Grateful Graze

What Grateful Graze does

Grateful Graze is a privately held regenerative farm based in Cambridge, Illinois (Henry County) that operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront selling premium, transparently sourced meat products. Founded by Monte and Robyn Bottens in 2017–2018 on approximately 2,500 acres of land previously enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, the company raises 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef, heritage-breed timber-raised pork, mobile pasture-raised chicken, and silvopasture-raised goat (the latter sourced via partnership with Sawickis Family Farm). Production is grounded in regenerative agriculture practices — no-till farming, cover cropping, management-intensive grazing, livestock integration, and on-farm non-GMO feed production — and the business differentiates on traceability, animal welfare (e.g., 436 sq ft per pig vs. 8 sq ft in confinement), and soil-health-driven messaging.

The company monetizes through four primary streams: (1) direct online meat sales via a GrazeCart-powered storefront offering 150+ individual cuts across four protein categories; (2) bulk beef pre-orders (quarter and half beef) priced by hanging weight with deposits; (3) wholesale distribution to local health food stores such as NOSH Good Mood Food and Cornucopia Natural Market & Deli plus a dedicated grocery/chef wholesale product line; and (4) paid farm experiences including farm tours, Soil Health Academy events with Gabe Brown, and farm-to-table dinners prepared by chef Matthew Mulder. Customer segments are horizontal — primarily health-conscious families in the Illinois/Iowa Quad Cities region who value clean-label protein, with secondary segments in bulk freezer buyers and local retailers/restaurants.

The business is bootstrapped with no institutional or venture funding disclosed. Marketing relies on content (blog, AgEmerge podcast, newsletter via Drip), social media (Facebook, Instagram), farmers markets in Rock Island and Davenport, on-farm events, and a referral program. Operational infrastructure is lean, built on commodity integrations (Stripe for payments, GrazeCart for commerce, Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Drip for email). Founder Monte Bottens also operates adjacent ventures — California Ag Solutions, Ag Solutions Network, the AgEmerge podcast/conference, and angel investments in AgTech startups (including NoFence.no) — which provide thought-leadership leverage but also indicate the founder's attention is split across multiple entities.

Name

Grateful Graze

Legal name

Grateful Graze, LLC

Website

https://gratefulgraze.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Grateful Graze is a privately held regenerative farm in Cambridge, Illinois that sells grass-fed beef, pasture-raised chicken, timber-raised pork, and silvopasture goat direct-to-consumer via an online store, with home delivery, pickup locations, wholesale, and farm-tour revenue streams serving health-conscious families in the Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regenerative Pasture-Raised Meats

NAICS

Hog and Pig Farming (112210), Sheep and Goat Farming (1124), Goat Farming (112420)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAIANAC

Farm-to-Consumer Produce Boxes / CSA Delivery

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Distribution & Wholesale/Direct-to-Consumer Food Distribution

SECONDARYAFAEAEAJ

Heritage/Specialty Breed Hog Farming

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Production & Aquaculture/Swine & Hog Farming

SECONDARYAFAEAEAI

Organic & Pasture-Raised Hog Farming

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Production & Aquaculture/Swine & Hog Farming

SECONDARYAFAEAFAI

Organic/Regenerative Sheep & Goat Production

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Production & Aquaculture/Sheep & Goat Farming

SECONDARYAFAEAFAG

Grazing & Pasture-Based Operations (Range, Rotational Grazing)

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Production & Aquaculture/Sheep & Goat Farming

Keywords

• Regenerative meat products
• Grass-fed beef
• Pasture-raised chicken
• Timber-raised pork
• Silvopasture goat

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Meat Sales (E-commerce): Direct-to-consumer online sales of beef, pork, chicken, and goat products through their GrazeCart-powered website with home delivery and pickup options. Features 150+ cuts of meat.
2. Bulk Beef Pre-Orders: Quarter and half beef pre-orders sold by hanging weight with deposits. Quarter beef at $10.49/lb hanging weight with $599 deposit; half beef at $9.99/lb with $1,199 deposit.
3. Wholesale to Retail Partners: Wholesale distribution to local health food stores including NOSH Good Mood Food and Cornucopia Natural Market & Deli.
4. Farm Tours and Events: Paid farm tours and educational events including Soil Health Academy hosted with Gabe Brown, Understanding Ag, and other regenerative agriculture training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Grateful Graze is a regenerative farm that raises and sells 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef, timber-raised heritage pork, mobile pasture-raised chicken, and silvopasture goat directly to consumers through an online store (powered by GrazeCart). The company offers 150+ cuts of meat via home delivery, pickup locations, farmers markets, and a small set of retail wholesale partners in Illinois and Iowa.

