Jeff Smith Launched Colorado Craft Beef and shares how he did it on The Sales Podcast

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5 Generations of Beef! Jeff & Kara Smith Launched Colorado Craft Beef

Wes Schaeffer | September 28, 2023

"Don't take no for an answer."

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Partnered with Jocko, Origin, and others like Dr. Shawn Baker
Growing triple digits the last five years
Creating efficiencies
June is his slowest time of year since 95% of sales are direct to consumer
1913 it all started
His wife is a 5th generation cattle rancher
His wife has a Masters in Cattle Nutrition

Started in 2017 and doing more revenue per month now than in all of 2019
Intentionality and craftsmanship
Now vertical from top to bottom
His father-in-law still has the commercial ranching side of things
She wanted to impact the cattle industry in a positive manner
Moved back to Colorado in 2015
The market was changing, and his FIL steered them away from following in his footsteps
In 2016, they bought the eastern neighbor of his FIL
He had to sell at a premium to make this work
People in the ag space are not supportive of the DTC model
They have no negative marketing in their space
She knew the science behind good steaks
He’s operations and money
He wanted a blue ocean, not a blood bath with his neighbors
He did the national average his first year, 31 head
Nearly triple digits in year two
Don’t take “no” for an answer
Be ready to grind and to execute
They buy weaned calves and yearlings, then finish them
Bootstrapped things
Still sourcing cattle from partners but dictate the health protocols
Doing genetics testing
They are still outpacing production
The modulation of their sales structure is stressful
Did a ton of research to know the market so they knew the opportunity and how to price their product
Looked at smaller bundled boxes
They started with quarters and halves since they knew people, but evolved into the bundled boxes
Had to figure out shipping
He spent nine years in heavy construction and worked the problems until he found a solution
Build their platform so people know their mission and values
It’s hard to sell an idea, so build your platform
March 2020 had a bigger weekend than any two months previously
Attention to detail and customer support
The new partners helped them purchase the harvest facility, which was the biggest bottleneck
The head of marketing is a former Marine
They turned off marketing in 2021 for four months, but now it’s hard to turn it back on and regain that momentum
He was up at 4 a.m. in 2020, communicating with customers
He’s down about 85 lbs since the end of 2019
He was 315 lbs when his daughter was born
Dr. Baker started working with them since his baby was a few weeks old
“Jeff’s going carnivore for 90 days…let’s follow his mission,” via Dr. Shawn Baker
He didn’t realize how bad he felt until he was on carnivore for three weeks
He had a ribeye at lunch and won’t eat again
Dry ages everything 21 days

"Discover the unparalleled taste and quality of Colorado Craft Beef. As rising leaders in the US meat delivery ranch-to-table space, we continue to surpass our customers' expectations and offer subscriptions nationwide. Elevate your dining experience with our curated burger and steak boxes, and savor how we use innovative, responsible animal and land management practices to create a delicious, high-quality protein source for you and your family."