Protein Outfitters Processing Systems

Local meat processing.
On your terms, time, and site.

Mobile and modular meat processing systems sourced and supported by Protein Outfitters. Knock and bleed, harvest, chill, cut, package, freeze, and store — all on your land, all USDA-compliant.

15yr of design refinement
4 generations of MHU
USDA compliant out of box
8+ operating client sites
The product line

Mobile or fixed. Both fully USDA-compliant.

Two ways to add federally-inspected processing capacity to your operation. Both built in the Pacific Northwest. Both delivered ready to operate.

Mobile
Mobile Harvest Unit

MHU — 36ft Trailer

Starting at $437K Final price varies by configuration

Self-contained USDA-compliant harvest trailer. Pulled to your farm or ranch — start the on-board generator and begin harvesting. Smooth interior, coved edges, integrated equipment.

Footprint36' L × 8.5' W × 10' H
Capacity~15 head beef / trip
Power20 kW on-board genset
InspectionUSDA-compliant
Most popular
Processing System

PS-1 — Fixed Facility

Starting at $2.45M Custom-configured per site · final price varies by configuration

Modular fixed-facility system: Knock & Bleed → Harvest → Drip & Carcass Cooler → Cut & Wrap → Finished Goods Freezer. Drops on a prepared pad. Includes hardware + software + USDA training.

Throughput75 head cattle / wk
Cooler hold50 head / 100 halves
SoftwareERP + traceability
USDA supportIncluded
Processing System

PS-2 / PS-3 — Scaled

Starting at $3.5M+ Adds parallel harvest lines · final price varies by configuration

Scaled-up versions of the PS-1 system. PS-2 doubles weekly throughput by adding a parallel harvest line. PS-3 triples it. Same modular design — start with PS-1, expand as your operation grows.

PS-2 throughput150 head / wk
PS-3 throughput225 head / wk
Lead time~9–12 months
ExpandabilityAdd modules anytime
Why these systems

Built for the operator, not the architect.

Animals stay home

No transport, no stress, no shrink.

The Mobile Harvest Unit pulls onto your farm and processes animals where they live. No 4-hour trailer ride to a backed-up plant. No shrink loss. No stress hormone in the meat.

  • Federally-inspected harvest at the point of origin
  • 20 kW Cummins Onan onboard genset — full off-grid capable
  • Smooth-side, coved-edge interior for fast cleaning
  • Heavy-duty restrainer and integrated blood tank
From knock to package

One ecosystem of interconnected modules.

Knock and bleed. Harvest. Drip. Carcass cooler. Cut and wrap. Ready-to-eat smoking. Coolers and freezers. Every module is USDA-compliant on its own and built to plug into the next one.

  • Drops on a prepared pad — no ground-up construction
  • Ships with HACCP plan, training, and USDA support
  • Traceability software included from day one
  • Ready-to-Eat Production Modules available for value-add
Scale without rebuilding

Start at 75 head/week. Grow to 225.

Begin with PS-1 and add a parallel harvest line when demand justifies it. PS-2 gets you to 150 head/week. PS-3 to 225. Same modular architecture — you don't tear out a building, you bolt on a module.

  • PS-1: 75 head cattle/week, single harvest line
  • PS-2: 150 head/week, parallel harvest
  • PS-3: 225 head/week, three lines
  • Add Cut & Wrap, Ready-to-Eat, or Cold Storage independently
Hardware + software + support

Fifteen years of engineering. One USDA lead.

Fifteen years and four design generations of refinement stand behind every system we deliver. Every install ships with USDA & regulatory support, an installation and training team, and the traceability software that keeps the records the inspector wants to see — all coordinated through Protein Outfitters.

  • Project design phase — site plan, layout, equipment list
  • Pacific Northwest manufacturing
  • Regulatory compliance (HACCP, SOPs, Grant of Inspection)
  • Installation, startup, and operator training
The Protein Outfitters integration

A plant + a customer base.
Not a plant and a prayer.

Most equipment vendors hand you keys and walk away. We don't. Protein Outfitters runs the consumer-facing network that sells whole and partial animals to households across the country — and that demand feeds directly into the work queue of any system we install.

