#54 - Cody Hopkins @ Grass Roots Farmers Cooperative

On this episode, we have Cody Hopkins who is the CEO and Founding Farmer at Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative.

Grass Roots is supporting regenerative agriculture with its 7-species lineup of meat products.

In this episode, we learn why Cody was inspired to start the Co-Op after being a small-scale poultry farmer, what makes their business model and corporate structure unique, and how Heifer International and Heifer USA have been important partners along the way.

Episode Highlights:

👏 Why Cody started the Co-Op after being a small poultry farmer

🧑‍🌾 Being vertically integrated and cooperating 50+ farmers

🤔 Learning from Zingerman’s ecosystem of businesses

💰 Partnering with Heifer International & Heifer USA

🔥 Balancing standardization and contextualization

🔪 Having ownership in their processor, Cypress Valley Meats

🥇 Onboarding with Land to Market™ & EOV™

😍 Why philanthropists should fund nutrient density testing

💥 Using guaranteed contracts + “common pay rates” to buy from farmers

🤯 Why regen needs scale, efficiency, and vertical integration

Links:

Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative

Zingerman's Community of Businesses

Value-Added Producer Grants

Heifer International

Heifer USA

Cypress Valley Meat Company

Land to Market™

EOV™

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