Project Connects Producers To Markets

Project Connects Producers To Markets If you’re a meat producer, butcher, chef or consumer, you’ll find what you’re looking for at the Good Meat Project (GMP). The nonprofit’s Good Meat Finder database of 1,000 farmers, butchers and chefs makes it easy to find them by location or industry segment. You can search by seller, meat species, certifications and practices, such as organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised, heritage breeds, and more. The directory is just one of multiple ways GMP has helped meat producers connect with their markets for the past 11 years, according to Michele Thorne, GMP. “Our initial focus was educating the consumer about whole animal butchery, how to break down different animals to cuts and how to prepare them,” says Thorne. The GMP grew out of the Portland Meat Collective. Camas Davis started the collective to tell the story of responsible meat and how to get it to the table. The goal of GMP was to open-source the collective model across the country. More than a dozen collectives have since formed. The focus has broadened to include helping the producer direct market their animals. Marketing Fundamentals for Good Meat Producers is a self-paced, pre-recorded course. It’s free, and by the end of the course, producers can create a strategic map to make marketing more effective and easier to implement. GMP YouTube videos cover a wide range of subjects, including marketing, food photography, finance, e-commerce, food preparation and talking to a butcher. GMP currently doesn’t have members; however, Thorne allows memberships may be necessary as funding becomes more challenging to source. “In addition to the 1,000 farmers, butchers and chefs who participate in the directory and the organization, we have 36,000 active users of the site,” says Thorne. GMP has multiple programs to help its collaborators. For example, Real Burger of Earth Day is for grass-fed producers to promote grass-fed meat to environmentally conscious consumers. In 2024, it involved 50 farms, ranches and butcher shops. Initially focused on beef, GMP is expanding to include bison, lamb and goat. Farmers and ranchers can participate in an in-depth, direct-marketing course at no charge. They can also utilize marketing tool kits that help explain bulk buying, meat preparation, and more to share with current and prospective customers. She notes that awareness of the organization and the services offered continues to grow. “We’ve had 125 businesses sign up to be listed in our directory in the past six months,” says Thorne. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Good Meat Project (www.goodmeatproject.org).

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