Meat Lovers: Husband And Wife Connect Consumers To Farmers
By: Emma Alexander
They did not grow up on a farm, but Max and Danielle Carrillo are committed to connecting consumers to farmers. “Not everyone knows a farmer. Consumers need to know where their meat comes from,” Danielle says. “Meat isn’t just our food; it represents the countless hours of work and dedication of farmers.” Max and Danielle’s passion for meats led them to take ownership of Clark’s Custom Meat Company near St. Joseph in #Agri-Ready Designated Buchanan County in 2023.
Clark’s Custom Meat Company offers beef, pork, lamb, goat, and duck. They develop their own unique jerky recipes and bratwurst flavors.
- Customer favorites include Mongolian marinated jerky and Mexican Street Corn Bratwurst.
- One of their unique flavors is Crab Rangoon bratwurst.
- These popular summer sausage flavors fly out the door: Spicy Olive Mac and Jalapeno Cheese.
Attention to Detail and Flavor
Max is a business data nerd who loves to work hard and see results. He is hands-on at Clark’s from harvest to packaging. Max also loves competition. Even at home, Max studies stacks of books on spices and sausage and tinkers with recipe development. Thanks to his creativity, Clark’s won ‘Best Jerky’ at the Missouri Meat Processors Association Show and ‘Best Flavored Bratwurst’ at a nation-wide processor’s event. In a regional recipe standoff, Clark’s ‘original snack stick’ was voted best ‘original’ during Missouri Farm Bureau’s recent annual meeting.
Excelling at Standards
Danielle’s love of cooking and recipes translated into a college degree in nutrition, and a career as a dietician. Her experience in nutrition assistance programs guides her in the detail-driven, regulatory food safety protocols required for Clark’s. “I never imagined that I would apply my professional skills about food safety in the meat business,” Danielle says. “Now I see our food system in a broader view.”
Reaching Out to Consumers
Danielle enjoys customer interactions and consumer outreach best. “I noticed customers wouldn’t choose meat cuts because they didn’t know how to cook them. My goal is to help consumers be confident cooking a variety of meat cuts and healthy proteins,” Danielle says. She shares nutrition and preparation knowledge on Clark’s Custom Meat Company social media.
Improving Their Services
Clark’s leveraged a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service grant in 2021 to expand their facility and a USDA Local Meat Capacity Grant in 2023 to support new equipment purchases. “Grant programs like these provide valuable support to small businesses,” Danielle says. “Grant resources ultimately allow meat processors to serve farmers and consumers better.” Grant funding positioned Clark’s to obtain state inspection status, which led to their USDA inspection status in 2024. This status allows Clark’s to offer custom processing, USDA processing for local farmers selling their meat directly to consumers and supports their retail store. Their 2025 goal is to offer more processing options for hams and bacon.
It Takes a Team
The Carrillos credit the Clark’s team for propelling their business forward. Max and Danielle invest time in training, so employees manage most tasks independently. The Carrillos use a game-like approach to paperwork and food safety inspection protocols to encourage team members. Max’s personalization of Clark’s product adds appeal to the store’s retail shop and his award-winning recipes increase the business’s community support and intrigue new customers. “Our jalapeno cheese summer sausage flies out the door,” says Danielle.
Meaty Memories
While still living in Columbia before the fall of 2021, Max and Danielle would reminisce about visits to their grandparents’ farms back home near St. Joseph. “As newlyweds, a date night for us would be shopping for unique cuts of meat and cooking them at home,” Danielle shares. With a laugh she remembers how Max often received steaks for Christmas from her family. Danielle would ‘cook through a cookbook’ during her free time. The couple loved meat so much they would watch meat cooking videos together on lunch breaks during Danielle’s first pregnancy. These early memories set the stage for the Carrillos’ successful business venture at Clark’s.
A Great Past and Future
Max and Danielle dreamed of working together when they met Butch and Trina Clark, founders of Clark’s Custom Meat Company. As Max and Danielle raise their two young sons, ages 6 and 2, they are designing a small business legacy for their family, built upon the foundation that Butch and Trina laid. The Carrillos and Clark’s Custom Meats are members of the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP) and the Missouri Association of Meat Processors, (MAMP) which is a partner of Missouri Farmers Care.
Advice for Fellow Meat Processors:
1. Be persistent and patient and work closely with your inspector to follow steps carefully.
2. Explore grant funding at the state and federal level.
3. Build strong relationships with the local farming community to understand their needs.
4. Invest in training your staff in food safety protocols and procedures.
5. Get creative with product development and marketing to help you stand out and connect with customers.
