Case Study: Knockout Butchery’s Expansion into Multi-Species Federal Slaughter, Processing, and RTE Production

Knockout Butchery is a family-owned slaughter and meat processing operation located on a working cattle ranch in Roebuck, South Carolina.

Address: 2832 Walnut Grove Road, Roebuck, SC 29376 Phone: 864-410-7068 Website: knockoutbutchery.com Instagram: @knockoutbutchery Facebook: Knockout Butchery

Knockout Butchery: From Federally Inspected Beef Slaughter to an Integrated Multi-Species Slaughter, Processing, and RTE Operation

Located on an approximately 2,000-acre working cattle ranch in Roebuck, South Carolina, Knockout Butchery combines livestock production, slaughter, and meat processing within a growing vertically integrated operation.

When AgriForaging Compliance Services began working with owner Travis, Knockout Butchery was already conducting federally inspected beef slaughter. Other species and further processing activities were operating under Custom Exempt status.

Knockout was ready to expand, but bringing additional slaughter activities, processing categories, and products under federal inspection required more than adding paperwork. It required practical food safety, regulatory, operational, and recordkeeping systems designed around how the business actually functions.

The Challenge

Knockout Butchery wanted to broaden its federal inspection scope to support a multi-species slaughter and processing operation that included:

• Beef slaughter

• Pork slaughter

• Lamb and goat slaughter

• Raw intact processing

• Raw non-intact processing

• Fully cooked, shelf-stable jerky

• Heat-treated products, including bacon

The transition required evaluating existing Custom Exempt practices and developing coordinated systems capable of supporting the expanded operation under USDA FSIS federal inspection.

The objective was not simply to produce compliant documents. The systems needed to work during daily production, remain manageable for employees, and evolve as Knockout introduced new species, processes, and products.

AgriForaging’s Approach

AgriForaging worked closely with Travis throughout the expansion, evaluating regulatory requirements against the facility’s actual production model, staffing, workflow, equipment, and operational needs.

This hands-on approach allowed the food safety and regulatory programs to develop alongside the operation, not separately from it.

HACCP and Food Safety Systems

AgriForaging developed and updated HACCP plans and hazard analyses for the expanded federal operation. Supporting systems were created for monitoring, verification, corrective actions, and recordkeeping.

The program brought slaughter, raw processing, heat-treated production, and shelf-stable production into one coordinated establishment-wide food safety system. As expanded production moved from planning into daily operations, the programs continued to be reviewed and refined based on actual operating conditions.

Operational Development

Federal requirements must ultimately translate into procedures employees can follow on the production floor.

AgriForaging worked directly with Travis to implement operational protocols supporting the expanded inspection scope. This included evaluating the movement of animals, products, employees, equipment, and materials throughout the facility.

Production flow, sanitation, separation of activities, facility conditions, and airflow patterns were considered together. Procedures and records were then updated as Knockout added new species, products, and processes.

Humane Handling

As Knockout’s federal slaughter program expanded, AgriForaging helped strengthen its humane handling program.

Humane handling expectations were incorporated into daily slaughter procedures and employee practices, with supporting protocols revised to reflect the broader range of animals and activities conducted at the establishment.

Sanitation and Supporting Programs

AgriForaging developed and revised the sanitation programs, SOPs, SSOPs, and prerequisite programs needed to support the expanded operation.

These included controls related to:

• Slaughter and processing

• Sanitation

• Allergens

• Equipment calibration

• Environmental monitoring

• Operational and establishment controls

Where possible, unnecessary duplication was removed from programs and records. The goal was to maintain technically sound systems without creating an avoidable administrative burden for the Knockout team.

Labeling and Nutrition Analysis

Moving additional products into federal production also introduced new labeling responsibilities.

AgriForaging reviewed product labels for alignment with applicable USDA FSIS requirements and helped incorporate label review and verification into the establishment’s broader production and food safety systems.

As Knockout expands its product lines, AgriForaging is also conducting nutrition analysis to support labeling compliance and commercialization. This extends the work beyond regulatory program development to finished-product technical support.

Production Records

Generic templates rarely reflect how a specific establishment operates.

AgriForaging developed and revised records around Knockout Butchery’s actual slaughter, processing, sanitation, labeling, monitoring, and verification activities. Documentation was simplified wherever possible so it could support production and demonstrate control without becoming disconnected from the work occurring inside the facility.

Ready-to-Eat and Shelf-Stable Production

The expansion included developing the food safety framework for fully cooked, shelf-stable jerky and systems supporting heat-treated products such as bacon.

As ready-to-eat production developed, AgriForaging also worked with Knockout on environmental monitoring, sanitation readiness, follow-up procedures, and verification activities. These systems were coordinated with the rollout of RTE production rather than addressed as isolated programs.

Regulatory Coordination

Expanding the scope of federal operations can raise detailed technical and regulatory questions.

AgriForaging assisted Travis and the Knockout team with communication and coordination involving USDA FSIS personnel. Regulatory expectations were translated into practical operating requirements, with an emphasis on approaches that were both technically defensible and appropriate for the establishment.

The Outcome

Knockout Butchery has progressed from federally inspected beef slaughter with Custom Exempt processing into a broader federally inspected, multi-species slaughter, processing, and RTE operation.

The establishment now has integrated systems supporting:

• HACCP and hazard analysis

• Sanitation and prerequisite programs

• Humane handling

• Slaughter and processing operations

• Labeling compliance and nutrition analysis

• Environmental monitoring

• Verification and corrective actions

• Production records

• Heat-treated and shelf-stable products

These programs were built around Knockout’s real operating conditions, giving the team systems that can function consistently during normal production and under federal inspection.

Planning for Continued Growth

AgriForaging’s work with Knockout Butchery continues beyond the current federal expansion.

We are working with Travis on planning for additional processing capacity, future facility development, and facility design. Operational flow, airflow, sanitation, equipment, production capacity, separation of activities, food safety, and regulatory requirements are being considered together so future infrastructure can support the business from the beginning.

The project reflects AgriForaging’s broader technical model: supporting an operation from regulatory strategy, food safety systems, and facility design through product development, labeling, nutrition analysis, and commercialization.

Is Your Operation Preparing to Expand?

Whether you are transitioning from Custom Exempt operations, adding species or processes, introducing ready-to-eat products, or planning a facility expansion, regulatory and operational systems should develop together.

AgriForaging Compliance Services helps food businesses build practical, technically defensible systems designed for real-world production.

Contact AgriForaging to discuss your operation’s next stage of growth.