The Tech Impact Awards recognize companies in Washington state that are using technology to have a significant impact on business, industry or society. This year, 17 companies out of over 100 entries were selected as finalists, and Crowd Cow took home an award in the Consumer/Retail category. Here is the full text of my acceptance speech.
Crowd Cow started three-and-a-half years ago when a friend came to the office one day saying "I'm so excited! I'm getting my cow this Friday." He then went on to describe how much better the beef tasted and how proud he was to support the farmer directly. I wanted that too — and he wouldn’t share!
In our early days, as we knocked on doors in search of these better craft meats — and proudly told people "we sell cows on the internet" — people thought we were a joke. But we kept going. And we discovered that the variety of craft meats out there — which you can't find in stores or online — were exciting and delicious. And the farmers — their traditions and their care of their land, their animals and their communities — were worth supporting.
So our mission grew: to bring the quality and variety of craft meats to everyone, and to bring people together — farmers and consumers, families and friends.
And now with nearly 100 incredible independent farms across the USA and a few in Japan — and over 1000 on the wait list — we see the potential to provide a credible alternative to the commodity meat system and to bring people closer to these wonderful producers.
I want to thank the many farmers — who produce Piedmontese, Purebred Wagyu, grass-finished beef from Montana, acorn-fed heritage pork, Olive Wagyu from Japan, chickens who spend 100% of their lives on pasture — for what they do everyday and to our many "steak holders" for their support of our mission. Thanks most of all to our dedicated staff at Crowd Cow. It isn't everyday you get the chance to create a ubiquitous consumer brand, build an entirely new supply chain, and change a big part of the food system.
