Meat processing is a tough, low-margin business with little room for error. It is a nuanced and complex business and it is imperative to get the business model right to help ensure success and profitability. We are here to help.
Those in the meat business knew their community didn’t have enough small-scale meat processing before COVID; now everyone knows it. This attention to gaps in small-scale processing has led many meat processors and entrepreneurs to redouble their effort to make processing happen in their communities. You are not alone.
Meat Processing Boot Camp combines training, one-on-one consulting, and networking, taking you and your team out of your day-to-day environment and giving you the tools you need to build a financially viable meat processing business.
Boot Camp is right for you if:
- You are a farmer, cooperative, NGO, or entrepreneur trying to develop a realistic and fundable business plan for a meat processing business
- You need to raise money for your new or existing meat processing business
- You want to make sure your new or existing meat processing business capitalizes on the opportunities that this new business climate offers
What Can I Expect from Boot Camp?
Four intense, focused days to learn and work on your meat processing business
- Day 1: Optimizing Your Meat Processing Business Model
- It’s a business model, not a product that determines whether your company makes money. We leverage our experience working with other processors to help you develop a realistic, financially viable business model for your meat processing business and set you on a realistic path to meet your goals.
- Day 2: Fixing Your Financial Infrastructure
- Your financial infrastructure will be critical to your future success. We help you fully understand the financial side of the meat processing business and set up systems that can fully support your success.
- Day 3: Developing Your Financial Plan
- You are moving forward, so you need to look forward. We help you develop realistic assumptions for forecasts of sales, marketing, and operations and the capital structure you need to get there.
- Day 4: Getting Ready to Raise Money
- You will need to raise money to grow your food business. We help you learn how to do a great pitch and properly document your business so you can successfully raise money.
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Registering for Boot Camp
Submitting a registration request indicates your interest in attending a 4-day Boot Camp series, for Meat Processing Boot Camp both sessions run concurrently:
- Part 1: May 6th & 7th
- Part 2: June 17th & 18th
We encourage you to register two people from your business so you can work together on course content in the afternoon.
Meet Your Instructor
Meat Processing Boot Camp is hosted by FFI Director, Tera Johnson who founded teraswhey® and is the host of the Edible-Alpha® podcast. Tera has personal experience in being an entrepreneur, raising money, launching a national brand, and selling a company. She has taken this personal experience, plus her experience working with hundreds of clients and crafted this course.
Scholarship Opportunities
- The Food Finance Institute offers an array of training geared towards growing profitable food, farm, and food system enterprises. In order to increase access to our paid trainings we offer scholarships that cover up to 100% training costs for those who are:
- Pre-revenue or have been in business less than two years
- A member of an underserved community
More information and request forms can be completed here
- Compeer’s $250 grant is available to any beginning farmer living in Compeer’s territory even if they don’t have any business relationship with them.
- This program is available to farmers who:
- Reside in Compeer Financial’s 144-county territory,
- Have started farming no longer than ten years ago, and
- Demonstrate that farming is the applicant’s part-time or full-time vocation
- This program is available to farmers who:
Check out Compeer’s Grants for Beginning Farmers and apply here