Questions about
Products and Processes

We start with an introductory call with a Miniat representative. The purpose of this call is to learn about your business and review the full scope of your project.

Based on that conversation, we’ll move on to the next step: Developing a concise brief, engaging our Culinary and R&D teams, and sending the brief back for customer approval.

From there, we follow a highly iterative concept development process, supported by a strong feedback loop after each round. At each stage, we capture detailed input on what is working and what needs refinement, then continue that loop until the product is exactly what the customer wants.

The final step is sending that concept to commercialization. This ensures the product you approve is exactly what your restaurants receive from the plant. We have refined this process over 40+ years and are confident in delivering consistent, best-in-class products.

Yes, we offer a wide range of raw protein products, including custom raw-marinated poultry, beef, and pork. We also have in-house trimming and portioning expertise to ensure your exact specifications are consistently met.

Miniat will handle the transition for you to ensure it’s a seamless process. Your Miniat representative will meet with you to outline project requirements and develop a unique project brief. We’ll then leverage our decades of expertise converting raw products to fully cooked to deliver a finished product that’s indistinguishable from the control.

Yes, we have commercial smokers at our Carrollton, GA facility that support natural smoking with a variety of wood profiles, such as hickory and applewood. We can design the smoke and cook profile to specific temperatures and cook times, and can smoke products as long as 15 hours.

We can also incorporate curing or smoky flavors into most of our sous vide products.

Yes, we work with trusted spice companies and ingredient suppliers to develop custom blends, sauces, and marinades. We also have a dedicated spice blending room in our facilities to ensure all seasonings and marinades are precisely measured and consistently batched.

We also have kettle equipment at our Carrollton facility, which we use to produce custom sauces and marinades for both raw material suppliers and final in-store marination applications.

Yes, we have extensive experience producing products beyond traditional animal proteins. We have successfully commercialized potatoes, rice and quinoa blends, legumes, and a variety of vegetables. In addition, our kettle equipment in Carrollton, GA, can be used to produce sauces, marinades, queso, and other similar products.

Yes, we have an in-house logistics team that supports shipments across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. We maintain longstanding partnerships with the largest broadliners in the industry. We also offer customer pickup options.

Yes. While most of our products are shipped and stored frozen, we can also ship refrigerated products.

Shelf life depends on our customers’ specific product requirements. Frozen products typically have a shelf life of up to 365 days, while fresh refrigerated items generally range from 45–90 days, with the ability to extend up to 120 days with antimicrobials if needed. For our custom products, we can formulate with a specific target shelf life in mind.

Yes, we work with trusted spice companies and ingredient suppliers to develop custom blends. We have a dedicated spice blending room in our facility to ensure all seasonings (and marinades) are precisely measured and consistently batched.

Yes, we operate two Marel trim lines and are proud of our skilled butchery team. Our hand-trimming capabilities ensure consistency, yield optimization, and adherence to custom specifications. We can remove intermuscular fat, connective tissue, and control exterior fat trim down to 1/16″ increments to meet precise product requirements.

Yes, in addition to our hand-trimming capabilities, we have multiple pieces of equipment for portioning, dicing, and slicing. These enable specifications for precise weights, thicknesses, and individual piece portions.

We can source grass-fed raw materials both domestically and internationally. Australia is our key supply region for grass-fed beef.

We can source Antibiotic-Free, now more commonly referred to as No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) proteins. Many of our items carry this designation.

We maintain a resilient supply chain that supports NAE sourcing strategies across beef, poultry, pork, and lamb.

Our Gold Standard portfolio is specifically built for customers who want all-natural, high-quality products quickly, without the longer timelines and high volume minimums associated with custom development. The Miniat Gold Standard minimum order quantity is just one pallet of product.

If you are looking to develop something new and proprietary in the market, streamline back-of-house operations through a specification or process change, or require technical expertise to address a specific challenge, our custom protein solution is likely the better fit.

Connect with a Miniat representative to get started: Contact us

Sous vide is a method for precisely cooking foods to a specific degree of temperature by using a vacuum sealed pouch immersed in a water bath for an extended period of time. Cooking time can be anywhere from 2-24 hours (cook it slow and low).
Learn more about sous vide meats in our blog: Why Kitchens are Switching to Sous Vide Meats

Some of the primary benefits of using fully-cooked sous vide meats in your kitchen include:

• Moisture retention—the sealed bag keeps the meat with the juices it was cooked in.
• Product consistency—every piece of meat is cooked to the exact, specified degree.
• Food safety confidence—hermetically sealed bags limit risk of cross-contamination.
• Shelf life extension—meats kept in their bag will have a long shelf-life, both frozen and refrigerated.
• Reduction in prep time—place your bagged meat into a steam bath or rethermalizer (if serving hot) and it’s ready to serve in minutes.

Learn more about the benefits sous vide in our blog: How Sous Vide Meats Deliver Versatility and Flavor

To request your samples, use this form or contact a Miniat representative.
After confirmation, your samples are shipped overnight in a temperature controlled cooler. Tracking information is also provided.

Yes, our Miniat Gold Standard^™ line has a catalog available—explore our Miniat Gold Standard products to view available proteins. For further inspiration, see our Concept Gallery.

Minimum order quantities vary between Miniat Gold Standard and custom orders. Contact a Miniat representative to discuss your specific needs.

Miniat has multiple trusted partners around the world for the five major species categories—beef, chicken, pork, turkey, and lamb. All of our proteins are available in conventional as well as a full range of verified claims up to and including NAIHM.

Yes, Miniat frequently works with our clients’ ingredient and raw material partners, provided they meet Miniat’s stringent supplier standards. Reach out to a Miniat representative to learn about those standards.