Meat+Poultry - September 2023 - 8

COMMENTARY
Business state of mind
Have you thought about launching a
small business? I'm meeting quite a
few people who are actively pursuing
some form of entrepreneurship -
from a full-fledged brick-and-mortar
concept to a side-hustle like driving
for Uber, building websites or flying
commercial drones.
The small business owners in my
family are some of the hardest working
people I know. A cousin of mine runs
her own hair salon. When she's not
up to her elbows in someone's hair,
she's on her smartphone juggling
client appointments, her teenage
son, business relationships, personal
relationships, family conflicts and any
number of things.
I don't see her very much as she is
in business by herself and stays busy.
But the hard work is worth it to her,
as she can set her own schedule and
use the type of hair care products that
she prefers. She's always done well for
herself as a stylist, and she's currently
putting her son through private school.
I think she gets her entrepreneurial
spirit from her mother, who years
before ran a candy store out of the
same building where my cousin has
her salon.
This issue of MEAT+POULTRY
includes a special report focused on
meat industry entrepreneurship. We
start by indulging our obsession with
the reality/competition show, " Shark
Tank, " only the tank is Tyson Ventures,
the venture capital arm of Tyson
Foods Inc. Rachael Oatman, digital
media associate editor, caught up with
the co-founders of Helsinki-based
SuperGround, one of the contestants
at the annual pitch event called
Tyson Demo Day which serves as
a platform for entrepreneurs from
around the world to showcase their
groundbreaking ideas. The theme of
this year's Demo Day was upcycling,
and SuperGround brings new meaning
to whole-animal processing.
Next, we go from Finland to Kansas
City, Mo. Eleven years ago, M+P
profiled Alex Pope, co-owner of Local
Pig and Pigwich, a retail butcher shop
and foodservice concept.
Pope was 29 years old when he
and his business partner, Matt Kafka,
opened an artisanal butcher shop in
one of the city's quirky neighborhoods.
The crew at Local Pig made sausages
by hand and broke down sides of beef
and hogs in plain view of customers. It
wasn't long before lines began forming
outside the door before the shop
opened each day.
That's how it started. Today it's
going very well for the business
- Pope and Kafka successfully
incorporated the foodservice part
of the business when they launched
Pigwich. But there
were some bumps
along the road
to a profitable
and sustainable
enterprise. Pope
shared what he's been
up to, what he's learned
and what's ahead for meat retail.
The journey toward a sustainable
and profitable business can be
an emotional rollercoaster for
entrepreneurs. A 'voice of reason,'
someone who can take a birds-eye
view of a venture can be an invaluable
resource, and Editor Joel Crews
profiles one such resource specific
to the meat industry. The Niche
Meat Processor Assistance Network
(NMPAN) at Oregon State University,
offers tools and technical guidance to
smaller meat processing entrepreneurs
at any stage of their development.
NMPAN also offers entrepreneurs
resources to keep businesses on track.
We hope the stories of Local
Pig and SuperGround are a positive
reminder of the power of perseverance
and innovative thinking. And if you're
already in the thick of running your
own small business, remember that
it's not always a bad idea to ask for
help or the reality check that the pros
at NMPAN can deliver so that you
can make decisions that are best for
your future.
ERICA SHAFFER | eshaffer@sosland.com
Helsinki-based
SuperGround was
a contestant at
Tyson Demo Day.
The small business owners in my
family are some of the hardest
working people I know.
8 MEAT+POULTRY | 09.23 | www.meatpoultry.com
http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat+Poultry - September 2023

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