Tender Cross Cattle Company was founded in August 2020 in Vernonia, Oregon, by a small founding team consisting of AJ Gonzalez, Carol Gonzalez, Jonathan Myers, and Sara Batterby. The operation is proudly family-operated and veteran-owned.
How TenderCross Got Started
The ranch was launched with a distinct vision: to create a novel composite breed of cattle by crossing two highly specialized lines-Fullblood Wagyu and Fullblood Piedmontese.
The Vision:
We recognized a unique genetic opportunity to pair the distinct traits of two world-class cattle breeds. Piedmontese cattle carry a unique, homozygous “2 copy” inactive myostatin gene, which restricts waste fat and yields exceptionally lean, high protein muscle development and tenderness. Wagyu cattle, on the other hand, are globally renowned for their rich, buttery marbling and intense flavor.
The “TenderCross” Breed:
By breeding Piedmontese dams and sires with Wagyu, we developed our signature “F1” or “TenderCross” cross-breed. This gave birth to a gourmet, health-conscious steak that delivers the rich mouthfeel of Wagyu while maximizing the natural, low-fat tenderness and protein profile of the Piedmontese genetics.
Growth:
What began as a strategic breeding initiative in late 2020 has grown into a pasture-raised operation processing cattle through local processing facilities. Today, we sell high-quality, nutrient-dense beef directly to consumers through portioned family boxes, individual retail cuts, and fractional shares (1/4 and 1/2 cow shares) via the Tender Cross Official Website.
Our Future:
Tender Cross Cattle Company’s future is anchored by our core mission: the ongoing quest to engineer “the perfect steak.” As a young, specialized boutique ranch, our trajectory is focused on refining our custom composite genetics while adapting to growing consumer demand.
The backbone to our future roadmap is the strategic evolution of our custom breeding program. We are transitioning from our initial foundational crosses to breeding generations of composite cattle-pairing specific, single-copy Piedmontese/Wagyu cross Sires with compatible cross Dams. This targeted internal selection allows us to stabilize the desired genetic sweet spot: a herd that consistently inherits the health-conscious, lean tenderness of the Piedmontese gene while retaining the elite, buttery marbling traits of Wagyu.