Sherwood Acres Beef

Kentucky Cattle Farm with New Products and New Prospects for Growth

Sherwood Acres Beef is launching a new beef chili and expanding their line of beef sausages this fall, thanks in part to a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Sherwood Acres worked with the Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Development to develop their plans for the project.

"We are really excited about the funding and the opportunity to offer our customers the new value-added products that are made from our Belted Galloway herd with local all-natural ingredients," said Dan Weintraub of Sherwood Acres.  "The USDA Value-Added Producer Grant has made it possible for us to launch these new products, but that grant would nev  rhave been possible without the assistance of the team at KCARD."

The Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (KCARD) began working with Sherwood Acres partners, Jon Bednarski and Dan Weintraub, when the two decided to explore expanding their line of value-added beef products with a Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) from the USDA.  KCARD's team worked with Jon and Dan to develop a business plan for the new products, and then guided the owners through the process of developing the application for the VAPG. 

"We had hoped for quite a while to do a beef chili, but the overall cost of putting it together was overwhelming.  We turned to KCARD to explore options, and Brent Lackey began working with us on the business plan. When we decided to go for the grant, he put us in touch with Myrisa Christy, and she worked with us on every step of the application," said Jon.  "The possibility of the grant made it more attractive to consider expanding our line to include value-added products, and it was the help from KCARD that helped make this a reality."

"Their passion and professionalism showed in the determination to complete the grant application," said Myrisa Christy the KCARD Agribusiness Grant Facilitation Program Coordinator.  "Jon and Dan were not satisfied with 'good enough' on any aspect of the application, but worked toward making it the best and that proved to be successful for them.”

In early 2016, Sherwood Acres will launch an all-natural beef chili with VAPG funds, and will also use grant funds to expand the line of beef sausages they offer to customers.  Jon and Dan have worked to develop both the chili and the sausages as products that could easily be used by a busy family or individual to prepare a meal in less than 30 minutes. 

"There is this large demographic in our area who wants to eat local foods, but they don't have freezers to store beef, have very little time to cook many of the traditional beef cuts each evening," explained Jon.  "We focused on these customers as we started developing our value-added beef products, and we designed our new line of beef products to be natural, locally grown, and easy to prepare."

The new Sherwood Acres chili comes from a recipe that is a favorite in the Weintraub family.  Dan worked with a commercial kitchen to duplicate his mother's tomato-based beef chili, and is excited to share his favorite chili with his customers.

"I don't know where my mother's recipe came from, but this is the chili that I have eaten since I was a kid," said Dan.  "It is a tomato-based chili with kidney beans and fresh beef. It is really unique and I think our customers will enjoy it."

 Dan and Jon have also been working with Stefan Neumann, the master butcher and sausage maker at Brooks Meats in Walton, Kentucky, to expand the line of beef sausage that will be launched over the winter. The first two beef sausage varieties that will be launched include Sherwood Acres Bacon Cheeseburger Brat with nitrate free bacon and the Not-So-Sloppy Joe Brat.

 "Jon and Dan did an extensive amount of work in planning every detail of their expansion," explained Brent Lackey, KCARD Business Specialist. "They really understand the importance of marketing and supplying a product that satisfies the demands if its customers, including flavor, quality, and convenience."

 Jon explained that Sherwood Acres is working with Valu Market to offer the new line of value-added beef products in several of the Louisville stores.  They also plan to offer their new products through their traditional marketing venues at the farmers market and in their retail store. 

 Along with their new line of value-added products, Sherwood Acres will continue to offer customers beef halves, quarters, split quarters, ground beef, and over 20 individual cuts including ribeye, filet mignon, strip steak, skirt steak, and boneless roast.

 All Sherwood Acres beef products are from the Sherwood Acres Belted Galloway herd, which are finished with no added hormones, steroid-free on Jon's farm in LaGrange, Kentucky.  Sherwood Acres began retailing local meats back in 2005 at farmers markets.  Originally the partners focused on traditional cuts of beef to sell at the market, but as the local food movement grew they saw a new generation of customers stopping by that wanted more than just steak and hamburger and that was the beginning of the Sherwood Acres value-added beef products line.

 "We focus on quality and want to attract repeat business. Over time our customer base has expanded and requested more value-added products, so we are working to meet that need," said Jon. "People want something different, they want to know where their food comes from, they want to eat local, and they want to support their community.  With our new natural chili and expanded line of beef sausages we are meeting a growing demand from consumers.

 "It was great to work with people so focused on making their business sustainable," explains Myrisa. "Jon and Dan are working to not just expand their own business, but to create variety for consumers and opportunities for farmers in general."

 “The resources that were made available to us through KCARD were tremendous,” said Dan. “The interest they shows in our project and the communication we had throughout the process was wonderful. We could not have asked for better assistance and help on our project, they were absolutely fabulous.”

 To learn more about Sherwood Acres Beef and to find the complete list of products available go to www.sherwoodacresbeef.com