How this 6-Figure Ranch Stands Out in their Community
Julie and Michelle joined forces in 2019 to bring sustainable Farm products to their community in Texas. Now, Veteran’s Liberty Ranch serves Buyers throughout central Texas, with in-person and online sales.
The Ranch raises grass fed beef providing numerous packages for Buyers, including bundle boxes, burgers, speciality cuts, roasts and more. With strong Buyer demand, their business has grown rapidly from $50k to more than $500k+ in sales. After achieving 6-figures, their ambition now is to double sales and expand operations to serve more locations in Texas.
From Facebook to Farm Partners
In 2019, Michelle answered a Facebook ad, where Julie was looking for a bull to breed with her herd. Out of hundreds of responses, Julie and Michelle got in contact. Since that day, it has felt easy for the two to work together. Michelle had already established her brand: Veteran’s Heritage Farm, which shifted as the two began their own business together.
Veteran’s Liberty Ranch started in 2020, after Julie and Michelle began placing pigs with FFA kids and realized many families could not find local meat during the pandemic. Initially, the two began to process animals and provide meat to Buyers in their local communities.
In 2021, they became more intentional about their business goals and objectives. Julie and Michelle created a business model and defined their mission to align with their daily lives on the Ranch. By slowing down and focusing their efforts, the business has accelerated and grown into a 6-figure Ranch. Julie and Michelle continue to remain committed to their mission and their roots of wanting to feed their local community and take care of people.
Selling Direct to the Local Community
Veteran’s Liberty Ranch sells direct to their local community, giving them the freedom to price and package their products as they see fit. The Farm offers multiple fulfillment options, such as pick-up and delivery, to give their Buyers convenience when securing an order. Farm Buyers may choose to pick-up on the Ranch or at local Farmer’s Markets.
They attend 3 or 4 markets each week during peak season. Using the Barn2Door Point-of-Sale (POS), they are able to serve various Buyer types (retail and wholesale), accept multiple payment options and sell by weight or fixed price, while keeping all their inventory automatically updated in real-time. With multiple markets and pick-ups, Veterans Liberty Ranch can use software to keep Buyers informed of what products are available.
Building Farm Buyer Retention
At Markets, Julie and Michelle proudly display signage to make their booth stand out. These signs also give Buyers the opportunity to sign up for their Ranch newsletter. QR codes make it simple for Buyers to sign up and provide their contact information. Using the Mailchimp integration, they can also import all their Barn2Door Buyers into the app, and send targeted emails depending on past purchase history.
Using social media and email newsletters, Julie and Michelle are able to keep their Buyers updated with their various product offerings and market locations. To spur email sign-ups, Buyers on their newsletter list receive special offers in their inbox. This provides an additional incentive to join the Ranch newsletter list.
On social media, Veteran’s Liberty Ranch encourages customer referrals by tagging their social profile in any pictures they post with products. They can also gather feedback and share recipes using referrals. This helps expand their reach within their community and access free marketing tactics via Buyers.
Grassroots Marketing Tactics that Stand Out
The ranch has become a staple for many Texas towns. With a strong identity for the Ranch, they have created a Brand that stands out.
Form a Recognizable Brand
Julie and Michelle let their personalities shine at markets and community events. They invite Buyers to join in the fun, and attract outside community members with their patriotic clothing (all American flag outfits). While not every Farm will be as flamboyant, you can create a Brand that is distinguished from other booths at a market. Most importantly, your brand should be authentic to your values and consistent across marketing efforts, in-person and online.
2. Interact within the Community
Veteran’s Liberty Ranch attends various community events - markets, fairs and pageants - to help raise awareness and expand their reach. Participating at these events, where potential Buyers may be in attendance, enables the Ranch to share their brand identity, products and mission with their local community. Julie and Michelle have even created their own event, “Meat the Ranchers,” where local vendors can sell products on their Ranch and create a space to connect with community members.
3. Make your Logo a Focal Point
By selling merchandise, Veteran’s Liberty Ranch provides Buyers with the opportunity to market for them. When customers wear a shirt, sticker, use a tote bag or post their products online, they are expanding the Ranch’s audience to reach more potential Buyers. Their logo is visible across social platforms, on their vehicles and on product packaging, so they never miss an opportunity to reinforce their brand identity. When people see their logo, they know it’s Veteran’s Liberty Ranch.
Growing the Ranch
Since 2022, the Farm has enjoyed a significant increase in revenue as they’ve expanded to serve more Buyers in their community, online and in-person. Their goal is to eclipse $1 million in sales!
Veteran’s Liberty Ranch intends to grow their team, and they are planning to hire additional employees. With more help, they plan to expand their reach across central Texas. Recently, Julie and Michelle added a team member who is an Army veteran and Veterinarian, which will only help to boost the credibility of their business.
Along with employees, the Ranch is also acquiring more trailers to support more pick-up locations and Farmer’s Markets. Eventually, they hope to open a Farm store for Buyers to shop on the Ranch. With so many goals, Julie and Michelle believe the Ranch will continue to expand and grow.
Conclusion
Veteran’s Liberty Ranch has become a fast-growing business in central Texas. Serving grass fed, rotationally grazed beef to their community has allowed them to form local connections, improve the health of their Buyers and expand their business into new cities.
With rapid growth and successful marketing efforts, Julie and Michelle are eager to educate Farmers across the country on building a lucrative Farm business. Learn more about Veteran’s Liberty Ranch. Barn2Door customers can interact with the Ranchers and solicit their ongoing advice and mentorship through our Connect Program.
Barn2Door offers software for Independent Farmers to create and promote their brand, sell online and in-person, and save time managing their business. If you’re curious to learn more, watch this 5-minute video.