In fulfilling the mission to have staff tour vendors, we recently visited Kadejan Farms in Glenwood, Minn. Kadejan Farms supplies our store with most of the poultry we sell, chicken and of course, turkey for the holidays.
We loaded up two 15-passenger vans with staff from the Deli and Meat departments and journeyed to Kadejan’s headquarters overlooking the beautiful Lake Minnewaska. Here we saw firsthand the vertical-integration business model employed by Kadejan. Beginning with the hatchery, all the way to composting the feathers, Kadejan is self-sufficient at each level of production. Right now, they are even working on acquiring a grain mill to grind their own feed. This model allows a relatively small operation like Kadejan to consistently supply Twin Cities-based restaurants and co-ops with high quality fresh chicken. So next time you are at the meat counter, be sure to ask a staff member about his or her experience with vendor tours!