ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Today on the Meat Success Podcast Katie Olthoff, Co-Founder of ChopLocal/ChopLocal University) interviews Mackenzie Wright of Kentucky’s Jones Brothers Farm about their delivery-first model, product mix, and why they use Shopify. Mackenzie shares the farm’s history since 2010, emphasizing diversification (beef, tomatoes, sweet corn, watermelons, hay, tobacco; formerly hemp) and transparent education around being a conventional farm.
The farm transitioned from selling beef by quarters/halves to beef boxes and single cuts, learning which cuts move best for their largely female, urban customer base, and building sales from an established produce email list. They sell mainly via home delivery (one local farmers market) and are exploring wholesale expansion; they do not ship. Shopify was chosen for integrated payments, apps (routing, pickup options), email via Seguno, improved website design, analytics tools including an AI query feature, subscription/advance-date ordering, and adding a checkout processing fee, with a focus on customer service and storytelling to build trust.
- 01:35 Jones Brothers Farm Story
- 02:41 Diverse Crops and Beef Practices
- 04:43 From Shares to Single Cuts
- 06:53 Delivery Model and Cut Demand
- 08:39 Know Your Customer Base
- 10:27 Produce CSA to Add Ons
- 12:12 Tomato Sizes and Sales
- 13:03 Farmers Markets Strategy
- 14:55 Wholesale Expansion and Shipping
- 16:55 Why They Chose Shopify
- 19:49 Shopify Apps for Routing
- 21:46 Do You Really Need an App
- 24:08 Subscriptions and Preorders
- 25:20 CSA vs Subscription
- 26:53 Skipping Weeks Flexibly
- 28:27 Hemp Loss Ends CSA
- 31:06 Email and Seguno
- 34:48 Shopify Design Wins
- 37:55 Analytics AI Helper
- 39:38 Processing Fee Strategy
- 42:24 Selling Trust Story
- 44:04 Farm Content Without Shock
- 46:44 COVID Delivery Shift Wrap
And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below!
