Crowd Cow

Crowd Cow is a Seattle-based online meat-delivery marketplace founded in 2015 by Joe Heitzeberg and Ethan Lowry. The company was created around a crowdfunding-inspired idea: instead of buying meat through a conventional intermediary, consumers could collectively purchase portions of an animal sourced from a named farm. Its early model divided a steer into approximately 50 allotments and displayed the animal online until enough portions had been purchased. Once the order reached the required threshold, the animal was processed and the meat shipped to customers. The founders described the concept as a way to make smaller quantities of farm-sourced meat accessible to households that could not use an entire animal themselves. Crowd Cow began with beef from small farms in Washington State. Its initial test in June 2015 involved selling portions of a steer sourced near Seattle to customers in several parts of the United States. In its first operating period, the business relied on direct outreach, a proprietary ordering system, and fulfillment processes designed to coordinate customer demand with animal processing and cold-chain shipping. By early 2016 it was operating only in Washington and sourcing from six farms, but it had already recorded substantial early sales. The company expanded nationally during 2017, establishing fulfillment capacity in Seattle and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and shipping throughout the continental United States except Alaska and Hawaii. The original whole-animal crowdfunding process was eventually discontinued. Customers increasingly expected rapid fulfillment and were less likely to purchase less familiar cuts such as tongue, oxtail, and organ meats. The business therefore moved toward holding inventory and selling individual cuts without waiting for an entire animal to be committed. This change also exposed the economics of whole-animal utilization: premium steaks represented a relatively small share of a carcass, while ground beef and other less popular cuts were more plentiful. Crowd Cow used discounts, promotional partnerships, and donations to help manage excess inventory. The company broadened its range beyond beef to include pork, chicken, lamb, seafood, bison, and seasonal turkey products. Its sourcing proposition emphasizes traceability and producer information. Product pages identify the farms, ranches, or fishery cooperatives involved and provide information about animal husbandry and production practices. Crowd Cow has marketed grass-fed and grass-finished beef and has stated that its ranch suppliers do not use hormones or unnecessary antibiotics. It has also sought to avoid factory-farm sourcing by working with independent producers, although product availability varies by region and season. A major turning point came with the launch of Japanese A5 Wagyu imports in July 2017. Crowd Cow later expanded its premium beef selection to include rare Olive Wagyu from Shōdoshima. The Wagyu business gave the company a prominent position in online specialty-meat retail, particularly when restaurant closures during the COVID-19 pandemic shifted more premium food consumption into homes. At the same time, importing Japanese beef created criticism from observers who believed the company was undercutting or contradicting its earlier emphasis on local American ranches. Crowd Cow subsequently revised wording in its mission statement, removing references to “local” and “sustainable.” Crowd Cow raised venture capital as it expanded. Fuel Capital led a $2 million seed round in January 2017, followed by an $8 million Series A led by Madrona in May 2018 and a $15.1 million Series B in November 2019. Investors named in available accounts include Maveron, Joe Montana, Ashton Kutcher, Sound Ventures, and the founders of Zulily. The company reported rapid growth before and during the pandemic, including a reported fourfold increase in revenue at the beginning of the COVID-19 period and a workforce of about 90 employees in mid-2020. Current ownership, leadership, and operating scale are not established by the supplied reference material.

