This full article was originally published in the Summer 2022 EDC Newsletter. Request to be added to the newsletter today by emailing the Marketing and Communications Specialist at [email protected] and putting in the subject line “Newsletter”.  

THE PRODUCT

Kandi Acres | Hawick, MN

Tiffany Farrier | Owner

Walking up to the Kandi Acres farm house you notice there is a lot going on. Goats are everywhere. Chickens can be heard clucking. There are 6 dogs inside, and another 13 new puppies and a protective mom inside the garage along with a few rabbits for good measure.

As owner and operator of Kandi Acres, Tiffany has grown her herd from 3 goats to 500 in 3 years. The growth was gradual—almost involuntary—as the opportunity to add to the flock, first by 10 and then by 40, presented itself. She started by taking the animals to auction and selling homemade goat milk soap and lotions at farmers’ markets. It was all pretty predictable until an opportunity arose.

“I just wanted to move to the country, live on my little farm, and drink my coffee.” It was natural for this self-defined, go-getter, who ‘doesn’t wait for people to get her what she wants’ to find herself and her goats on a new endeavor—to bring Halal-certified, raised, and butchered goat meat to the Muslim community in Willmar and surrounding areas.

Halal means lawful in Arabic and refers to a dietary standard and the way an animal is cared for, butchered, and the meat stored afterward. “[Halal] is a way of life, it’s not just about meat. It’s all about animal care up until its last breath, until its soul has left its body. It’s raising them in the most humane way possible.” Farrier explained. “It was what I was already doing. When I went through the process of becoming Halal certified the requirements seemed so obvious to me, make sure the animals had food, could move around and free feed, were healthy…I thought isn’t that just how you care for animals?” Others told her you’d be surprised, including what can be in commercial animal feed. Halal raised animals must have a completely vegan diet. She works very closely with her food processor, Famo Foods, of Freeport, Minnesota, to guarantee that her goats are fed a vegan diet—free of any animal product. But this isn’t hard because, “It’s all about building relationships. Working with people and communicating with them,” Tiffany said with a simple shrug. She has partnered with two other business owners who are in the process of creating a processing plant that will specifically be for Halal meat production and follow strict religious standards to process her goats.

“It is just about raising an animal ethically. Be honest and truthful to your customers. It’s just natural for me.” Tiffany explained, “When the animal is butchered a prayer is said, it ends with ‘Inshallah’ meaning ‘God Willing.'” And hopefully, Inshallah, Kandi Acres’ products, that are an example of the community collaboration and innovation that makes business and ag production in Kandiyohi County such a success, can soon be found in local markets.

THE TRAINER & EDUCATOR

Ridgewater College | Willmar, MN

Meat Cutting Program

Jeff Miller | Dean of Instruction

A product is created, made, crafted. And your select meats whether that is a good steak for grilling or venison brats from the deer you harvested are no different. At Ridgewater College’s Willmar Campus students will be taking to the meat lockers to learn this specialized skill in its new Meat Cutter Certificate Program. 

“The interest in this program has been a phenomenon. It is unlike anything I have ever experienced my whole career working in academia,” said Dean of Instruction, Jeff Miller. “This is the closest that any of our programs come to having an apprenticeship,” he explained. The Meat Cutting program is a 4-week course that combines online lectures with on-site ‘labs’ or actual functioning meat market businesses. These select locations will be focused in southern Minnesota and students will learn the process right there. After graduation, they will walk right into gainful employment at that site. 

“This program is really targeted to serving our smaller community meat markets and individuals who want to learn the skill themselves,” Miller said with confident enthusiasm. “It’s a one of a kind program that many places throughout the county are already asking to be part of.” 

The model is perfect, local companies gain skilled employees, while students gain employment and we, the consumer, get a quality product that is giving back to our communities in more ways than one. The first class will begin this fall, so coming this winter, when you are picking up your next meal or taking that fall buck in to the butcher, go ahead and ask, “Do you have a Ridgewater Grad working here?” And soon enough, the answer will likely be “You bet.” 

 

THE TRANSPORTER

Donnelly Truck Service, Inc. | Willmar, MN

Krista Jans | General Manager

If you have ever dropped a child or pet off at a new place you know the worry that can accompany putting your trust in someone you don’t know. This trust, whether we have realized it before or not, is put on those working in the trucking industry daily. These folks are not just ensuring an item will get from point A to point B, but they are making sure it gets there safely and in the same cared state it was packaged in. 

