When I dropped everything else I was working on to start a meat company, it was because of a frustration that had been building for a while.
When it came to eating meat, I felt stuck choosing between convenience and transparency. I don't have the time or energy to buy meat I feel good about eating and then cook it from scratch every night. But the shortcuts I was leaning on were made from meat I couldn't learn anything about.
When I broke that frustration down, it came down to two issues:
- Availability. I had to go search for good meat and fish, and when what I was looking for wasn't available, it took too much time to find alternatives
- Preparation. Even with good meat in the fridge or freezer, I didn't always have it in me to turn a raw cut into a meal
So Hay & Haste launched to test two questions:
- Do people want new ways to keep good meat stocked in their kitchen?
- Do people want more convenient shortcuts that help them eat well on their busiest nights?
A month in, I've learned that the stoke for meatballs is high.
Over the past month I've hung hundreds of door hangers in my neighborhood and posters around Missoula. I've started to get a consistent set of orders each week. And every single person who has made a purchase has bought meatballs.
Of course, that's a small sample in one town... and I'm not pretending this is a science experiment.
But in every conversation I've had with a customer, the energy changes when we talk about what a good bag of meatballs in the freezer could do for their week. A delivery of whole cuts just doesn't get the same reaction.
So I'm going with my gut: I'm all in on meatballs.
I've started lining up farms and ranches that meet my sourcing standards and can sell ground meat on its own. Beef is still the focus for now, but I'm also experimenting with blending pork, lamb, and vegetables into the recipes... all with the goal of a product that's easy to use & is genuinely craveable across a range of flavors.
There's a lot brewing with this new focus, and I can't wait to keep sharing as I figure it all out.