"Start small," Jordan Brandt says is the key to starting a business "and have a business plan and stick to it." The Brandt family did just that, they started Red Barn Meats in New Bremen, NY with just three employees taking custom orders. Fast forward to 2021, Red Barn Meats is a USDA certified facility with 28 employees with plans to expand! The Brandt Family is focused on growing their reach to provide the community with healthier, locally sourced products. Read their story!
“From your field back to your freezer”
Owners: Jordan and Rachel Brandt
Year Established: May 2013
Number of Employees: 28
Address: 9095 Briot Road New Bremen, NY 13327
About the Owners: Originally from Vermont, Jordan and Rachel Brandt have been married for 20 years. They now live in Watson, NY with their
6 children. The Brandt’s are active in their local church youth group and enjoy giving back to the community.
Startup story: At the age of 14, Jordan Brandt was introduced to meat processing after his first hunting harvest in Vermont. He worked in a USDA slaughter facility in Vermont for several years before he and his wife Rachel moved their family to New York in 2003.
Jordan’s first business venture, Brandt’s Mobile Slaughter, started with two employees in a small shop in Carthage, NY. Brandt’s started out doing all custom meat processing and continued to grow their customer base. By 2013, Jordan was experiencing growing pains and began to look for a bigger facility. Jordan transitioned his business into their current facility in Croghan where he added an additional job and worked to become USDA certified. Fast forward to 2021, Red Barn Meats is slaughtering and processing 65-75 head per week and now employs 28 people!
Why did you choose Lewis County? We chose Lewis County because it was great place for a USDA meat processing facility – other than nearby Croghan Meat Market, there are not any USDA certified plants for 150 miles. Lewis County is a good agricultural area and customers are very loyal. There is a lot of support for locally made products and the local economy is supportive of helping small businesses grow.
What advice would you give someone starting a business in Lewis County? Start small. Have business plan and stick to it. Try to find a niche, offer a product or service that no one else is offering in the area. 
What are some current projects Red Barn Meats is working on and what are you looking forward to in 2021? Our goal is to continue to grow our reach in the region to provide healthier, locally sourced products. We want to continue to expand our Red Barn Meats facility to include a new smoked product line that is trademarked. With the expansion, we plan to add 8-10 NEW jobs in fabrication and cooking.
Are there local partnerships or organizations that have helped you along your business journey? Special thanks to the Lewis County IDA, Farm Credit East and GPS.
