LA BELLE, Mo., March 28, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Lucinda Cramsey, the eighth-generation farmer and entrepreneur who recently landed a deal on Shark Tank, is on a mission to create a sustainable food system where farmers are treated fairly, animals are raised humanely, and Americans eat high-quality food. Her meat subscription business, Moink, is the nation's first meat delivery service owned and operated by small farmers.
"We created Moink because we knew there had to be a better way to connect farmers and consumers transparently," says Lucinda Cramsey, co-founder of Moink. "Figuring out where your food comes from and how it was raised should not be as hard as it is today. We're working to make a variety of ethically sourced and humanely raised meat accessible to the everyday consumer."
Cramsey's tenacious work ethic, "firecracker" personality (as described by Lori Greiner), and passion for supporting small farmers landed her a deal with guest Shark Tank investor Jamie Siminoff. Siminoff sold his business, security start-up Ring, to Amazon for $1 billion in 2018.
"I invest in missions that matter," says Siminoff, who offered Cramsey $400,000 for a 20 percent stake in Moink. "Lucinda is a true mission-focused founder determined to change our food supply for the better."
Since the Shark Tank airing, Lucinda has received an outpouring of support from small farmers around the country. "I have received hundreds, and I mean hundreds of emails from farmers saying - 'Will you help me? We are at the end of our rope. Things are rough,'" says Cramsey. "It touches me like the weight of the world on my shoulders."
Recent studies show that the rise in big agriculture is forcing small farms to close operations. Of the 2.1 million farms in the United States, nearly 1 million farms—or 48 percent of the total—had gross cash farm income of less than $10,000, and collectively accounted for less than 1 percent of production. According to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, in 2015.
"Family farms are struggling, being snuffed out by big business," Cramsey told the sharks during her TV appearance that aired March 10. "With four companies controlling over 80 percent of the meat industry in the United States, the little guys have been left fighting for the scraps."
Post-Shark Tank, Cramsey continues to share openly about her wins, challenges, and fears. "If I fail, then all these farmers that now rely on me will fail too," she shared on the Moink blog. "We are now interwoven together. As much as you don't want to be the person that loses the family farm, I don't ever want to be the business that fails and takes the family farm down with me either."
ABOUT MOINK:
Moink works with nearly 100 eco-friendly, ethical, and sustainable farmers to support American producers and make farm-to-table dining easier than ever.
Unlike other meat subscription companies, Moink only works with farms that raise animals outdoors in pastures or forests where they are happiest and healthiest. Moink customers receive proteins without GMOs, hormones or antibiotics - and a final product without sugars, nitrates or solutions.
Customers can choose from curated Moink boxes that contain a variety of:
- Grass-fed and grass-finished beef
- Grass-fed and grass-finished lamb
- Pastured pork
- Pastured chicken
- Wild-caught salmon
Moink boxes range from 13-16 lb. and contain 35-40 servings per box. Boxes can be ordered on subscription every three, four, or six weeks. Single boxes can be ordered on-demand.
Cramsey appeared on Shark Tank's Season 10: Episode 15 (air date: March 10, 2019) To view the segment, visit: abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank/episode-guide/season-10/15-episode-15.
To learn more about Moink, or to schedule a meat delivery, visit: moinkbox.com.
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SOURCE Moink
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