Online Butcher Lands $3.7 Million Funding
Porter Road, the Nashville, TN-based online start-up, has secured $3.7 million in seed funding. Claiming to be the first online butcher that caters to “today’s consumer appetite for sustainability and transparency in the meat and poultry food system,” Porter Road launched its online platform earlier this year.
Founders Chris Carter and James Peisker, both trained chefs and butchers, say they opened Porter Road in 2011 as a brick and mortar business because it was hard to find “good, humanely raised meat.” After quickly developing a local following for its hand-crafted products, Porter Road hopes to reach a bigger clientele through its online service.
“We feel incredibly honored to have such esteemed backers join the Porter Road family and support us in our mission to become the go-to source for meat that customers across the country can trust,” said James Peisker, co-founder of Porter Road. “This funding will allow us to continue making a meaningful difference in the food ecosystem and bring additional awareness to the right and humane way to process meat today.”
Funding for the online platform comes from investors Max Ventures, Slow Ventures, BoxGroup, Tribeca Venture Partners, Collaborative Fund and Great Oaks VC.
Porter Road works directly with sustainable local farmers to raise animals to strict specifications, meticulously processes the meats in their own facility in Kentucky and ships directly to the consumer in biodegradable packaging, bringing its mission of sustainability full circle. This attention to detail also translates into the Porter Road website, the company says, which allows visitors to get an inside look at the Porter Road process and conveniently find the ideal cut of meat based on personal preferences, equipment and cooking time.
“There is a major movement away from the traditional mass produced meat supply chain, especially among younger consumers,” said Ryan Darnell, General Partner at Max Ventures. “Porter Road has been very deliberate about building a back-end process that is more humane and produces a superior product. As billions of dollars of market value moves away from the traditional system, we believe Porter Road is in the best position to build the next generation meat brand.”
“With additional capital to support our growth, Porter Road will expand operations and deepen relationships with our farmers,” said Chris Carter, Co-Founder of Porter Road. “We see this as a valuable opportunity to drive meaningful conversation about the industry and further answer consumer demand for transparency in food and what we put into our body.”