Crowd Cow was established in mid-2015 by Seattle entrepreneurs Joe Heitzeberg and Ethan Lowry. The founders had previously worked together on technology ventures and became interested in a meat business after discussing the difficulty of buying high-quality farm meat in practical household quantities. Their initial concept was to use a crowdfunding-style mechanism to sell portions of a whole steer. They located small farms near Seattle, tested demand through a campaign and direct messages to friends, and sold their first animal in June 2015. The initial order attracted customers beyond Washington, including buyers in Chicago, New York, and Florida. During 2016, Crowd Cow operated on a small scale in Washington and sourced animals from six farms. Its website presented an individual steer and allowed customers to select cuts. A purchase threshold, described through a “tipping” system, had to be reached before the animal was processed. The founders built software to allocate portions and estimate shipping requirements, including the amount of dry ice needed for different destinations and weather conditions. Early fulfillment was handled personally by the founders before packaging work was delegated as volume increased. The company expanded rapidly in 2017. It shipped nearly 100 cattle by January and about 300 by August, while monthly orders reached several thousand. Distribution centers in Seattle and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, supported West Coast and East Coast customers respectively. Crowd Cow also began shipping across most of the United States. Its first outside financing was a $2 million seed round announced in January 2017, led by Fuel Capital and joined by Maveron, Darrell Cavens, Mark Vadon, and Joe Montana. PETA criticized Montana’s investment because the company facilitated meat sales, but the criticism did not prevent the company from continuing its expansion. Product development in 2017 and 2018 transformed Crowd Cow from a beef-focused service into a broader specialty-food marketplace. It introduced Japanese A5 Wagyu in July 2017 and later promoted rare Olive Wagyu. In 2018 it added pork, with regional sourcing arrangements for East and West Coast customers, and formed a partnership with a Seattle Shake Shack location. Its assortment also came to include poultry, lamb, seafood, bison, and seasonal turkey. Seafood was sourced substantially through fishery cooperatives and included species such as Maine lobster, Icelandic Arctic char, lingcod, halibut, blue shrimp, and Dungeness crab. The company abandoned its original requirement that customers collectively purchase enough of an entire animal before processing. Consumers were more accustomed to fast delivery and tended not to buy unusual cuts, creating inventory imbalances when Crowd Cow purchased whole animals. The company ultimately shifted to purchasing and holding meat, selling cuts individually, and using promotions or partnerships to move ground beef and other surplus products. By 2018 it had also stopped buying entire animals under the original model and used producer consignment arrangements in which suppliers bore certain processing, packing, and delivery costs. Crowd Cow’s premium-import strategy produced both commercial visibility and controversy. Critics argued that imported Wagyu conflicted with the company’s earlier local-sourcing message and put American ranchers at a disadvantage. In response to the criticism, Crowd Cow changed its mission language by removing the terms “local” and “sustainable.” The company nevertheless continued to emphasize information about producers, animal treatment, and sourcing practices on its website. Financing continued with an $8 million Series A led by Madrona in May 2018. In June 2019, Sound Ventures invested $1 million through a convertible security, and Crowd Cow announced a $15.1 million Series B in November 2019. The company reached reported annual sales of $10 million in 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, demand increased as consumers cooked at home and restaurants closed; available accounts describe a fourfold revenue increase early in the pandemic and approximately 90 employees by mid-2020. Later corporate developments, present ownership, and current executives are not established in the supplied reference material.

• 2020

  Pandemic-driven demand increase

  [1]Crowd Cowen.wikipedia.org

  Home cooking and restaurant closures drive a substantial increase in orders for delivered meat.

• 2019

  Series B financing

  [1]Crowd Cowen.wikipedia.org

  Crowd Cow raises $15.1 million in Series B funding and reaches reported annual sales of $10 million.

• 2018

  Pork category introduced

  [1]Crowd Cowen.wikipedia.org

  The marketplace adds pork products including chops, ribs, chorizo, bacon, and sausage.

• 2018

  Series A financing

  [1]Crowd Cowen.wikipedia.org

  Madrona leads an $8 million Series A financing round.

• 2017

  National delivery and seed financing

  [1]Crowd Cowen.wikipedia.org

  Crowd Cow expands across most of the United States, opens an East Coast depot, and raises a $2 million seed round.

• 2017

  Japanese A5 Wagyu launch

  [1]Crowd Cowen.wikipedia.org

  Crowd Cow begins importing Japanese A5 Wagyu for American consumers.

• 2016

  Early Washington expansion

  [1]Crowd Cowen.wikipedia.org

  The company operates with six Washington farms and begins building software and processes for animal allocation and cold-chain fulfillment.

• 2015

  Crowd Cow is founded

  [1]Crowd Cowen.wikipedia.org

  Joe Heitzeberg and Ethan Lowry establish the Seattle-based meat marketplace and test a crowdfunding-style model for selling portions of a steer.

Direct-to-consumer specialty meat marketplace emphasizing farm and fishery traceability, independent producers, premium cuts, and convenient nationwide cold-chain delivery.

• Beef · 2015

  Farm-sourced beef

  Crowd Cow’s original and central category consists of beef sourced from named ranches and farms. Customers can select individual cuts such as New York strip, rib eye, coulotte, flat iron, and filet mignon, as well as roasts, ground beef, bones, and less common parts including heart, tongue, liver, kidneys, tail, and hooves. The company has promoted grass-fed and grass-finished options and provides producer information alongside product listings.

• Premium beef · 2017

  Japanese A5 Wagyu

  Introduced in 2017, Japanese A5 Wagyu became one of Crowd Cow’s best-known premium offerings. The company sourced Wagyu from Japan, including Kagoshima, and marketed the beef to American consumers through its online marketplace. The line increased Crowd Cow’s visibility in specialty meat while also generating criticism about the relationship between imported premium beef and American ranching.

