So, I recently moved out to the boonies, and with the boonies, come odd neighbors with a variety of speicialized skills and resources. My neighbor/friend acquired a huge, industrial grinder that had been abandoned on an old fur farm when the guy moved. It only needed minor work. This thing can devour an entire deer in one fell swoop.

Naturally, I get all excited b/c I can get WHOLE prey other than rabbits and chickens, and I can get them cheapy cheapy! I often have paid near $5/lb for this stuff b/c I want everything in it. I hate it when people say "whole" and then add "except for organs and fur." Well, if it's missin' stuff, it ain't "whole." Right?

Here's my thing. This thing is a bit much for my uses. I only have 6 dogs. I do have a freezer, but even still...this thing is massive and we can't really justify running it for just enough to feed 6 dogs.

Do you guys think I could package what I don't use and sell it for a whole lot less than the big companies do? I only would have limited capabilities for certain things since this would be a 2-person show, but I feel like I'd be a bit selfish not to pass this onto local dogs and cats whose owners want to feed TRUE WHOLE PREY. We were thinking chicken, rabbit, pheasant, cow, deer, etc.

I'm not talking about starting some fancy business- but if someone local wants to take a road trip and pick up some really really fresh ground truly whole raw food, this would be a great opportunity. Other than liability (since obviously I have no testing facilities, insurance, etc.) what would the concerns be?

Have any of you tried grinding on a large scale and maybe have some pointers?

 Quote: jenni williams

.... Other than liability (since obviously I have no testing facilities, insurance, etc.) what would the concerns be? ...

Liability would be the huge item.

The signs of commerce would bring you almost immediate pressure/notices/demands for a business license, state sales tax number, etc.

Declaring income on any such enterprise also eventually brings you to the attention of some agency or other, and generally IME it's state sales tax folks.

Then you're "in the system."

PMing you about barter.

I was wondering about liability if I wasn't really "selling" it.

I would even consider getting "in the system" depending on what it would entail, just so I can reap the benefits for my own dogs. I'm stuck in a way b/c I am in no position right now to really start a "business," though I do already have an animal food-related tax ID number. I just don't really have the time to go and do all the things necessary to make it a legit business. I just wanna feed my dogs things I would ordinarily have to pay $4-5/lb for!

I just hate to waste the resources.

Thx. for the PM. I will get it when I get home.

Jenni, maybe if the people that want to help you consume these goods can contribute to the purchase of the animals (read between the lines here) & thereby can 'share' the meals that you both make from this 'joint' purchased meat. I don't believe that there would be any liability in this case, since you both 'own' the meat & are just chopping it up using your machine. Not any different then if my neighbor & I decided to have dinner together & went & purchassed the food at the Wallmart & came home & used her food processor to prepare it & I took some of the leftovers home with me. :-)

Good idea!

you could also advertise that you can do custom grinding of pet food - I know many times I have had stuff I would like ground in large quantities but don't have the grinder.

Start a raw-feeding co-op.
You can reduce the cost of your own food in that way.

QUOTE: you could also advertise that you can do custom grinding of pet food - I know many times I have had stuff I would like ground in large quantities but don't have the grinder.

This may imply 'liability' & a 'service' performed that could imply a 'business' opperation. Ergo: tax liability.

I think a raw feeding co-op, whereby people provide say 100 lbs of food for grinding, and you keep 20 lbs as payment for grinding the food, and so forth, would generate much less liability.

Or literally run it as a system for 'friends and associates' - they bring you prey, you grind it keeping some. You provide a deer, grind it and they come and get some.
have a weekly grind party