Building and operating a meat processing facility often costs more than one entrepreneur can manage. Some communities who wanted access to local meat processing facilities have created public-private partnerships to share these costs.
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Puget Sound Meat Producers Cooperative, WA
This producer co-op formed in 2007 to meet an identified need in the region for USDA-inspected slaughter and processing. They are building a 45-foot mobile processing unit, which will be delivered in June 2009 and serve farms in 6 counties.
- The Pierce County Conservation District will put up the $250,000 for design and construction of the MPU.
- The Cooperative will use a charter stock offering to raise operating funds for the unit.
- The Cooperative will lease the unit from the Conservation District.
For more info: Puget Sound Meat Producers Cooperative
Taos County Economic Development Corporation, Taos, NM
TCEDC already had a community kitchen, but they couldn't process meat. They built a mobile processing unit, with a fixed cutting facility.
- TCEDC convinced the state of New Mexico that this would be a valuable economic development project;
- The state funded the bulk of unit construction through an earmark from the governor;
- Both the mobile unit and stationary cutting facility are now owned and operated by TCEDC.
Island Grown Farmers Cooperative, Washington
IGFC operates their MPU under a similiar lease arrangement to that in Puget Sound.
- The unit is owned by Lopez Island Community Land Trust, a community land trust focused on affordable housing and sustainable rural development. The project was originally developed by a group of farmers, with county extension, who then asked LCLT to be the host organization;
- LCLT raised the funds (from public and private sources) and hired Bruce Dunlop to design and build the MPU;
- The MPU was built and began operating in 2002;
- IGFC leases it from LCLT (no longer actively involved).
More info: Island Grown Farmers Cooperative case study
Kentucky State University Mobile Poultry Processing Unit
The idea for this unit came out of a project hosted by Heifer International, a non-profit organization.
- Heifer and another NGO, Partners for Family Farms, raised the $70,000, from public and private sources, to design and build the unit;
- The MPU coordinator is an employee of Kentucky State University;
- All other operating expenses are covered by user fees.
More info: Kentucky Mobile Poultry Processing Unit case study