In this day and age, there are business opportunities everywhere. It takes a courageous individual to take the plunge on an idea and take the time to turn it into a business. For new businesses starting out, it is a long journey to grow your idea into what you dreamed of it being and grow it from there.
Jen Orr, the entrepreneur behind the Twisted Heifer Farm Store, opened their physical shop earlier this year. Offering a variety of locally raised meat, as well as farm and western-inspired gifts and homemade products, her shop has been a great addition to the Nicholson neighbourhood. Here is what Jen has to say about her journey so far!
Let’s start with an intro about yourself and the business!
My name is Jen. I was born and raised in Golden and together, with my husband Brandon, another local, we have the Twisted Heifer farm store.
We have three girls – Lainey (7), Callie (4), and Maisie (2 months). We have a small farm south of town where we raise the beef, pork and chickens that provide us with the eggs that we sell in the store. We raise the beef with Raylen Tress of Whiskey Hill Farms.
We sarted doing meat bag specials for people to try out the meat and buy a sample pack of what we offer. We thought there would be 10 people on the list the first time we did it so we said we would deliver. It turns out that the people of Golden were happy to buy local meat from local farmers because there were over 100 people on that list!
The farm store was then built so we had a place for people to come and pick up their locally raised meat or pick out the items they wanted to try. Eventually, we added other local goods such as honey, jams, soaps, handmade items and gifts. Everything is farm-related or western-inspired – something that Golden doesn’t offer, something different.
We offer our pork as well, which Brandon and I raise. This year, being the first year we’ve had enough left over from meat packs to sell in the store last year, was more successful than we expected. So we got a few more pigs this year and next year we’ll do the same.
In addition to the meat and gift shop items, we also offer animal feed (from SureCrop). We need a bulk amount of feed for our own animals and found that other people were looking as well, so we brought in extra. From chicken feed to horse feed and everything in between.
How long have you been in business?
One year.
What inspired you to start this type of business and what keeps you going?
What started as me wanting a pet Longhorn cow has become a busy little farm supplying Golden residents with locally raised meat from locally raised farmers. I want to know where my food comes from and how it’s raised and most people feel the same. We’re excited to be able to supply local meat to other families like ours!
What are some of the benefits/ setbacks of running a business in a small rural town?
Lots of local support, this community is amazing. Everyone seems like our family and friends.
How did it feel to win “New Business of the Year”?
Unbelievable! Did not expect it at all. The support we’ve received since starting this all has been nothing short of amazing!
Were there any unexpected challenges that you faced along the way?
Nothing too crazy. One of the issues we had was trying to figure out what day would work best for the farm store to be open. What would work for people to come out, considering I also worked part-time at one of the dental centres in town (before I went on maternity leave). I am also a mother to 3 young kids, so there isn’t a lot of flexibility when it comes to schedules and people to work around.
Any accomplishments you’d like to spotlight?
Obviously, winning the “New Business of the Year” award was amazing, but just the fact that we started with a small idea and it’s had such huge success has been amazing. There’s a lot of hard work and hours that go into farming and the success of the farm store and how people appreciate it makes it all worth it.
What are you looking forward to in the coming years?
Growth – bringing people more local food and offering a service that is easy to access!
For aspiring entrepreneurs, what advice would you give based on your experiences in launching your own business?
Just start, take your small ideas and go with it. You never know what can come of it!
The “New Business of the Year” award was awarded to Twisted Heifer in November 2023 at the Kicking Horse Country Chamber of Commerce Business and Community Excellence Awards (BCEA’s). To learn more about the BCEA’s and what the Chamber does for the local business community, visit their website at www.goldenchamber.bc.ca and follow them on their social media.
If you’re interested in more stories like this, check out our local business stories here.
