While shipping meat isn’t a new concept, the guys at Porter Road are the first to bring the art of whole animal butchery to home cooks. Chris Carter and James Peisker are the co-founders of VC-backed online butcher shop, Porter Road. In 2010, after years at the back of the house, Chris and James began Porter Road as a catering business in Nashville. After realizing how difficult it was to get fresh, traceable meats, they decided to run and own their entire supply chain. While boxed and bulk meats are the industry standard, the team at Porter Road is looking to change that. They partner with regional farms and hand cut their meats and poultry in their Kentucky facility. Now, Chris and James are recreating that same local experience online.

On this episode, Chris and James talk about the decade-in-the-making evolution of Porter Road, first as a brick-and-mortar butchery and then as a vertically integrated ecommerce shop (5:33). James shares their desire for sourcing ethical foods (9:49) and hand-selecting farm partners (12:48). For Porter Road, education around whole animal butchery pushes them creatively as a business (15:08). They explain why they advocate for eating less meat and breakdown the importance of moving the meat industry in a new direction (21:31). Lastly, they talk about the logistics of shipping meat (25:57) and the challenges of packaging in the cold chain (28:45).

Also mentioned on the show:

• Food Inc.
• The River Cottage Meat Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Links and images can be found on the Lumi blog.