My family has been in the meat industry since my great-grandfather immigrated from Russia to the US in the early 1900’s. For as long as I can remember, I have taken great pride in being a part of an industry that I feel is the heart of American agriculture, but it has always pained me to see inhumane treatment of animals and the amount of quality meat that goes to waste or ends up severely undervalued. In order to address this, I founded Mission Driven Meat and Seafood along with my father and several other partners. We may not be related, but this industry has brought us together as a family.

I’d love for you to take some time and read the impressive legacies and impacts my partners, their parents, and grandparents have had on this industry. We hope you’ll join us in our efforts to improve the inefficiencies of our industry, fight food waste, and support the businesses of sustainable producers who raise animals humanely and do things the right way.

Growing up on a cattle ranch in South Texas, the meat industry has always been close to my heart. I pursued graduate degrees in Meat Science during my time at Texas A&M and have spent over 15 years in the industry in various roles. From plant operations to business development, my specialty has always been listening to the needs of customers and helping to develop unique solutions to the challenges they face. I’m extremely excited to be a part of the Mission Driven team as the values and mission of the company is one that I passionately believe in. When not helping our customers win, I enjoy spending time with my family, hunting, fishing, and helping my parents back at the ranch.

My mother survived the Holocaust, came to the United States, and thrived as a business woman in the meat industry throughout her life – each in and of themselves remarkable achievements. I continued her legacy and have spent the last 35 years in the meat packaging and natural/organic food businesses. I’ve owned, operated, or touched on some of the largest meat businesses in the US – ITC, Coleman Natural Foods, Swift & Co, Corporate Brand Foods America, and Tyson to name a few. Being a part of Mission Driven Meat & Seafood and building this business with such special friends has been incredibly rewarding. I am inspired and proud to be a part of this very important initiative to improve the industry I am so deeply passionate about.

I started my career as a chef and have spent the last three decades in the seafood industry. I owned and operated a large tuna company that set many global standards for food safety and sustainability and developed innovative processes involving filtered wood smoke to preserve warm water species. I have vast experience in sourcing seafood worldwide as well as a deep culinary and technical background. I’m thrilled to bring my knowledge and experience to the Mission Driven Meat & Seafood team and to support sustainable producers in delivering high-quality seafood products to like-minded consumers.

I began my career in the meat industry a little over 30 years ago working in accounting and finance helping companies grow and develop their products and services through strategic planning and investing. I have had distinctive opportunities to learn and develop my expertise in a variety of food-related companies touching all functional areas including: Sales, Manufacturing, Distribution, Accounting, and Administration. My background includes key roles at Tyson Foods, FoodBrands America, Corporate Brand Food America (CBFA), and International Trading Company, Ltd. Being a part of the Mission Driven team has been and exciting and rewarding opportunity to bring my skills and experience to a company focused on making positive changes to the industry I’ve worked in for the last few decades.

Above all else, I’m a family man and enjoy spending time with my grandchildren. I also love to play golf and fish when weather and time permit.

When I first came to United States, I was very shocked to learn that the FDA estimates of food supply is nearly 40% wasted each year. As someone who grew up in Vietnam, a country with a rich cuisine and culture, the food waste issue concerned me. Through my work with ITC Trading Management Company, Mr. Benjamin Warren introduced me to Sam and his business idea in 2019. I was thrilled for the invitation to be a part of Mission Driven Meat and Seafood. Together, we hope to take that one small step for man and turn it into one giant leap for mankind and the environment.

Food is a part of my identity, and so is entrepreneurship. I love cooking and I also love learning about business. I graduated University of Houston in 2017 with double majors in Finance and Entrepreneurship. During my time in school, I worked for various restaurants while working on school start up projects involving technology and pop up restaurant. Currently, I work provide accounting and IT support to Mission Driven Meat and Seafood.

Aside food and business, I am also passionate about art, especially fashion. To me, food is to connect, business is to deal, and fashion is to express. My quote on my online dating profile is that “I can confidently cook a “pho”nomenal bowl of authentic pho!”

I have been in the meat industry for almost 15 years and have fallen in love with the passion the purveyors and ranchers have for this business. Previously I worked for the restaurant side managing national chains’ protein programs across seventeen meat purveyors nationwide. I recently joined the Mission Driven Meat and Seafood team supporting in the ordering, shipping, and tracking of products. I love the outdoors and respect the history of our lands and animals. This makes me even more fortunate to be a part of a company that feels like a family and is driven to work with producers who to strive help keep the land as it should be and the animals cared for so that future generations can enjoy them.

