MeatCrafters: Elevate Your Mealtime!
- KLS
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
For the 256th feature of our "Together Talks" campaign, we collaborated with MeatCrafters and President, Debra Moser. MeatCrafters is a boutique sausage and charcuterie company, located in Landover, MD. We produce high quality sausages and charcuterie products for restaurants, retail establishments and direct to consumers.
"Together Talks" feature 256: MeatCrafters presented by KLS - Your Trusted Shipping Solutions In The USA
Story of how it was created? What have been the biggest challenges? Goals for upcoming year + Next phase of the company?
What have you learned since becoming an entrepreneur? What aspect of entrepreneurship do you appreciate the most? Share a decision that you made that was detrimental? What is your why?
Story of how it was created?
MeatCrafters was started on a whim. It really was my husband's idea. He had sold his business, came home one day, and said, “I'd like to make salamis.” I thought he meant making them in the refrigerator. I had no idea what he was talking about.
But he knew someone who was already in the sausage business. He went to him and said, “Have you ever thought about making salamis?” That person eventually became one of our partners. He told us that he had considered it, but that it was very difficult and very expensive. We said, “Well, we'd like to do it with you.”
At the time, that company was called Simply Sausage. We merged the companies, and the new company became MeatCrafters.
MeatCrafters officially started sometime in 2010, and we began with the goal of making salamis. We brought in curing rooms from Italy and started producing authentic salamis. The business blossomed from there.
At the same time, we continued making the sausages we had already become known for. Today, we produce 16 different sausages representing about 15 countries. As consumer demand for convenience grew, we expanded into charcuterie, sliced salamis, duck breast prosciutto, and several other specialty products. We also produced items such as beef braciola, although we've put that on hold for now due to current beef prices.
Then, around 2018, we entered the craft bacon market. We brought in smokers and started producing thick-cut craft bacon, which became another important part of our business.
I took over as president in 2020, just before COVID hit. One of the first things I did was put the company online. That decision helped us tremendously during the pandemic because people continued buying through our digital channels.
Today, we are a national company with distribution across the United States. We sell through Faire, Amazon, our own website, and retail stores throughout the country.
We also recently launched Simply Sausage with Veggies, a chicken-and-vegetable sausage designed for parents and kids, and it has just launched in Walmart in the Carolinas and LA areas.
We're reaching consumers across the United States as aggressively as we can.
What have been the biggest challenges?
The two biggest challenges are USDA regulations and the cost of producing our products.
Salamis and charcuterie are very expensive products to make. We use premium meats sourced from family farms. There are no antibiotics, everything is all-natural, and we're extremely selective about both the meats and the spices we use.
We create our own spice blends and do all of the work ourselves. Quality is at the center of everything we produce.
Right now, the biggest challenges are the rising cost of proteins and navigating USDA regulations.
Goals for upcoming year + Next phase of the company?
We are growing, and we're now making products in three different locations. We've had to expand our production footprint in order to keep up with demand and extend our reach.
As we continue to grow, our physical space can only hold so much. We're not looking to move facilities right now, but we are looking to triple the company's revenue.
We're also launching several new products. As I mentioned, we recently introduced Simply Sausage. We have a meatball line coming out, and we're bringing back our Skinny Salamis, which are snack sticks.
We've reformulated them, added fiber, and introduced one version as a breakfast snack stick.
The next phase for us is focused on innovation, new product lines, and continued growth.
What were your concerns to transition to starting your own business?
I wish there had been more concern. Sometimes things look much easier than they actually are.
We also own another business: a series of farm markets in the Washington, D.C., area. That gave us an advantage because we were able to open stands at those farm markets and use them as a launching pad for MeatCrafters.
Those markets became our testing ground and our focus group. If a product performed exceptionally well there, we knew we had something special. Our growth was very organic.
My husband had previously run a distribution company throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, so he was well-versed in distribution and product launches. However, as he likes to say, he had never owned a brand before.
I come from a business-building, marketing, and strategic planning background. Our head of production was a chef for José Andrés and brought deep expertise in flavor development and flavor profiles.
He learned how to make salamis, and our former partner had traveled to England, Spain, France, and Canada to learn salami-making techniques. We often say that we combine old-world techniques with new-world flavors.
That's how we began growing organically.
Once you get into the middle of running and scaling a business, though, it's a different story. Two years ago, for example, USDA regulations changed significantly following the Boar's Head incidents.
Those changes affected many small meat plants on the East Coast, especially in our district. New regulations, changing labeling requirements, and increased compliance expectations created new challenges.
Learning how to navigate all of that while launching branded products, managing cash flow, and continuing to grow has been a tremendous undertaking.
There was a lot we didn't know when we started, and there are many lessons we've learned through experience.
