The Story of Buddy’s Natural Chicken

First, there really is a Buddy. Buddy Lindeman founded Buddy’s Natural Chicken in 1987. A poultry science major from Texas A&M University and an accomplished businessman who had been in the poultry industry for many years, Buddy Lindeman knew there was a better way.

Customers were asking for natural chicken that wasn’t raised using antibiotics or animal byproducts and, Buddy being Buddy, he was determined to give them what they wanted.

Healthy Diet, Healthy Chickens

Buddy also knew that great-tasting natural chicken started with diet, so that’s where he started, too. A lot of poultry producers were using antibiotics, growth hormones and highly processed feed, but that wasn’t going to work for Buddy – or for his customers.

So, Buddy literally hatched his own version of feed – creating a high-quality, grain-based diet from scratch using soybean meal, grain sorghum, plant oils, and naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. And, to make sure the feed was produced exactly the way he wanted it, he started his own feed mill – and that’s something we still do today.

Texas-Born, Texas-Based

Our hatchery, feed mill, processing plant and farms are located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country in Gonzales – right outside of San Antonio and about 70 miles from Austin.

It’s the kind of wide-open place with great sunsets where you kick back, settle down and raise a family – and that’s what Buddy did.

Buddy Lindeman passed away in 2002, and the business is still family-owned. Son David Lindeman runs primary operations, and wife Ruby Lindeman keeps everyone in line. And believe us, she certainly does!

That same family spirit extends to our employees, too. Many have been with us for a long time, and they have the same dedication to the business as we do. And they know all the old stories.

Today – and the Future Tomorrow

Just like Buddy knew, a good diet – and the ability of chickens to roam free when they want instead of being in cages all the time – made for a good chicken.

After all, the chicken we produce is naturally lower in fat and sodium, with great flavor to boot – and that’s good for everyone.

That’s still our philosophy today – and our customers still appreciate the dedication we have to producing the best chicken for your family’s table.