We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Diana Siemer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Diana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
What sets us apart is that we source our beef, chicken, and pork from local farms around us, and with beef and pork, we purchase the whole animal, one animal at a time. We also specialize in offering bulk purchasing to our customers. Before us, there were basically two ways to buy meat. You could purchase retail cuts from a local butcher or grocery store that could be sourced from anywhere, and would likely be feedlot quality meat. Or, you could purchase large amounts, like a side of locally raised beef from a local butcher. Neither option is ideal. You either pay high prices for low-quality meat, or you pay a high upfront cost for loads of quality meat, which saves you money in the long run and gets you a better product but requires significant storage space.
So, that leaves us. We showed up with a different concept. And it’s not new. First, I decided to focus on locally raised meat from farms in Ohio, near my local community. The quality is superior due to the way the animals are raised, which is the way generations of farmers have been doing it for decades. Lucky for us, we have lots of amazing family-owned farms in Ohio. Second, I chose to utilize local rural butchers, family-owned and operated, to process the meat. In this way, I’m supporting another local business and I’m getting the meat processed by someone I can trust. They are experts in their field and because they are small, quality control is superb. Customer service is also fantastic.
Third, I chose to offer the same bulk pricing concept to my customers that is extended to me when I buy a whole cow. However, instead of requiring they buy the whole cow from me, or even half, I break it down into small, manageable shares. This way, it fits in their regular-sized freezer and it fits in their budget. Most families don’t have a lot of storage. Most families have a weekly, not yearly budget for food. So, paying thousands upfront is not practical. But, purchasing a small share at a bulk price that is under $100 is manageable.
This creates a conduit of access from our local demand to our local supply that is consistent and convenient. Before we came along, if a family wanted to purchase local meat in any quantity, they had to do a lot of research to find a source, and to find a processor. They would have to know how to process the beef, what the different cuts are. They might get stuck with cuts they don’t know how to use or don’t prefer to eat. They might not like the quality but just paid thousands of dollars for it. And they would have to buy a lot and store it.
I bought my first half a cow when I was sourcing better quality food for my children. I told people about it because I was thrilled with every aspect of the experience. And every mom I talked to would say the same things. “I would love to do that but I don’t know where to get it,” or “we don’t have the storage space,” or “we don’t have the money upfront to buy that much meat at once,” or they would say, “I’m sick of grocery store meat, but at least I can just buy the cuts I’m familiar with and I know my family will eat. With a whole cow, I’m getting a lot of stuff I don’t use or don’t know anything about.” So, I said, well, why not split it and share it?
So, the first time we did a “group share” we had 10 families share a whole cow. We each paid a portion and took a portion. It was great! And popular! So, we did it again. The next year, we did four rounds of purchasing and sharing with other families. I created an email list and asked anyone who wanted in to send me a check for deposit. After another year, we were up to over 100 families on that email list. Demand continued so I created a website and newsletter. I created an order form and let families request the cuts they wanted and how many lbs they wanted. Then we added locally made products as “add-ons.” We had local honey, syrup, eggs and milk. Then we added a produce CSA.
When COVID hit, suddenly grocery stores went through a period of having little to no meat on their shelves. My phone started blowing up. Friends, neighbors, and family members of people in our group share were calling asking for meat. So, I decided it was time to open a store that focused on offering only locally sourced food to the community. I realized the critical importance of supporting a thriving local economy. Keeping things small and local matters. Local farms have been around forever. Group shares have too. What we’re doing isn’t new. But it is better and I’m proud to bring these concepts to the community and tweak them into a business model that is sustainable and works for any family.
Since we opened the store we’ve also filled our retail space with over 70 locally made food products. And, we also offer retail and large bulk purchasing for those who want it. And, we partner with local produce farms to provide CSA and retail produce. Local bakers also sell their breads and pastries in our store. We’ve created a better way to buy food—the old-fashioned way.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
I am a mother of 3 kids, ages 4, 9, and 13. I homeschool my older two children. I got into my industry simply as a concerned mom looking for better quality food for my kids. I developed my business simply as a mom who felt there was a better way to purchase this food. My store specializes in locally raised meat in small customizable shares. I also offer locally grown produce, locally made food items and locally baked goods. I also offer retail meats and large bulk meat purchases. I make purchasing local food easy, convenient, affordable and sustainable. Customers can come in and shop or order online and they can also get their good delivered. There is no membership or minimum purchase requirements, no regular purchase requirements. Customers get what they want, when they want. This customization makes it more sustainable for more families, as opposed as a “one-size-fits-all” concept. Every family eats differently and different consumption rates. Our model makes our offerings work for anyone. I am most proud of the fact that we support local farms and businesses and we provide easy access to affordable local food to more families in our community.
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
I know they say never finance your business on credit but in my case, I had no other option. We were in the middle of a pandemic and banks were tightening their purse strings. Food businesses looking for start-up funding were considered risky. Even though I wasn’t asking for a lot, it just wasn’t happening. So, I took out three business cards, each with about a $5,000 limit and started my business on a shoestring budget of $15,000. I bought only what I needed to get started, found an affordable turnkey location to rent, and counted heavily on social media, word of mouth and our established customer base to get me through. I signed a three-year lease and prayed. I survived the first year getting the bills and rent paid and keeping inventory rolling. But that’s about it. It became clear that in order to grow, I was going to need a better location that was also larger, more equipment and more inventory and a marketing budget. So, I partnered with Honeycomb Credit, an agency dedicated to crowd-sourcing small investments from the local community and turning that into small business loans. I raised enough to take the next step forward. It’s slow growth but I’ve learned to be very intentional and strategic with every dollar and to really think about what I need as opposed to what I want. Our store is very basic right now, but that’s ok. The quality of what we offer is what keeps us going.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When we first started, we only offered small shares and large shares. We did not offer retail meats at all. However, I quickly learned that most people aren’t quite ready to fully let go of the purchasing methods they’re used to. They liked our product, liked our concept, but still wanted the option to just buy one cut at retail. So, we added that to our business model and I’m glad we did. About a third of our customers come in regularly and just buy a few cuts at a time. We would have missed out on those customers completely had we not offered retail.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sharehappycows.com
- Instagram: @sharehappycows
- Facebook: @sharehappycows
Image Credits
Diana Siemer