One advantage we did have was that the three original partners brought a tremendous amount of industry experience. That allowed us to launch and move quickly compared to many younger startups.
What have you learned since becoming an entrepreneur?
There has been a lot to learn.
One of the most difficult things is guiding a company through periods of growth. Every growing business eventually reaches a plateau. At that point, you're faced with forks in the road and important decisions.
Do you buy new equipment? Do you move the business? How do you scale? Do you hire more people? Is the team that got you to this point the right team to take you to the next level?
Many of us think we can do more on our own than we actually can.
Fortunately, I have a great support network. There are many people in my network who have helped bring this business along. No matter how much you think you know, you can always benefit from help and outside perspective.
I'm constantly reaching out to people. I've participated in groups led by investment firms that focus on advising founders and teaching them how to grow businesses.
The biggest lesson I've learned is to ask for help and to actively explore the different resources, opportunities, and people available to support your growth.
What aspect of entrepreneurship do you appreciate the most?
I love the ability to create something.
I love learning something new every day. I love being around fellow entrepreneurs who are building things and learning from their experiences.
Entrepreneurship is an exciting space because you're constantly creating. The challenges can be relentless, and some days it feels like a grind. But when you step back and take that 30,000-foot view of everything you've built and everything that's in front of you, it's incredibly rewarding.
It takes a certain kind of person to jump into entrepreneurship.
We've mentored many people over the years. They'll come to us with an idea, and we can give them countless reasons not to pursue it. We can tell them every challenge they'll face and every obstacle that's likely to arise.
But at the end of the conversation, we always say the same thing: if it's your dream, go for it.
That drive and that dream are a huge part of what makes entrepreneurs successful.
Share a decision that you made that was detrimental?
About four years ago, we received an offer to buy the business.
There are several partners involved, but in my opinion, it wasn't the right offer. I didn't feel it adequately addressed taking care of our people. I also didn't think the interested company truly understood the brand or what we were trying to build.
Ultimately, we decided not to move forward with the sale.
That was an incredibly difficult decision. There are days when things are tough—especially in a business like ours, where cash flow is a constant challenge. Our meat suppliers operate on net-14 terms, while distributors are often net-30, so there's always a gap that has to be managed.
On those difficult days, you sometimes look back and wonder whether you made the right decision.
But then there are the good days, when the business is moving forward, new opportunities are emerging, and you feel confident that you chose correctly.
It was a gut-wrenching decision because no business owner knows exactly what challenges lie ahead. We had no idea we would later face significant USDA regulatory changes following the Boar's Head situation. We didn't anticipate many of the obstacles that eventually came our way.
In hindsight, someone could argue that we should have sold the business. But hindsight is always clearer than reality. At the time, we made the decision we believed was right, and we stand by it.
What is your why?
One of the things we're most passionate about is good food.
As I mentioned, we operate farm markets, so we've always been involved in providing quality local foods to consumers.
At MeatCrafters, we also work directly with farmers by helping them turn their meat into value-added products. We provide custom processing services that allow farms to expand their product lines and maximize the value of their proteins.
We love that aspect of the business because it helps farmers grow and succeed.
Beyond that, I love building the brand. We love seeing our products on store shelves. We love hearing from customers who tell us how much they enjoy what we make.
That's what keeps us going.
Do you have a moment that brings you the most joy?
I think it's when we're at food shows and trade shows and people stop to taste our products.
The reaction is remarkably consistent. They'll take a bite, pause, and say, “Oh, wow.”
I love seeing that look of surprise on their faces because there are so many products on the market today, and many of them simply aren't made the way we make ours.
We put an enormous amount of pride into what we do. We use premium meats, carefully developed processes, and proprietary techniques that help our products stand apart.
When someone tastes our products and genuinely reacts with surprise and excitement, that's probably the moment that makes me the proudest.
Piece of Advice
Always have a mentor—or three.
You can't do life alone, and I'm a huge believer in both mentoring others and being mentored yourself.
Look for groups within your industry. We're in the food business, so I always encourage people to join industry organizations, attend events, get involved, and start building relationships. Through networking, you'll meet some truly amazing people.
I'll also give a shoutout to LinkedIn. It's been a wonderful platform for me. I've met a lot of people there, and then later you'll run into them at a trade show, seminar, or industry event and continue building those relationships in person.
Keep networking, keep learning, and keep the lines of communication open. You never know where your next opportunity, partnership, or piece of advice is going to come from.
Promo Code
Purchase from their site, MeatCrafters, and use promo code below:
Togethertalks15 -> 15% off total order through August 31st!
Community Callout
In Closing
KLS wants to thank MeatCrafters and President, Debra Moser, for today's "Together Talks" feature. Follow along for their journey with their social handles below!
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