Product overview

Grateful Graze is a regenerative farm offering a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform for premium meats. The product portfolio centers on four protein categories: Grass-Fed & Grass-Finished Beef, Timber Raised Pork, Pasture Raised Chicken, and Silvopasture Raised Goat, all produced using regenerative agriculture practices. The online store (powered by GrazeCart) enables customers to purchase individual cuts, bulk pre-orders (Quarter/Half Beef), wholesale products for retailers and chefs, and pet food. The company also offers farm events, tours, and occasional farm-to-table dinner experiences. The business model connects consumers directly to the farm for transparent, traceable protein sourcing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grass-Fed & Grass-Finished Beef 100% Grass-Fed and Grass-Finished Beef raised regeneratively and moved daily to fresh forage. Sold as individual cuts, quarter and half pre-orders, and bulk options for health-conscious families and bulk buyers.
• Timber Raised Pork Heritage breed pork raised in timber habitat with 100 pigs per acre (436 sq ft per pig vs. 8 sq ft in confinement). Fed homegrown non-GMO feed. Includes cuts, brats, bacon, ham, and sausage varieties.
• Pasture Raised Chicken Mobile Pasture Raised Chicken moved daily to fresh grass with mobile barns. Never sees concrete. Fed homegrown non-GMO feed. Whole birds, breasts, thighs, drums, wings, and organs available.
• Silvopasture Raised Goat Silvopasture raised goat sourced from Sawickis Family Farm. Includes sirloin steak, shank, loin chops, rack, leg, kabob/stew meat, blade/shoulder roast, and ground goat/keema.
• Pets Food and Treats Pet food and treat products including beef pet food, organs (beef kidneys), chicken backs for soup, chicken necks, pork liver, and pork heart.
• Wholesale - Grocery & Chef Wholesale products for grocery stores and chefs, including ground beef, steaks, roasts, bones/organs/tallow, broth, snacks/links, bacon/brats, chops/ribs, ham, and sausage varieties.
• Quarter Beef Pre-Order Bulk beef pre-order program. Deposit $599, final price $10.49/lb hanging weight. Estimated 75-90 lbs take-home weight (~400-480 servings at 3oz portions). Scheduled delivery.
• Half Beef Pre-Order Bulk beef pre-order program. Deposit $1,199, final price $9.99/lb hanging weight. Estimated 150-180 lbs take-home weight (~800-960 servings). Scheduled delivery.
• Farm to Table Dinners Six-course on-farm dinners featuring Grateful Graze products prepared by farm chef Matthew Mulder, with an educational component about regenerative farming practices.

Quantifiable outcome

• Heritage breeds have higher fat content providing more key nutrients stored in fat
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NOSH Good Mood FoodminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal health food storefront partner in Geneseo, IL offering a limited selection of Grateful Graze products.
• Cornucopia Natural Market & DeliminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHealth food store partner in Galesburg, IL offering limited Grateful Graze product selection.
• GrazeCartcoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform provider powering Grateful Graze's online store and website functionality.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing partner handling credit card transactions. Card data never touches Grateful Graze servers.
• DripminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEmail marketing automation platform for tracking customer events and sending targeted marketing emails.
• Facebook PixelminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdvertising tracking for targeted Facebook advertisements based on customer purchase behavior.
• Sawickis Family FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for goat products including Sawickis Goat product line. Farm focused on silvopasture-raised goat production.
• AgEmerge Podcast & ConferencecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPodcast and conference founded by Monte Bottens to merge Ag Technology Startups and Regenerative Ag Movement, featuring thought leaders and innovative farmers.
• Ag Solutions NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization founded by Monte Bottens helping farmers across the country (Indiana to California) adopt soil health principles and products.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• White Oak Pastures: A multi-generational regenerative farm raising multiple species (beef, pork, poultry, goat) and selling meat direct-to-consumer online. Nearly identical model to Grateful Graze in regenerative practices, multi-protein range, and DTC delivery.
• Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed: Regenerative, 100% grass-fed beef brand tied to a network of Midwest family farms. Comparable on grass-finished beef and regenerative soil-health branding.
• US Wellness Meats: Farmer-owned cooperative selling grass-fed beef, pastured pork, poultry, and specialty cuts online nationwide. Directly comparable in product category and DTC premium-meat positioning.
• Force of Nature Meats: Regenerative-agriculture meat brand offering grass-fed and pasture-raised proteins with a soil-health mission. Shares Grateful Graze's regenerative positioning and clean-label value proposition.
• Wild Pastures: DTC subscription delivering pasture-raised, regeneratively farmed beef, pork, and chicken from small US farms. Comparable in regenerative sourcing and direct-to-consumer meat delivery.
• Polyface Farms: Joel Salatin's regenerative, pasture-based multi-species farm selling grass-fed beef, pastured pork, poultry, and eggs direct to consumers. Explicitly the philosophical inspiration behind Grateful Graze's model.
• Porter Road: DTC butcher shop selling pasture-raised, non-GMO-fed beef, pork, chicken, and lamb sourced from regional farms. Overlaps closely on product, pricing, and online delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Vital Farms: Publicly traded pasture-raised eggs and dairy company built on ethical, pasture-based animal husbandry. Shares Grateful Graze's pasture-raised, transparency-focused positioning at much larger scale.
• ButcherBox: Large national DTC meat subscription offering grass-fed beef and pasture-raised proteins. Same target customer and category as Grateful Graze but at national scale and without owning production.

Emerging players

• Crowd Cow: Online marketplace connecting consumers to grass-fed and pasture-raised meats from independent farms. Overlaps on customer base and premium DTC meat, though it aggregates farms rather than producing its own.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/gratefulgraze
• Instagraminstagram.com/grateful_graze

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grateful Graze