Proudly Local Business: One Mile Ranch near Pincher Creek
Bringing ranch-raised meat closer to Alberta families
"We saw a disconnect between the rancher and the consumer. We're in the centre of cattle country, yet it was hard to access ranch meat unless you had space for half a cow. We wanted to bridge that gap."
If you want to reach Trent and Dena's home in Pincher Creek, you have to drive down a mile-long road they built themselves. That stretch of gravel reflects the connection they've worked to create – linking rural roots with kitchens across Alberta and making fresh, local products more accessible along the way.
“We saw a disconnect between the rancher and the consumer. We’re in the centre of cattle country, yet it was hard to access ranch meat unless you had space for half a cow. We wanted to bridge that gap,” says Dena.
Living in the heart of cattle country, they knew there had to be a better way. Not just to raise high-quality beef and pork, but to make it accessible in a way that fit real households – without the need for bulk orders or extra freezer space.
“That was something I was pretty passionate about,” says Dena. “How can we do smaller quantities, still have variety, but make it possible for people to experience that direct-from-the-ranch quality?”
The transition from a great idea to a growing business often requires a “now or never” moment.
For Trent and Dena, that moment arrived in 2020. Following Dena's car accident and Trent's growing desire to spend more time close to home with his family, they jumped off the deep end and launched their direct-to-consumer ranch business right from their garage. Since then, they've grown into a dedicated shop on their ranch, serving hundreds of Alberta families each month.
By partnering with local experts like Valley Custom Meats and Broek Pork Acres, One Mile Ranch now ships pasture-raised beef and pork through a convenient subscription model.
It’s a family business in every sense, built around the life Trent always hoped for and the rural community Dena has come to love. “We call ourselves small but mighty,” says Dena.
That approach extends to how they connect with their customers. They use social media to share the real side of agriculture, from the grit of winter chores to the joy of raising their three children on the land. It’s a way to bring customers behind the scenes and closer to where their food comes from.
“I think that’s probably my favourite part,” says Dena. “Being outside and getting to live this life is a huge part as well but being able to share that is pretty rewarding. We want to show people how we do it and be transparent, so they know these animals are cared for and the land is respected.”
Living in the Pincher Creek area provides the perfect backdrop for this work. It's a tight-knit community where neighbours cheer each other on and families still trust one another with a handshake. "There's a really special feeling to a small community and a ranch community specifically," says Dena. "Everybody is cheering each other on."
Looking ahead, the next chapter of One Mile Ranch includes welcoming people to the ranch in person. Plans for rustic cabins and hands-on ranch experiences are already in the works, inviting visitors to step off the gravel road and onto the pasture themselves.
