Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Salguero.
ButcherBox was founded by Salguero when he discovered America was a “meat desert.” Grass-fed beef, the healthiest kind to eat, was also the most challenging to find, making up only one percent of all beef sold. Ninety-nine percent of the beef in stores are grain or corn-fed. Most often, consumers limit their selection of beef to ground beef.
Salguero was first introduced to grass-fed beef through a local farmer who sold ¼ to ½ shares of cattle. Once he tasted the high-quality meat, he was instantly hooked. But the cow share proved impractical as it left him with huge portions of beef his home refrigerator could not hold. He found himself distributing his share among friends and family who also loved the natural taste and health benefits of grass-fed beef.
“Grass-fed beef is the best quality beef for us but it’s the hardest to come by and that gave me the idea for ButcherBox,” said Salguero. “There was a real business opportunity to connect small farms with consumers, providing them with the organic, naturally-raised meats the farmers have committed to raising. ButcherBox does this through a simple, affordable delivery service that suits busy lifestyles.”
Salguero launched ButcherBox on September 9, 2015 through a Kickstarter campaign with $25,000 and received $215,000 of additional funding in 30 days
Has it been a smooth road?
No. it has not been a smooth road. Some struggles we have encountered:
-Sourcing great quality meat, and realizing not all is what it seems in the food world.
-Scaling a team is hard.
-Not raising money (which was by design) adds additional pressures.
-Office space has been an issue.
-Having remote workers has been tough, but we need to go where the talent is.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the ButcherBox.com story. Tell us more about the business.
ButcherBox works with several collectives of small, family-run farms committed to raising their stock as humanely as possible in their natural environments. The health benefits of grass-fed beef greatly outweigh conventional corn- and grain-fed beef. It’s lower in fat and calories, higher in Omega 3s and has less risks of dangerous bacteria.
Natural, pasture-raised chicken and pigs live healthier, offering meat that is less in fat and higher in nutrients.
We are serving over 100,000 meals a week to families across the nation. That is what I’m proudest of … In my household, sitting down to a meal is one of the most important things we do as a family… to have our products at the “center of the plate” for thousands of families is incredibly humbling and incredibly inspiring
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Meal delivery is picking up. Market for grass fed beef is growing at 100% CAGR, people are waking up to the provenance of their meat, and we are well suited to capitalize on these trends…
Pricing:
- Subscription is $129 a month
Contact Info:
- Website: www.butcherbox.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/butcher_box
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ButcherBox-1008040249210156/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/butcherbox?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
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