10,000 → 2,300

U.S. meat processors, 1995 → today. A roughly 77% collapse in federally-inspected processing capacity over thirty years. Demand for local meat hasn't followed the same arc — and that gap is the opportunity.

Industry data · USDA FSIS Meat & Poultry Inspection Directory
01

Pre-filled work queue

Reservations come in through the Protein Outfitters app, deposits land in your account, and the cuts get scheduled into your unit's software automatically. You start with bookings, not silence.

02

Demand-matched sizing

We see who's searching, who's reserving, what they're paying, and where the processing dead zones are. The system we quote you fits the demand we can already prove exists in your area — not a guess.

03

Day-one cash flow

Deposits hit your account on reservation, not after delivery. Your equipment payment schedule and your operating revenue are aligned from the moment the unit turns on. No 18-month silence between PO and first dollar.

The biggest fear with a new processing plant is "will the orders come?" The Protein Outfitters network answers that before you sign the PO. We size the system to demand we can already see — and we feed that demand into your queue from day one. — Mychal Stittsworth, Founder · 4th-generation processor
Heat-mapped demand Real reservations and searches across the country, broken down by ZIP, species, and price point. We show you the demand you'd be serving before you commit.
Targeted operator outreach Where there's a processing gap and someone who could fill it, our business team reaches out. We bring qualified operators to gaps — not the other way around.
Built for scale Each install becomes another data point in the network. As coverage grows, the matching gets sharper, the demand gets more predictable, and the next install is less risky than the last.
Client story

"Mobile harvest changed our entire model."

One regional beef brand ran an MHU for five years and used it as the foundation for their wholesale and direct-to-consumer business. The follow-up case study — five years on — is how most serious prospects get comfortable with the math.

Operating client sites across the country · Site visits available during the consultation phase

How you buy

Six stages. No surprises.

A meat plant is a deliberate purchase, so we run a deliberate process. Every stage either ends in a clear "yes, keep going" or a clean exit.

01 Discovery call 30 minutes. Your operation, your goals, USDA path. Free
02 Consultation phase Engineering, equipment list, site plan, regulatory roadmap. $40,000 · credits to PO
03 Purchase order Locked spec, locked price, locked delivery date. 50% non-refundable down
04 Manufacture Pacific Northwest build. Typical lead time 9–12 months. Progress updates monthly
05 Delivery & install F.O.B. our WA manufacturing facility. Site prep is buyer responsibility unless agreed. Balance due prior to delivery
06 Startup & training USDA Grant of Inspection, HACCP signoff, operator training. Included
How pricing works

Free call → consultation → equipment

Every install is custom — species, throughput, site layout, power, water, regulatory environment all change the spec. We publish starting-at figures so you know the range; the consultation phase produces your locked, configured price.

$437K+Starting at — MHU
$2.45M+Starting at — PS-1
$40,000Consultation phase

Starting-at figures are estimates — final price varies by configuration, throughput, aging window, freight, USDA HACCP writeup, installation, training, and site options. The $40K consultation locks in your engineering, equipment list, USDA path, and final delivered price, and applies as a credit toward your equipment quote if you proceed. 50% down on equipment is non-refundable per our purchase order terms. Balance is due prior to delivery, F.O.B. our Washington manufacturing facility.

Email Mychal directly
At a glance

Compare the three

SpecMHU (Mobile)PS-1PS-2PS-3
Form factor36' trailerFixed modularFixed modularFixed modular
Cattle / week~15 / trip75150225
Knock & Bleed Room✓ Built-in✓ 13' × 12'✓ 13' × 12'✓ 13' × 12'
Harvest Room✓ Built-in✓✓✓
Drip + Carcass Cooler—✓ 50 head / 100 halves✓ Doubled✓ Tripled
Cut & Wrap Room—✓ Band saw + grinder✓ Expanded✓ Expanded
Finished Goods Freezer—✓ High-capacity racks✓✓
USDA-compliant✓✓ (with consult)✓ (with consult)✓ (with consult)
Generator20 kW on-boardSite powerSite powerSite power
Software includedOptionalERP + traceabilityERP + traceabilityERP + traceability
Training includedYesYesYesYes
USDA regulatory supportIncludedIncludedIncludedIncluded
Starting at$437K$2.45M$3.5M+$4.5M+
Final pricingQuoted after the consultation phase

Starting-at figures are estimates. Final pricing varies by configuration, throughput target, aging window, freight to site, USDA HACCP writeup, onsite installation, butcher training, and site-specific options. All systems delivered F.O.B. our Washington manufacturing facility. Setup & installation is buyer's responsibility unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Provenance

Where the design started.

