
Jill started slowly, selling these burgers, steaks, and dog bones at farmers’ markets and working with local restaurants to get her beef on their menus. She tested product ideas at a nearby wine bar. She got a meat processing certificate at the State University Agricultural and Technical College at Cobleskill and attended the Grrls Meat Camp, put on by the Good Meat Project, which works to increase the number of women in the male-dominated world of animal farming and butchering while increasing the availability of good meat. Only a quarter of meat, poultry, and fish processing workers in the United States are female; Jill knew there was room for the industry to grow.
Jill took the next step of opening a storefront on Main Street in Perry, NY. Western New York is the best of both worlds: there are amazing supports for farmers -- everything from people who own farm machinery, specialize in farm plumbing, and provide bank loans to farmers -- but there is also the desire to be part of something bigger.
Perry’s Main Street was already full of small business owners passionate about showcasing local products and happy to welcome another entrepreneur into their fold. While Jill is currently only offering meat from Har-Go Farms cows, she hopes to expand to cows from other local farmers soon, giving dairy farmers a new revenue stream and further strengthening her community. She is proud to stock other western New York products from tofu to cheese to coffee. Buying from butter meat co. means supporting small farmers, small towns, and small businesses. We hope you enjoy our beef as much as we do.