Food Chain Wars

Brooks Hitzfield
  • 0.0 (0)
  • MARKETING
Food Chain Wars Podcast

The war for the food dollar is upon us and the future of the small family farm is hanging in the balance. But there's hope... Recently, a growing group of ambitious producers have found a way to stay competitive through direct marketing and this show is the frontline resource to equip them take the fight to the next level. Each episode you'll hear industry experts breakdown proven growth strategies that have been battle tested by true in-the-trenches experience.

  1. 11 SEPT

    7 figures in agri-tourism with Ryan MacKay

    Ryan MacKay is the owner of Lilac Hedge Farms. Their primary sales outlet is DTC eCommerce, but they also operate a 7-figure agri-tourism enterprise consisting of: A cozy farm store & ice cream bar. A full-service kitchen & stage for live music. Multiple Air BNB rentals. A giant inflatable jump pad for the kids. And of course, they host farm tours & all kinds of community events. While this is a lot to manage, there's a reason Ryan has been able to scale his eCommerce business with a hyper-regional customer base. Even as they expand to serve customers states away, the on-farm activity will still build trust & authenticity for the consumers who will never visit. Why? Because these experiences are something Omaha Steaks and ButcherBox could never recreate. Feel like you're in a good market for agri-tourism? You won't want to miss this episode with Ryan. Learn more about Lilac Hedge Farms at – https://lilachedgefarm.com/

    59 min

  2. 22 AUG

    The farmers co-op that's scaled beyond 8-figures!

    Cody Hopkins is the CEO and founding farmer of GrassRoots Co-Op, and has led the company to become one of the more successful D2C farm-to-fork brands sourcing regenerative products from farms in the US. Here's where we went with the interview: Cody's journey from teaching to 1st gen farming. Their early funding journey for launching the co-op. The pros/cons of the co-op business model. Their transition from wholesale to DTC. *Nerdy tactics on digital marketing tactics & data. One other thing that's easy to admire about Cody is his knack for networking. If you listen carefully, you'll notice how so many of his breakthroughs at GrassRoots came from a new relationship. Want more content like this? Don't forget to subscribe to the email list.

    1h 22m

  3. 6 JUNE

    Can paid ads skyrocket your growth?

    In this episode, Blaine and Brooks share their experience acquiring new customers by advertising on platforms like Facebook and Google. With their brand Seven Sons, the brothers are acquiring hundreds of new customers every week, with paid advertising being the key strategy to produce those results. But will their strategy work for you? The key is having the right business model in place before you start writing checks to the big tech giants. What does that model look like? Listen to learn more!

    31 min

  4. 16 MAY

    5 ways to increase margins (without adding to your workload)

    In this episode, you'll hear us (Blaine and Brooks) break down their top strategies for high leverage ways to increase your product margin. We're talking about solutions you can implement once, and retain more 💰 with every order you receive, or every animal you process. Regardless of how long you've been in direct marketing, I'm confident there's a new idea in this episode that you can take action on this week! We are passionate about equipping small farms to reclaim market-share by implementing the business and marketing principles needed to climb the value chain and sell direct. Each episode, you'll learn insights from our experience of scaling an 8-figure brand (SevenSons.net), as well as coaching hundreds of farms across North America.

    27 min

  5. 21 FEB

    GrazeCart POSNation

    A full episode to break down the acquisition announcement of GrazeCart by specialty retail point-of-sale provider, POS Nation.  On this episode Blaine and I unpack common questions like: Why did we decide to sell GrazeCart? Who is POS Nation? (you'll hear from their team) What will our involvement be going forward? What did we learn through this process? and what we’re most excited about for GrazeCart’s future! As passionate founders, we're thrilled to have found a partner who is excited about the future of GrazeCart and has the expertise to expand its' position in the marketplace. In case you're wondering, this podcast isn't going anywhere, and you can consider this episode the launch of season three!

    31 min

  6. 27/07/2023

    The perfect team meeting agenda for your farm!

    Team meetings are tough to get right... Whether you work with a few family members or a full-blown team, you've probably left meetings feeling more confused and discouraged than you came in. Some of us get so fed up that we attempt to steer the organization without meetings altogether. After all, between producing livestock and packing orders, who really has time for formal meetings anyway? However, this only leads to more chaos and sideways energy. So what's the answer? In our experience, the key to having really great team meetings boils down to the AGENDA.  The right agenda helps everyone show up fully prepared, ready to make quality decisions and to stay accountable to their commitments. Not to mention the agenda we use actually saves us time by consolidating other meetings and eliminating the need for 1-on-1 updates. We've been using this exact same agenda for over a year and today we've broken down the entire structure for you in this episode.

    33 min

  7. 29/06/2023

    From Zero to $600M: The Incredible Rise of ButcherBox!

    According to a few recent interviews from CEO Mike Salguero, ButcherBox has scaled beyond $600m in revenue.  In this episode, Blaine and I share our reactions to ButcherBox's remarkable growth, a breakdown of the strategies they leveraged, as well as what their market position means for the everyday farm-to-fork producer.

    31 min

  8. 15/06/2023

    Creative ways we're using AI to save time!

    There's a lot of buzz floating around about AI and how it's disrupting countless industries. But are there actually any practical applications to use to help run a farm-to-fork business? We answer that question in today's episode by showcasing some of the ways we're using AI to save time while producing better results!

    21 min
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Trailer

About

The war for the food dollar is upon us and the future of the small family farm is hanging in the balance. But there's hope... Recently, a growing group of ambitious producers have found a way to stay competitive through direct marketing and this show is the frontline resource to equip them take the fight to the next level. Each episode you'll hear industry experts breakdown proven growth strategies that have been battle tested by true in-the-trenches experience.

Information

  • Creator
    Brooks Hitzfield
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    54
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Food Chain Wars

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