Home The Tennessee Goat Producers Association now has its Goat Meat Cooperative off to a running start after many months of hard work and planning with commercial wholesale accounts in the Knoxville and Nashville areas. The Board of Directors is also currently in negotiations with several other retailers who will begin carrying Chevon products in their stores in the near future.
In recent years the ethnic population in the major metropolitan areas of Tennessee has steadily increased. Those communities have also expanded into the rural areas of Tennessee. In the past two years in particular, there has been a strong trend for families in coastal communities to relocate to inland areas of the country. Many of these those who were displaced by the hurricanes in the past couple of years have taken up residence in Tennessee as well as several other surrounding states.
Dr. Maria Leite-Browning, TGPA President, recognized these trends as an opportunity to meet the needs of these families’ preferences for fresh, healthy food. She and the Board of Directors began planning the foundation of the Goat Meat Cooperative in 2005 and are finally seeing the fruits of their labor coming to harvest. The market for TGPA Fresh Chevon products looks very promising, as several orders have been filled for Chevon Sausage products and whole BBQ goats in addition to the wholesale commercial accounts. The number and volume of these orders has increased steadily from week to week.
Retailers are reporting that consumers are very pleased and excited about the quality and freshness of the TGPA products and news is spreading fast. Increased sales each week are a definite indication of the consumer's satisfaction in the quality of TGPA products and their desire to have fresh products on the market. One retailer in the Knoxville area said that many of his customers purchasing Chevon products are American consumers searching for healthier alternatives to other types of meats.
Past Consumer Studies have clearly shown the preference of consumers for fresh Chevon products over the frozen variety. Although the fresh products are more expensive than frozen, consumers view the quality of fresh products as being well worth the investment. Many have said that they will continue to buy TGPA products because there is a consistent supply of quality, fresh products available at affordable prices. The TGPA is committed to meeting this market in Tennessee.
The market in the United States for fresh goat meat is very large and is only limited by the marketing efforts of American producers. It may seem like "the impossible dream" to a single producer trying to compete in this market but, Producer Cooperatives such as the TGPA focusing on marketing can make a much greater impact for volume sales and competitive pricing. These types of Cooperatives give the individual producer a larger voice in order to be successful in marketing their products and generally gives the producer a higher return on their investment. Taking advantage of lower transportation costs due to the products being locally grown and harvested has enabled the TGPA to keep its prices competitive while allowing maximum returns to the producer.
Networking is key to the success of any Cooperative. The Board of Directors of the TGPA encourages producers to take advantage of this program to maximize profits for their operations. Producers interested in marketing their products and animals through the TGPA Goat Meat Cooperative should contact Rodney Fugate, Secretary-Treasurer, at rodneyfugate@yahoo.com or 423-526-4446 for more information.