From Survey to Solutions: ChopLocal's Growth Shaped by Industry Insights

The direct-to-consumer meat industry is making strides, highlighted by findings from ChopLocal’s recent survey, which was completed by 332 meat businesses across 46 states in the summer of 2023. This annual survey not only reveals evolving trends, sales volumes, and marketing techniques embraced by livestock producers selling meat directly to consumers but also shapes ChopLocal’s marketplace and educational content.

Positive changes since 2022 include an increase in average sales, an increase in producers selling USDA inspected retail cuts, and reduced difficulty finding harvest appointments at small meat processors.

“This aligns with the conversations we’ve had anecdotally over the past year,” says Katie Olthoff, ChopLocal co-founder. “Producers and processors report that the Covid-era rush to book locker appointments 12-24 months in advance has eased.”

Survey findings indicate an increase in the percentage of direct-to-consumer producers selling USDA inspected retail cuts—from 65% in 2022 to 75% in 2023. Moreover, producers are increasingly adopting new technologies and distribution methods. In 2023, 55% operated an online store, up slightly from 53% in 2022. Particularly noteworthy was the surge in producers shipping meat directly to customers, rising from 9% in 2022 to 25% in 2023.

These shifts are correlated with higher meat sales. Producers with an online store recorded an average of $104,715 in sales—41% higher than those without an e-commerce presence. Additionally, those shipping USDA cuts saw a significant increase, averaging $147,143 in sales, more than double the volume of those without an e-commerce and shipping program.

Despite these positive trends, producers continue to emphasize the importance of finding new customers in order to grow their business. Nearly all use social media, with Facebook page usage staying consistent at around 88% while Instagram usage increased from 49% in 2022 to 59% in 2023. There was also a 9-point increase in Facebook group usage, now at 30%. 

Marketing channels shifted slightly for the most successful farms (selling over $200,000 in meat direct-to-consumer annually) with 87% of those farms using email marketing, compared to 61% overall.

The most successful farms also report a higher level of comfort with marketing their meat. Only 18% of the farms with less than $100,000 in sales report a very high level of confidence in their marketing compared to 42% with over $100,000 in sales.

These survey insights directly influence ChopLocal's educational initiatives. Awarded a USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Farmers Market Promotion Program grant in 2022, ChopLocal initiated a series of free webinars on meat marketing, e-commerce, and shipping. These resources are now available on-demand at https://sell.choplocal.com. In 2024, the organization will continue offering free webinars along with a specialized course focused on optimizing e-commerce stores for meat sellers.

The first webinar of the year, which will cover the Value Added Producer Grant, will be held on January 16, and the inaugural mEat Commerce Essentials course will kick off February 1. Interested producers should sign up for the ChopLocal email newsletter at https://sell.choplocal.com for more information.

"Our goal is to bolster sales for producers by enhancing their confidence in marketing and shipping meat," says Olthoff.

Founded in 2020 by Olthoff and fellow Iowa farmer Jared Achen, ChopLocal not only provides educational programming but also operates an online farmers market for meat at choplocal.com. The platform decreases the barriers to entry for farmers interested in selling meat online, and assists with customer acquisition. ChopLocal.com is home to approximately 60 farms and butcher shops in 20 states, and experienced double the sales volume in 2023 compared to the previous year.

“As farmers ourselves, we know how difficult it is to juggle all aspects of the farm business,” says Achen. “We continue to look for new ways to help producers increase their local meat sales and profitability through technology and collaboration.”