Young entrepreneur addresses demand for goat meat

MONTEZUMA — A leaner protein option than beef, chicken or pork, goat meat is a product Gavin Tindle wants to make more people aware of through his new business.

Just two months after launching, he is already seeing high demand.

Tindle, who graduated from Iowa State University in May with a degree in agricultural business, launched Boer Certified in April. The premium quality goat meat business is based in his hometown of Montezuma, and features meat products that are 75% Boer or higher.

Several goat meat products are available for purchase, including seasoned goat sausage, goat chops and goat sweet bologna sticks.

Since the launch date, Tindle’s calendar has quickly filled with farmers market appearances and other events where he sells his products, which include everything from loin chops and shoulder roasts to cheddar goat sticks and ground goat.

He said goat meat tastes similar to bison or deer “but without the game flavor.”

Tindle began raising and showing Boer goats in 2015 as a 4-H member. He turned that experience into his first business, Tindle Kids Boer Goats, which he and his family are still involved with.

At Iowa State, Tindle took advantage of entrepreneurial courses and programs offered by Start Something College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to strengthen his business and management skills.

Through those programs and courses, he gained marketing experience and built his network of fellow entrepreneurs.

“Those connections are worth a lot. They gave me the opportunity to meet new people and find new market segments,” Tindle said.

He found the Student Incubator program especially beneficial. The weekly meetings helped keep him on track while he was building his business.

It also provided a space where he could bounce ideas off other student entrepreneurs.

“It was great to watch Gavin take an idea from a class and work to turn it into a startup business,” said Kevin Kimle, director of Start Something CALS and Rastetter Chair of Agricultural Entrepreneurship.

“He engaged in the Student Incubator constructively, listening to feedback on his business as well as supporting and encouraging other student entrepreneurs.”

If there is one thing Tindle has learned in his business-owning journey, it’s that customers are looking for more than just a product to buy; they want to know the story behind the product — where it came from and how it was raised.

“Being able to pair those two together is essential,” Tindle said. “Our goat meat is American-made and traceable to the approximate goat.”

Tindle hopes to begin offering online sales of his goat meat products by January 2025 and set up a couple of drop points in Iowa where customers can pick up orders or have them shipped.

“Just keep moving forward. You have to look for the best path that’s in front of you,” Tindle offered as advice to fellow or aspiring business owners.

Learn more about Boer Certified online and find goat meat recipes on the Boer Certified Facebook page.