterhouse located in West Virginia’s beef country, the Greenbrier Valley. 

‘Hard work’

The original Jeffries Slaughterhouse began operations in the 1960s and moved to the current building in 1979 behind Dorie Miller Park in Lewisburg, WV. It was run by the Jeffries family until they sold the business in 2010. Which is when Rem and Julie came into the picture. 

Originally from Hollywood, WV, in Monroe County, they were looking for a business they could operate together as a family. Rem was trained as an auto diesel mechanic and a welder. He liked the work, but it was changing all the time. 

“All that stuff changes each year,” he says of new vehicles and trucks. “With this (processing meat), once you learn it, it’s the same each year. Plus, we could do it together.” 

Julie cautions that running a slaughterhouse isn’t for everyone. “It’s hard work,” she says. “I’m not as good at it as he is,” she says of Rem. 

“His mom is a vet and his dad was a cattle farmer,” she reflects. “We have cattle on our family farm and we’d worked together before. This just made sense.” 

Customers from multiple states

As a US Department of Agriculture-licensed facility, Greenbrier Meat Company works with customers in multiple states.

“Being USDA-certified comes with a strict process,” explains Julie. “They come anytime we do inspections. They watch everything. You cannot kill without an inspector here. Usually there’s a veterinarian too. They even have an office here.” 

“With the state certification, they might pop in,” Rem says, “but with federal certification they have to be here.” 

What is the benefit of USDA certification? “You can sell anywhere,” says Julie. “Our customers can take their meat and sell it in Virginia or Hawaii or anywhere. That’s the big difference.”

It does come with a price, though. “We have to play by the big boy’s rules,” Rem says. “Whatever goes for a multi-million dollar facility that slaughters 5,000 beef a day, we have to abide by those same guidelines.”

Their customers include Mountain Steer Meat Company, Caring Acres Farms, and more. “From Roanoke and Cristiansburg all the way up to Charleston, we have regular customers that bring their beef to us for processing,” Rem says. 

“Even some from North Carolina who drive up to have us process for them,” Julie adds. 

On the day of RealWV’s visit, Rem and Julie were processing a custom order for half a beef. “We do a lot of custom work,” Julie says. “We process it however they want. This customer wants us to save all the fat. They don’t want anything to go to waste, so we’re saving it for them.” 

Greenbrier Meat does not offer retail sale of meats. They exclusively process for others who then keep the meat for their family or sell cuts to the public or to restaurants, for example. 

Through fifteen years in business, the Hokes have seen the meat market vary widely. 

“It used to be, when prices went sky high like they have now, people cancelled their appointments and sold their cows,” Rem says. “Now, after COVID, prices are high but we’re still busy. We are booked out for the next year now.” 

A family business

Rem and Julie live in a house built by Rem’s great grandfather with their four children in Union, WV. Their oldest son, Wyatt, can be found processing meat alongside his parents each day, and he says he hopes to keep the family business going.  They work five days a week from 7am-3pm as a family. There’s even a bounce house setup at Greenbrier Meat for the younger kids to play while the adults work. 

When the Hokes aren’t at Greenbrier Meat Company, they are working their family farm which has been in operation since the 29th century. It includes cattle, horses, and an Airbnb made from an old school bus. Rem also pastors Cross River Church in Alderson. Julie home schools her children as well. 

They are in constant motion. Never rushing, always moving intentionally. But constantly moving towards their goals for the business and the family. 

As they celebrate 15 years, they are filled with gratitude for the opportunities they’ve been given. “It’s been a good 15 years,” Julie says. “Hopefully there’s more to come.” 

Greenbrier Meat Company is located at 508 Feamster Road in Lewisburg, WV. For more information, call them at 304-645-1710.