Life and Work with Kate Kavanaugh

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Kavanaugh.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story starts in a pretty strange place for someone that owns a butcher shop. When I was 5, I made a bold proclamation that I was becoming a vegetarian. It started out as a concern for animal welfare and as I got older, it evolved into concern for the environment and climate change. After 15 years of vegetarianism, two things happened. First, I became interested in grassland ecology and began considering how my career might go down that path. Second, I began to struggle with my health. These two seemingly disparate events both led me to the same place: eating meat raised through regenerative agricultural practices, which is to say, agriculture that repairs, builds, and supports natural ecosystems. My life and business partner, Josh Curtiss, and I used these values to open up Western Daughters Butcher Shop based around the idea of “food as a byproduct of conservation” in 2013. Since founding Western Daughters, I’ve worked to change food systems through education and legislature, given over 3 million dollars back to local farmers and ranchers, and become a holistic nutritionist. This year, we embark in our own experiments in regenerative agriculture with our very own farm.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Western Daughters got off to a very rough start that really continued for the first five years of business. Our commitment to quality protein comes at a much higher cost and we struggled financially for the first four years, almost closing the doors on multiple occasions. During that time, my mental health struggled alongside the business; I viewed my personal worth as tied to the business’s financial success. I don’t think this is uncommon in the world of small business ownership. When your business is a reflection of your personal values and passion, it feels like a part of you, another appendage. I’ve had to do a lot of work, both on my own and in therapy, to find a healthy separation. Through a lot of trial and error and problem solving and asking for help, the business has found a sustainable model that is financially secure and I have found that by pursuing passions outside of the business and activities that fill me up, I am able to separate myself from its highs and lows.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Western Daughters Butcher Shop – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Ten years ago, I wrote down that I wanted to change the way 100 people eat. I never imagined that I would eventually build complementary businesses around the idea that food can heal land, bodies, and communities. I’m passionate about looking at historical food systems, both the good and the bad, holistic nutrition, and regenerative agriculture and finding where they all intersect. I underwrote a bill that helped small farmers raise better poultry, I help my nutrition clients find health and wellbeing through food, and we’ve built an amazing network of farmers at Western Daughters.

At Western Daughters Butcher Shop we are the only butcher shop in the state that provides 100% grassfed beef and lamb and pasture-raised pork and chicken that is antibiotic and hormone-free. Our unique business model means that 50 cents of every dollar you spend at our shop go directly back to the farmer, compared with 7-15 cents in most places. Our commitment to grasslands restoration means that the work our ranchers are doing is also working to sequester carbon and restore native prairie ecosystems. Through this commitment, we’ve been able to pay over 3.4 million dollars back to local farmers and ranchers in just six years.

Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
Working in a male-dominated field for almost a decade, I’ve thought a lot about female entrepreneurship and leadership. I think there are two significant barriers that I hope to see change over the next decade. The first is female to female mentorship within industries. I opened Western Daughters and the only sense I got from other women in the industry was one of competition where I craved connection. I think as females in leadership roles we need to create time for mentorship for the next generation of entrepreneurs. Additionally, I don’t see enough women funding women-owned businesses. Investment capital is crucial as we look to build small and sustainable businesses, and there are very few female investors in that space to help lift up and fund female entrepreneurs. I think we need to invest both time and money into the next generation of female leaders!

Contact Info:

• Address: Western Daughters Butcher Shop
  3326 Tejon St. Unit 101
  Denver, CO 80211
• Website: westerndaughters.com
• Phone: 3034776328
• Email: kate@westerndaughters.com
• Instagram: @kate_kavanaugh, @westerndaughters

Image Credit:
Kate Kavanaugh, me, for all images.

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