Bently Ranch closes butcher shop; COVID economy 'forced our hand'

MINDEN, Nev. — The Bently Ranch Butcher Shop, located on Buckeye Road in Minden, has succumbed to the economic conditions brought on the by coronavirus outbreak.

“We have decided to close the Bently Ranch Butcher Shop effective immediately,” Bently Ranch announced in a recent statement. “This is a decision we have been considering for some time and working hard to find a better solution, but the recent decline in economic conditions has forced our hand.”

The closure includes online and wholesale activities, according to a Bently spokesman.

The butcher shop was in the building originally built to house the Bently Biofuels Outpost, a biodiesel gas station and convenience store in 2008.

The outpost closed four years later in 2012, though the biodiesel pumps remained open until that business was sold to an Oregon firm.

“It is a difficult decision to close any business, and we recognize that first and foremost, it is hardest for those whose livelihood is directly affected,” Bently said in a statement. “We are treating our employees who bear the most substantial burden in this change with dignity, fairness and respect. We will be working with each employee to do what we can to help them find other opportunities.”

Bently Ranch will be reducing its focus on retail sale and concentrating on its more traditional operations, includes composting, cattle and agricultural.

“At this time, our other companies will not be directly impacted by this change,” the statement said.