The Ray Family

The values and legacy of a family-run agricultural business runs deep in the Ray family. Humble pride in the land and an abiding work ethic is woven throughout each generation. From 1899 to 2006, the Ray family owned and operated a four-generation dairy farm in Floresville, Texas–a community ripe with peanut and dairy farms. Significant expansion of the dairy farm and its production occurred in the 1980’s and 90’s after Tom Ray purchased the business from his father and grandfather and developed it into the largest dairy farm south of San Antonio until he sold his herds of Holstein and Jersey cows in 2006. Following the sale of the dairy business after a significant drought, Tom searched for an opportunity to again own and operate a business that aligned with his and his family’s extensive knowledge of the agricultural industry.

In 2008, Tom Ray purchased Wiatrek’s Meat Market, which has been a destination point for fresh and local beef, pork, and chicken in the small, rural, South Texas town of Poth since the Wiatrek family established it in 1965. The Ray and Wiatrek families’ indelible impact on the dairy business and meat industry, respectively, in South Texas made the transfer of ownership of the Meat Market a joyful and fortuitous occasion for the families and the community. In 2014, Tom’s son, Carter, returned home after graduating from Texas A&M with aspirations to grow the company. In 2018, Wiatrek’s opened its first satellite retail store on the Northside of San Antonio.