Direct Marketing Meat
Educator: Olivia Tincani, O&Co.
Ranchers raising animals for fiber de facto have great potential to operate small and successful meat enterprises as part of a stacked enterprise approach to their businesses. For ranchers who are either already selling meat directly into the consumer market and those who are just culling animals, or selling to a large plant (such as Superior), this class is universal to all of you. We will review the how-to’s and pros and cons for the direct-to-consumer and wholesale (restaurant and food service) markets, debunking myths of difficulty, hassle, and low-profit potential. Chef communication tactics, creating lasting relationships, scheduling, delivery, and logistics will be covered on the wholesale side. Various sales and marketing options including whole and half animals versus selling cuts, farmers markets, and CSA models will be reviewed for direct-to-consumer channels. We will embrace the frozen question and discuss how to promote whole animal programs in your wholesale buyers. Collaboration is vital to successful direct marketed meat sales, and so we will explore the rancher + chef + processor connection. Case studies in successful stacked enterprise farm businesses and ranches will be reviewed.
Additional resources for our producers:
- Great resources from NC Choices for pasture-based production
- ATTRA tool/resource as covered by Kathy Voth at On Pasture
- Cornell’s Sheep & Goat Marketing Site: one-stop-shop for all things related to buying and selling animals, products and includes a listserve sign-up.
Olivia Tincani
Olivia Tincani is the lead architect and curriculum designer for the Business Curriculum program, as well as an educator.
Olivia Tincani is a food and agriculture business educator and consultant with 16 years of experience in the field. Olivia Tincani & Co. provides business, financial and strategic planning and technical assistance for small-scale independent farms, ranches, food businesses, and the institutions that service them. Her work is grounded in a deep entrepreneurial history and her ambitious spirit infuses her teaching and consulting. Her specific expertise includes livestock operations, program and curriculum design, whole animal supply chains, regional food systems strategy, communications & marketing, and community building. Olivia takes a collaborative approach to her projects, simultaneously teaching and learning while empowering entrepreneurs and strengthening organizations. Recently, she was the program designer and core educator for the Hudson Valley Farm Business Incubator of Glynwood, a NY non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure Hudson Valley regional food and farming thrives. She serves as a Strategic Advisor for Rancho Llano Seco, is Co-Director of the nascent Grazing School of the West, and serves on advisory committees for Kitchen Table Advisors and the bi-annual National Farm Viability Conference. Other projects include work with venerated enterprises and organizations such as Pie Ranch, The Farm Bridge, and a fleet of small-scale independent farms. She was the co-founder of food service management company Fare Resources and founder of Farm 255 and Farm Burger, landmark restaurant/farm enterprises operating co-dependent food service operations alongside vegetable and pasture-based livestock farms in the rural southeast. Olivia splits time between Sonoma County (CA) and her husband’s family farm and winery in the Valtènesi region of Italy. Her hands are always in the dirt and her skin in the game.
