There's no shortage of ways to buy meat in this country... or people who'll tell you we should eat less of it.
So why create a new meat company?
Because none have kept up with what I actually want: meat I feel good eating that simplifies dinner on a hectic Tuesday night.
I'm betting you may want the same thing.
Two systems, two tradeoffs
Most meat in this country comes from a few highly-consolidated (often international) supply chains built to deliver inexpensive, convenient meat in abundance.
The rest comes from farms and ranches that work around these supply chains by selling directly to butchers, restaurants, or consumers.
The former is good at keeping prices low and shelves stocked. But it's notoriously opaque. These supply chains are not designed to answer the question: where did this meat come from?
The latter is the only way to access fully traceable meat - to actually be confident in how the animals you're eating were raised, and how they got to your plate. But it comes with real friction: a chest freezer, cooking projects, searching for inspiration for how to turn every cut into a meal.
With half of all meals in this country now taking under five minutes to make, people like me - who want greater certainty around where their meat comes from AND the speed and convenience our primary meat supply chains excel at - are stuck between two imperfect options.
What we're building
In Montana, it's not hard to find good meat: we all live a few miles from amazing farms & ranches, many of whom now sell direct to consumer. Getting that meat to your table on a Tuesday without rebuilding your week around it is the hard part.
Hay & Haste exists to fill this gap: a meat company that is making the highest quality meat, sourced directly from farms and ranches in our backyard, the fast & convenient one.
Does the world need another meat company? Not more of the same. But I think one that treats "good for the animal, good for you, and good for a Tuesday night" as the same problem is worth building.
What's the latest
We just launched! We are delivering to households in our Missoula backyard for now. If you're in Missoula, join us and help us shape what this becomes.
If you're not, sign up for these email updates and follow along!