The 4440 Ranch & Cattle Company is opening a new store in Downtown Lenoir that will sell F1 Wagyu beef raised in Caldwell County. The shop should be open later this year.
The new store will be located at 215 North Main St. It's owned by Madison Bumgarner, his wife Ali, father-in-law Mark Saunders, and brother-in-law Tanner Saunders. The family raises F1 Wagyu beef cattle in Patterson and a couple other places in the state.
Madison Bumgarner is a Caldwell County native and Major League Baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He's won three World Series championships (2010, 2012, 2014) and two Silver Slugger Awards (2014, 2015) as a San Francisco Giant. Bumgarner has also been selected to four National League (NL) All-Star teams and has the most strikeouts in franchise history by a Giants left-handed pitcher. Bumgarner played high school baseball at South Caldwell High School, where he helped his team win the 2007 4A State Championship. (Source)
4440 Store Manager Ronnie Wilson said the family hopes to have the downtown location open by late October or early November, assuming renovations stay on schedule. Currently, 4440’s flagship store is located on Hwy 268, in the big red barn across from Patterson School. That store in Patterson is open Thursdays and Fridays from 1:00 to 6:00 pm, Saturdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Sundays from 1:00 to 5:00 pm.
4440 Ranch and Cattle Company sells all major cuts of beef as well as some specialty items such as meatloaf, chorizo, breakfast sausage, bratwurst, and kielbasa. Several restaurants in the area sell 4440's F1 Wagyu hamburger including The Pour House in Downtown Lenoir.
Wilson said that though Wagyu may cost a little more than traditional beef, the meat is far superior in taste as well as dietary heart healthy properties. Wilson said the superior marbling in the meat is what gives Wagyu it’s buttery taste that fat can potentially lower what’s known as “bad cholesterol" while increasing “good cholesterol."
“Our goal is to ensure that our customers get that buttery, melt in your mouth experience every time they purchase 4440 beef,” said Wilson. "We don't use hormones or any unnecessary antibiotics, and we grain feed all of our cattle. Grain-fed makes a big difference in the flavor as well as the degree of marbling."
The family decided to open their next storefront in Downtown Lenoir to have a more urban location for their new and existing customers.
"We already have a lot of customers driving in from Boone, Wilkesboro, and surrounding counties and by being downtown, some of these customers may prefer the new location thus increasing Lenoir’s foot traffic," Wilson said. "More people will see the store, it’s a win-win.”
As far as hours for the Downtown location, Wilson said "We’re leaning towards Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. That could change, but it's what we think will be our hours."
F1 Wagyu is 50% crossbred Wagyu and is the most common type of Wagyu in the US. F1s are the offspring of a full-blooded Wagyu bull and a full-blooded Angus cow. (Source)
The 4440 Ranch and Cattle store in Downtown Lenoir is currently gutted for renovations.
F1 Wagyu meat has much more marbling that normal American beef.
4440 Ranch and Cattle Company currently has a store in Patterson where locals can buy their beef and other selections.