• Premium beef · 2017

  Olive Wagyu

  Olive Wagyu is a scarce Japanese Wagyu variety associated with cattle from Shōdoshima that are fed a diet including olive-related ingredients, rice straw, and ryegrass. Crowd Cow was described as the first company to import this variety to American customers and promoted its rarity and distinctive production story.

• Pork · 2018

  Pork

  Crowd Cow began selling pork in May 2018. The range included pork chops, ribs, chorizo, bacon, and sausage, with sourcing arrangements involving farms in Oregon for West Coast customers and New York for East Coast customers.

• Seafood

  Seafood

  The seafood assortment includes products such as Maine lobster, Icelandic Arctic char, lingcod, halibut, blue shrimp, and Dungeness crab. Crowd Cow has described much of its seafood sourcing as coming through fishery cooperatives and has emphasized information about origin and production.

• Subscription food delivery

  Subscription meat boxes

  Recurring subscription boxes provide changing assortments of meat. Contents vary according to season and availability because the company sources from small, independent farms rather than relying exclusively on standardized factory production. Typical orders have been described as weighing approximately five to ten pounds.

• 2017

  Criticism of Japanese Wagyu imports

  Critics argued that importing Japanese Wagyu conflicted with Crowd Cow’s earlier emphasis on local American farms and could disadvantage U.S. ranchers. The controversy prompted the company to remove “local” and “sustainable” from its mission statement. The dispute was a sourcing and positioning controversy rather than a documented finding of unlawful conduct.

  Source

Read more

• 2018Montlake Double Cut partnership

  Seattle, United States

  Crowd Cow supplied grass-fed beef to a Seattle Shake Shack location for a promotional burger called the Montlake Double Cut.

  Outcome. The partnership provided a restaurant channel for promoting Crowd Cow beef and helped address demand for less popular cuts.

  Source
• 2017Wagyu education and promotion

  United States

  Crowd Cow promoted Japanese Wagyu through editorial content, videos, social-media material, and a haiku competition offering a Japanese knife as the prize.

  Outcome. The campaign increased attention around the company’s Wagyu business but coincided with criticism of imported beef and the company’s local-sourcing message.

  Source

• 2018

  Move away from whole-animal crowdfundingStrategy

  Background

  Customers wanted faster fulfillment and showed weaker demand for unusual cuts, leaving the company with imbalances between premium steaks and plentiful ground beef.

  Action taken

  Crowd Cow discontinued the requirement to sell enough portions to “tip” an entire animal and shifted toward holding inventory and selling individual cuts.

  Aftermath

  The change supported broader availability but altered the company’s original crowdfunding identity and required new approaches to surplus meat.

  Source

• 2018

  Expansion into pork and broader proteinsStrategy

  Background

  The company aimed to move beyond its original beef concentration and serve more recurring household demand.

  Action taken

  Crowd Cow introduced pork and continued expanding into chicken, lamb, seafood, bison, and seasonal turkey.

  Aftermath

  The marketplace developed into a multi-category specialty meat service.

  Source

• 2017

  Launch of Japanese A5 Wagyu importsProduct launch

  Background

  Crowd Cow sought to broaden its premium beef range and give American consumers online access to Japanese Wagyu.

  Action taken

  The company began importing Japanese A5 Wagyu, including beef from Kagoshima Prefecture.

  Aftermath

  Wagyu became a high-profile product line and later attracted criticism concerning imported versus local beef.

  Source

• 2020

  COVID-19 drives increased home demand for Crowd Cow products[1]Crowd Cowen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Restaurant closures and increased home cooking substantially increased demand for the company’s delivered meat, including premium Wagyu.

• 2019

  Crowd Cow raises $15.1 million Series B[1]Crowd Cowen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The company completed a Series B financing round during a period of rapid sales growth.

• 2018

  Crowd Cow raises $8 million Series A[1]Crowd Cowen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Madrona led a Series A financing round as the company expanded its marketplace and distribution operations.

• 2017

  Crowd Cow raises $2 million seed round[1]Crowd Cowen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Fuel Capital led a seed investment intended to support expansion of Crowd Cow’s delivery footprint.

• 2017

  Crowd Cow begins importing Japanese A5 Wagyu[1]Crowd Cowen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The company launched online sales of Japanese A5 Wagyu sourced from Kagoshima Prefecture.

1. 1Crowd Cowen.wikipedia.org