Although originally from Huntington Beach, CA, minutes from the shore, I have spent most of my adult life in North Texas. After general studies work at the University of Oklahoma (Boomer Sooner!), I went on to open my own successful small business in Colleyville, Texas with a focus on fashion and marketing. In 2015, I married a Delta pilot, closed my business, moved to Atlanta, Georgia and traveled with my husband as much as possible. In 2020 I was able to return to my Texas roots. I have always had an interest in the food industry, as my father was in the meat business for almost 40 years. He and Sam’s father have been business partners for decades, and it is really exciting for us to take this partnership another generational step! Working with Mission Driven Meat and Seafood is a perfect fit with my natural interests and commitment to a healthy lifestyle. I love our focus on eliminating food waste and creating a more sustainable future for generations to come. When I am not working, I am hiking, road biking, traveling, or enjoying the company of friends.

Taylor Crockett graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science. Straight out of college she started her first sales job at Freedman Meats. From there, Taylor moved to Martin Foods where she led the customer relations team and acted as a liaison between production and the sales team . Most recently, she was the Houston area Sales Manager for Nolan Ryan Beef. We are excited to welcome her as our new Business Development Manager and in house Graphic Designer. Creative problem solving is her specialty! When Taylor is not the office, she enjoys drawing pet portraits for family and friends.

After starting life in the accounting world at Deloitte, I pivoted into the food and beverage space with a focus on operations and merchandising. I began by running inventory and supply chain for the Wine & Spirits category at Target’s HQ in Minneapolis, then pivoting to lead various functions at HelloFresh in NYC – grocery procurement, brand partnerships, and their retail meal kit program. From there I moved on to the pet food space at The Farmer’s Dog helping to lead their supply chain through major growth evolutions.

Having now joined the Mission Driven team I’m excited to help current and new customers in their growth, supplying great quality products that also support better utilization throughout the supply chain.

Beginning with my grandfather in the 1940’s and continuing with my father and uncles’ wholesale meat businesses after World War II, I was raised in the meat business and have known nothing else my whole life. I proudly paved my own way within the industry and built the largest full line meat business in the southwestern part of the United States.

I have had the great fortune to partner with dear friends along the way to build several of the largest meat processing facilities in the US and have now built two of the largest food service distribution businesses in Mexico alongside my friends, the Najera family. Today, Martha and I are especially proud to see our son Sam taking our family industry in yet another direction as we seek to find value for consumers and producers in products that are too often overlooked and undervalued.

Ben H. Rosenthal founded Standard Meat Company in Fort Worth in 1935. That was just the beginning of the Rosenthal family’s impact on the meat industry. Since then, Ben, his son Manny, grandson Billy, and great-grandchildren Ben and Ashli have built a number of successful food businesses – Kettle Cooked Foods, KPR Holdings, Rosani Foods, CTI, and Syracuse Sausage to name a few.

The Rosenthal family also proudly supports Texas A&M’s Rosenthal Meat Science & Technology Center – the most comprehensive facility of its kind in the US. Today, with the oversight their father, Ben and Ashli serve as co-presidents of Standard Meat company and are always quick to volunteer Standard’s services to support any Mission Driven initiative.

Twenty years ago while I was a student at university in Colombia I decided to build a company focused on bringing customers high-quality meat and seafood at a fair price. I did this with just a few dollars of savings in my college room, and it has now become one of the most important foodservice companies in South America. I traveled the world searching for the best suppliers of seafood, beef, chicken, and pork. I am passionate about finding the best products and producers whether in Colombia, the USA, Asia, or a cattle ranch in Uruguay. It has been very special for me to have these friendships and partnerships in the United States and I am very proud to be a part of this team.

My great grandfather and his brothers were all butchers in Hungary. They immigrated to the Texas border town of Laredo in 1920 where they started Hausman Brothers Packing. I grew up in the industry on both sides of the border, Mexico, and the US, doing everything from cattle ranching and farming to meat production to wholesale distribution.

In the early 1990’s we joined the Freedman Family to start Northern Beef Industries, a meat export company focused on selling underutilized meats and by-products to Mexico and Latin America. Taking these products to other markets bringing added value to the animal. NBI celebrated 25 years in business last year.

Laura and I are proud to be a part of this talented group of friends with so much experience and long history in the food business. Sam is taking this ongoing tradition one more generational step, surrounding himself with years of diverse talent and experience. We believe in the “Mission”!

I have 40 years in the meat business from a cattle ranch at the University of Missouri, to overseeing operations for Sysco’s Specialty Meat and Seafood Companies before retiring in 2019. Now the opportunity to assist Sam and the Mission Driven team with this sustainable venture is too exciting to pass up. Cheers to your mission Sam, and thanks for asking me to join!