Food Chain Wars

Dec 06 2024 56 ep. 31 mins 26

Food Chain Wars Podcast artwork

The war for the food dollar is upon us and the future of the small family farm is hanging in the balance. But there's hope... Recently, a growing group of ambitious producers have found a way to stay competitive through direct marketing and this show is the frontline resource to equip them take the fight to the next level. Each episode you'll hear industry experts breakdown proven growth strategies that have been battle tested by true in-the-trenches experience.

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Sales lessons from the 7-figure snack stick farmer (John Arbuckle).

Dec 06 2024 87 mins

John Arbuckle and his wife Holly have landed their pork snack sticks in over 600 retail stores nationwide! Their key accounts include the likes of Sprouts Market, Natural Grocers, HEB, and others. Securing this kind of shelf space is a tough uphill battle... It's low-margin, hyper-competitive, and it feels like the buyer commands all the negotiating power. That's why we were thrill

Nick Carter & the rise of Market Wagon

Oct 11 2024 80 mins

An "online farmers market" that connects consumers & farmers within a shoppable platform is a business model many have attempted, but few have accomplished. Nick Carter and the team at Market Wagon are one of the few! They've hit the INC 5000 list twice during their quick expansion to serve 30+ markets across the Midwest & East Coast. Marketing, tech, and logistics are typicall

7 figures in agri-tourism with Ryan MacKay

Sep 11 2024 59 mins

Ryan MacKay is the owner of Lilac Hedge Farms. Their primary sales outlet is DTC eCommerce, but they also operate a 7-figure agri-tourism enterprise consisting of: A cozy farm store & ice cream bar. A full-service kitchen & stage for live music. Multiple Air BNB rentals. A giant inflatable jump pad for the kids. And of course, they host farm tours & all kinds of community events.

The farmers co-op that's scaled beyond 8-figures!

Aug 22 2024 81 mins

Cody Hopkins is the CEO and founding farmer of GrassRoots Co-Op, and has led the company to become one of the more successful D2C farm-to-fork brands sourcing regenerative products from farms in the US. Here's where we went with the interview: Cody's journey from teaching to 1st gen farming. Their early funding journey for launching the co-op. The pros/cons of the co-op business m

Can paid ads skyrocket your growth?

Jun 06 2024 30 mins

In this episode, Blaine and Brooks share their experience acquiring new customers by advertising on platforms like Facebook and Google. With their brand Seven Sons, the brothers are acquiring hundreds of new customers every week, with paid advertising being the key strategy to produce those results. But will their strategy work for you? The key is having the right business model in

5 ways to increase margins (without adding to your workload)

May 16 2024 26 mins

In this episode, you'll hear us (Blaine and Brooks) break down their top strategies for high leverage ways to increase your product margin. We're talking about solutions you can implement once, and retain more 💰 with every order you receive, or every animal you process. Regardless of how long you've been in direct marketing, I'm confident there's a new idea in this episode th

GrazeCart POSNation

Feb 21 2024 31 mins

A full episode to break down the acquisition announcement of GrazeCart by specialty retail point-of-sale provider, POS Nation. On this episode Blaine and I unpack common questions like: Why did we decide to sell GrazeCart? Who is POS Nation? (you'll hear from their team) What will our involvement be going forward? What did we learn through this process? and what we’re most exci

The perfect team meeting agenda for your farm!

Jul 27 2023 32 mins

Team meetings are tough to get right... Whether you work with a few family members or a full-blown team, you've probably left meetings feeling more confused and discouraged than you came in. Some of us get so fed up that we attempt to steer the organization without meetings altogether. After all, between producing livestock and packing orders, who really has time for formal meet

From Zero to $600M: The Incredible Rise of ButcherBox!

Jun 29 2023 31 mins

According to a few recent interviews from CEO Mike Salguero, ButcherBox has scaled beyond $600m in revenue. In this episode, Blaine and I share our reactions to ButcherBox's remarkable growth, a breakdown of the strategies they leveraged, as well as what their market position means for the everyday farm-to-fork producer.

Creative ways we're using AI to save time!

Jun 15 2023 20 mins

There's a lot of buzz floating around about AI and how it's disrupting countless industries. But are there actually any practical applications to use to help run a farm-to-fork business? We answer that question in today's episode by showcasing some of the ways we're using AI to save time while producing better results!