Donnelly Truck Service has been in business for 47 years, with some drivers having been there nearly the entire time. Part of the reason truckers stay is the customer service they receive once they walk through the office doors, whether that is when they are heading out or returning from a long haul. “We want it to feel like coming home here before they go home to their families,” said General Manager, Krista Jans. Not only a truck wash, but a shower indoors allows the truck drivers to get freshened up, both for the road and for going home. And it isn’t just the welcoming atmosphere, but also the integrity and sense of trust everyone seems to carry for the important work they do. 

“Transportation is not only 1 part of the product process but really 3 parts.” Krista expanded on this thought that a product is transported once it is grown or made, to a distributor or processor and once again when it goes to the store where we, the consumer, buy it. There the product has arrived looking the way we expect it—and that really is no easy task. The slightest action of braking too hard can cause damage like bruising on fruit. “When a product is put on a truck, a farmer has to have great trust in that driver and producer. It is a real relationship that has to be built up.” Krista shared. 

With an upcoming employee health incentive program and a reliable consistency to deliver a product, Donnelly Truck Service is ensuring products are delivered throughout Kandiyohi County.

 

THE SUPPLIER

Amin Grocery | Willmar, MN

Abdiweli Yusuf | Owner

Amin Grocery, like its owner, is a busy place. Product and people are all organized into the small grocery store in downtown Willmar, but bigger things are coming. Amin Grocery will be moving to a new, larger space soon. Abdiweli Yusuf, the owner, shows off the space, clean and spacious. And while looking around the walls he pictures it; plenty of storage for the fresh produce and specialty drinks his patrons want.

In the future, even a meat market where custom-order goat and chicken meat cuts may be available. “This is something people really value, it will make a difference for customers,” Yusuf says. “It is important I have a product that is fresh and looks good—one that catches the customer’s eye.” It is to meet this expectation of a fresh product that drives Abdiweli to the cities each week, collecting and bringing back product. He is asked ‘why not bring back a 10-day supply?’ It is because he wants only the freshest in his store. For Abdi, having a fresh product goes beyond the bottom line dollar and this is one of the reasons he is aspiring to get his CDL license.

One day you may find it all at Amin Grocery, meat market and freshly and personally hauled product on the shelves, like the quality dates he currently supplies, all provided by one person at one small business.

 

THE TABLE

Elevate Community Business Academy (CBA) Spring 2022 Graduation Celebration & Dinner | 6.28.2022 

Willmar, MN

Students gather, getting corsages pinned carefully onto them, faces smiling at one another as they arrive. Their families come in, staying in the background snapping pictures. It is a big night—graduation. 

The students have met once a week for three hours for the last 12 weeks as part of the Elevate Community Business Academy. Sarah Swedburg, Business Development Manager at the EDC, and Danny Carranza, entrepreneur and graduate of the program, along with community business representatives, taught the courses. 

As community members and students came together they shared a meal catered by current and past Elevate CBA students. Spurs Bar and Grill served a fajita bar, dessert was from S&S Sweets and Treats and refreshments from the Goodness Coffee Company. Here, around the table, the culmination of many people’s work to raise, create, build and make a product, brought everyone together in celebration. 

The keynote speaker, Nathalie Nkashama, owner of World Mart, a specialty East African mobile grocery based in Worthington, Minnesota told the audience “[You and I] are different to make a difference,” truly elevated students to become empowered by the knowledge they learned. If you or someone you know is ready to start taking the steps to make your dream a reality, consider taking part in one of the next Elevate CBA courses, two will take place in fall of 2022, one in English and one in Somali. 

Learn more and inquire today at elevatecba.com 

 

THE SUPPORTER

The Kandiyohi County & City of Willmar Economic Development Commission | Serving Kandiyohi County, located in Willmar

Part of our work is to support sustainable economic development in our communities, like in the people and businesses you have read about.

We: 

*Recruit businesses and new industries while supporting established ones through customized assistance

*Advocate for communities to support sustainable economic growth

*Provide education, technical, and financial assistance to local businesses and entrepreneurs 

*Build collaborative relationships with site selectors, developers, and government entities to help processes operate smoothly

Contact us today if we can help you with your idea!