The mobile harvest unit traces back to a 2017 Minnesota IDEA Competition entry: a fourth-generation processor and engineer designed the original modular mobile processing concept, then partnered with a Washington truck-body manufacturer to bring it to market. Stittsworth Meats — the family business that prompted the design — was the first operating customer. Protein Outfitters now sources, configures, and supports systems built on that lineage.

"I designed these units because we were booked out months in advance and turning farmers away every week. Mobile harvest at the farm — handled at home, in seconds, by the same people the animals know — is a better answer than asking a rancher to haul a trailer of stressed cattle to a strange place."

Mychal Stittsworth 4th-gen owner, Stittsworth Meats · Bemidji, MN · 2017 MN IDEA Competition winner

"Mobile harvest changes everything for ranchers. The animals never ride a trailer to a strange place — they're handled at home, by the same people, in seconds. The stress reduction shows up in the meat."

Our USDA & Regulatory Lead Federal-inspection program design · HACCP · Grant of Inspection

"These are the most thoroughly engineered USDA-compliant systems we've worked with. The smooth-side, coved-edge interior plus the integrated drainage make them genuinely easier to keep clean than most fixed facilities."

Our Installation & Training Team System startup · Operator training · Site commissioning
Frequently asked

Questions we hear on the discovery call.

How much does a system actually cost?
It depends on capabilities and capacity. Starting-at figures: MHU from $437K, PS-1 from $2.45M, PS-2 from $3.5M, PS-3 from $4.5M. Within each line the spec changes the number — species mix, throughput, ready-to-eat modules, cooler/freezer scale, freight, USDA writeup, training, site complexity. The $40,000 consultation phase produces a real, locked, delivered price you can put in front of a lender. Starting-at figures are estimates; final price varies by configuration.
What's the lead time?
Roughly 9–12 months from signed PO to delivery, depending on the complexity of the system and current build queue. The MHU runs on the shorter end. Multi-module PS-2 and PS-3 systems run longer. We update you monthly during the build.
Do I need USDA approval before I order?
No. The consultation phase includes the regulatory roadmap — Grant of Inspection application, HACCP plan, SOPs, facility approval. Our USDA & regulatory lead has gotten multiple new operators through the process. You start the application in parallel with the build so you're operating on day one.
Can I finance it?
Most clients use a combination of USDA Rural Development loans, ag-bank financing, and grant programs (state meat-processing grants, Local Meat Capacity grants, etc.). We don't lend directly, but the consultation deliverables (engineering, equipment list, projected throughput, site plan) are exactly what lenders need. We can refer you to lenders who have funded similar processing-system deals before.
What's included vs. what's the buyer's responsibility?
Included: hardware, integrated equipment, traceability software, HACCP plan, installation, startup, training. Buyer's responsibility: site prep (pad, utilities, fencing), state and local permits, freight from our Washington manufacturing facility to your site (unless otherwise agreed in writing), insurance, ongoing operations. Delivery is F.O.B. our WA facility per our purchase order terms.
Can I see one running before I commit?
Yes. There are operating client sites across the country running these systems, and Stittsworth Meats in Bemidji, MN was the original deployment and is still running. We coordinate site visits during the consultation phase so you can see throughput, cleaning, and inspection day in person before you commit.
How does this connect to Protein Outfitters?
Buying through Protein Outfitters means you're on the processor map the day you turn the key. Reservations, deposits, traceability, customer pickup — all of it flows through your system instead of you having to build it. The hardware sells the meat for you.
Six figures. Twelve months. Real food sovereignty.

Start with the call.

Thirty minutes. Your operation, your throughput, your USDA path. No sales pitch. If it fits, the consultation phase is the next stop. If it doesn't, you walk with a clear answer about what would.

Email Mychal directly