Visiting Columbus taught me more about our farm

A few weeks ago, I loaded up the truck and headed to Columbus, Ohio, with a simple goal: visit restaurants that might be interested in serving our pasture-raised meats.

I wasn't looking for just any restaurant. I was hoping to find chefs who cared deeply about regenerative farming and meat raised the right way.

My first stop wasn't planned. I noticed a little spot called Pistacia Vera. I almost drove past it, but decided to stop anyway.

As soon as I walked in, I realized they specialized in beautiful pastries more than savory food. Still, I asked if I could speak with the chef. Spencer came out, and even though he explained they rarely had a need for the kind of meats we produce, he spent a generous amount of time talking with me about our farm. Before I left, I gave him a package of our pasture-raised, soy-free breakfast sausage to try, and he handed me a list of other restaurants he thought I should visit.

That simple act of kindness kept me going.

One of those stops was Bareburger, where I met Katrina. She was excited about what we raise and thought our Premium Ground Beef might be a good fit, although any decision would have to come from the owners. I left behind another sample and, once again, walked away with a few more recommendations.

Throughout the day, I found myself walking into restaurant after restaurant, introducing myself to chefs, telling the story of our farm, and hoping to find people who valued food the same way we do.

I also stopped to visit one of our wonderful customers. We chatted for a while, and I left her a package of chicken drumsticks to enjoy. She suggested I check out a couple of local health food stores, so off I went again.

One stop turned out to be an entirely vegan grocery store. Needless to say, that wasn't quite the audience I was looking for.

By the time I started driving home, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had just spent an entire day chasing something that wasn't really there. I'd met wonderful people and seen incredible restaurants, but something wasn't clicking.

Then, somewhere on the drive home, it hit me:

Maybe we weren't built to serve restaurants after all.

The reality is that we're a small family farm. We're not shipping pallets of meat through massive distribution companies to hundreds of restaurant kitchens every week. We're not trying to compete on volume or offer the lowest possible price.

Instead, we've chosen a different path.

We raise animals slowly and intentionally on pasture. We focus on quality instead of quantity. We package every order by hand and ship it directly to families who want to know exactly where their food came from.

We're set up to deliver a box of clean, regeneratively raised meat right to your doorstep, ready to stock your freezer and feed your family for weeks to come.

That's what we're built for, and that's who we're built for.

Looking back, I don't think the trip was wasted at all. In fact, it reminded me of something I probably needed to remember: Sometimes you spend an entire day looking for the next opportunity, only to realize you've already been serving exactly the people you were meant to serve.

Families like yours.

People who care about how their food is raised, who want healthier animals, healthier soil and healthier meals around the dinner table.

Your support allows our small farm to keep doing things the way we believe they should be done. So while I may not have come home with a dozen new restaurant accounts, I came home with something even better: a renewed appreciation for the community that has made The Maker's Meadow possible.

So whether you're a Columbus-area customer, a Dayton-area regular, or someone halfway across the country, thank you for trusting us with your family's food and for supporting a small family farm.