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.
This full article was originally published in the Summer 2022 EDC Newsletter. Read the full article here
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