Many smaller meat businesses sprouting across the U.S. are Providing local customers with new access to delicious food in addition to beef, pork, and poultry.
Bordenaro’s Meat Processing in Carroll, IA, is one flourishing example.
Tom and Cindy Bordenaro founded the business in 2017 as a small meat market located inside a small retail mall in the center of Carroll. As customers discovered their high-quality meat, the business grew exponentially and now has three locations.
One reason for the growth is that Bordenaro’s offers much more than fresh meat. The small retail shop in Carroll processes more than 12,000 lbs of meat per month, but customers can also enjoy a delicious lunch, and the business provides catering for events throughout the community
As demand grew, the Bordenaros knew they needed to expand. A few years ago, they added another location to handle their added-value processing and catering and are now about to open their own harvest facility that will be able to supply their meat market and catering operations. The Bordenaros operate the three locations with the help of their son and a small staff.
Funding expansion, though, is extremely difficult in the tight-margin meat business. In 2021, Tom and Cindy received a USDA AMS Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant to support their expansion and enable them to become USDA-inspected.
Teary eyed, Cindy stated "We would not be where we are today without these grant programs