This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

The Upper Cut KC is a family-owned farm-direct butcher shop in Liberty, Missouri, opened in 2015 by Mariah Kinkade — a sixth-generation rancher raised in the Kansas City area whose family has farmed in the region for 75+ years, selling Akaushi and Angus beef raised on their own land 35 miles east of KC.

Description

The Upper Cut KC is a farm-direct butcher shop and specialty meat retailer at 1177 W Kansas St in Liberty, Missouri, in the Kansas City metro’s Northland.12 The shop sells beef raised entirely on the Kinkade family’s own farm in Richmond, Missouri, 35 miles east of Kansas City — primarily Akaushi (Japanese Wagyu-cross) and Angus cuts, dry-aged a minimum of 21 days on-site.34 Alongside the beef program, the shop carries pork, chicken, lamb, bison, turkey, and seafood, plus an extensive line of house-made products: jerky, meat sticks, sausages, and hot dogs.4 A butcher-shop sandwich counter offers specialty sandwiches, including a signature “Meat Mountain” build that went viral on social media.56

The Upper Cut KC occupies a compact retail space just west of I-35 off 291 Highway in Liberty — what the Kansas City Pitch described as a shop with “no seating yet a must-try eatery.”6 All beef is all-natural: grass-pastured, finished with non-GMO silage, with no antibiotics or hormones, and dry-aged for 21+ days.3 The farm’s genetics, feed regimen, and herd management reflect more than 75 years of livestock expertise accumulated across six generations of the Kinkade family.34

Hours and online ordering available at theuppercutkc.com. Yelp listing updated May 2026 with 124 reviews.1

Ownership and history

Mariah Kinkade is the owner and founder of The Upper Cut KC, opening the shop in 2015 at age 21 with two employees.24 She is a sixth-generation cattle rancher: the Kinkade family has raised livestock in the Kansas City region for more than 75 years, with the working farm located in Richmond, Missouri (Ray County).34 Mariah grew up in Kansas City — spending every weekend at her family’s farm in Kearney, Missouri — and was active in Future Farmers of America through high school, where she first heard her family dream about one day selling their beef directly to Kansas City consumers.47

After graduating from Kansas State University, Kinkade acted on that family vision and launched The Upper Cut KC. The business is woman-owned and family-operated, with the farm providing the supply chain and the Liberty storefront providing direct-to-consumer retail.23 Mariah Kinkade has been featured in Kansas City Magazine, IN Kansas City Magazine, Kansas City Homes & Style, and the Kansas City Pitch for her role as a young female entrepreneur in the meat industry.467

Sources

Disputes

None at this time.

Footnotes

  1. Yelp — “The Upper Cut KC,” 1177 W Kansas St, Liberty, MO — https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-upper-cut-kc-liberty — accessed 2026-06-08 (via search summary) — Asserts: address 1177 W Kansas St, Liberty, MO 64068; Butcher category; updated May 2026; 135 photos, 124 reviews; active listing. ↩ ↩2

  2. IN Kansas City Magazine — “Reservation for One: The Upper Cut KC” — https://www.inkansascity.com/eat-drink/restaurants/reservation-for-one-the-upper-cut-kc/ — accessed 2026-06-08 — Asserts: opened 2015; Mariah Kinkade owner; location Liberty MO west of I-35/291; farm-direct business model; woman-owned and managed. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. The Upper Cut KC official site — https://theuppercutkc.com/ and https://theuppercutkc.com/about-us-the-upper-cut-kc-premium-meats-kansas-city-missouri/ — accessed 2026-06-08 — Asserts: family owned and operated; farm in Richmond, MO 35 miles east of KC; 75+ years livestock knowledge; sixth-generation; Akaushi and Angus beef; all-natural, grass-pastured, non-GMO silage finish; no antibiotics or hormones; dry-aged minimum 21 days. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  4. Kansas City Magazine — “Ask The Expert: Mariah Kinkade of The Upper Cut KC” — https://kansascitymag.com/ask-the-expert-mariah-kinkade-1/ — accessed 2026-06-08 — Asserts: Mariah Kinkade is owner; sixth-generation rancher; grew up in Kansas City, spent weekends at family farm in Kearney, MO; opened 2015 at age 21 with two employees; FFA member in high school; sells Akaushi + Angus, pork, chicken, lamb, bison, turkey, seafood; house-made jerky, meat sticks, sausages, hot dogs. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  5. NewsBreak / Kansas City Star — “‘Can you tackle Meat Mountain?’ Viral KC area shop isn’t your average butcher” — https://www.newsbreak.com/the-kansas-city-star-1592484/4157689785686-can-you-tackle-meat-mountain-viral-kc-area-shop-isn-t-your-average-butcher — accessed 2026-06-08 — Asserts: “Meat Mountain” viral sandwich build; Upper Cut KC. ↩

  6. The Pitch KC — “The Uppercut KC Butcher Shop has no seating, yet is a must-try eatery” — https://www.thepitchkc.com/the-uppercut-kc-butcher-shop-has-no-seating-yet-is-a-must-try-eatery/ — accessed 2026-06-08 — Asserts: “no seating yet a must-try eatery” framing; specialty sandwiches; butcher shop format. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  7. Kansas City Homes & Style — “Blazing A Female Culinary Path” — https://homesandstylekc.com/blazing-a-female-culinary-path/ — accessed 2026-06-08 — Asserts: Mariah Kinkade profile as female culinary entrepreneur; family and KC-area roots. ↩ ↩2

See also

  • Registry
  • Owner-And-History-Research-Toolchain
  • _Tier1-Non-Service-Local-Businesses
Categories
  • Locally owned
  • Liberty