How Zach and Dan crowdfund cows with Crowd Carnivore

Crowd Carnivore founders Zachary Sequoia and Dan Tarasenko have built a crowdfunding platform for cow carcasses. Photo: Kit Goldsworthy

Zachary Sequoia and Dan Tarasenko​ are hoping the concept of crowdfunding will catch on when it comes to cows. 

The pair started Crowd Carnivore last month to crowdfund whole animals which are bought directly from the producer, butchered and split between 12 buyers and then home delivered.

One day Zach said 'Why don't we crowdfund a cow?' No one was doing it and it was simple and elegant. 

Dan Tarasenko

Tarasenko describes himself as a "hobby farmer" who wanted to apply the skills he had developed working in real estate technology to his local community.

Crowd Carnivore Photo: Kit Goldsworthy

"We moved to the Bega Valley for a tree change a few years ago now," he says. "We have a lot of local farming friends and a pretty good community."

Tarasenko says he started looking for ways to try to connect the power of the crowd with farmers.

"One day Zach said, 'Why don't we crowdfund a cow?'  No one was doing it and it was simple and elegant," he says.  

The pair put in almost $100,000 of their own money to develop the technology to make their idea a reality and after working on the start-up for almost a year Crowd Carnivore launched last month.

Using the crowdfunding model means Tarasenko and Sequoia don't have to stump up for product that is unsold but the pair opted to build their own platform rather than using existing crowdfunding sites such as Indiegogo and Kickstarter.   

Sequoia says Crowd Carnivore already has more than 1000 registered users across New South Wales and the ACT and is set to expand to Victoria and Queensland. 

Prices range from $220 to $380 for a box of meat. 

"We have been overwhelmed by the response, we thought it would have been slower and more organic," he says. "I think they've been waiting for something like it. People prefer to have a connection to their food, and they want the higher quality."  

Sequoia says Crowd Carnivore minimises food waste, puts more money back in farmers' pockets and educates consumers on the economic and nutritional benefits and enhanced flavour of cuts of meat that are not widely available.  

The pair are planning to expand beyond cows and already offer lamb on the platform.

"It's all about the logistics, it's a highly perishable product and getting transport sorted has been key," Sequoia says.

"We are already talking to some pork producers and making sure we get the right quality producers and poultry and buffalo will be next."

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