Cassie and Chelsey Maschhoff know pork better than most. They grew up on a hog farm in rural Illinois, where pork was on the menu nearly every day.
But outside farm country, pork has a PR problem. It’s seen as unhealthy, over-processed, and out of step with how people want to eat.
The sisters set out to fix that with Lottie’s Meats, leading with chef-crafted recipes, clean cuts, and full traceability back to family farms, they’re making a pork product consumers trust.
What we cover:
- Fixing pork’s reputation with category repositioning
- Why they went restaurant-first before retail
- How starting small can be the secret to scale
Spot the category gap. Cassie and Chelsey grew up eating pork daily. “We always joke we were force fed pork our entire life,” says Cassie. But as adults, they noticed most people weren’t eating pork at all. That insight became the idea for Lottie’s, a fun, chef-crafted sausage brand.
Use foodservice as your launchpad. Before they were retail-ready, Lottie’s sold through pizzerias and bakeries that knew Chelsey’s work as a chef. Those early placements gave them credibility and cash flow, without expensive packaging or marketing spend.
Demo with context, not just samples. Lottie’s runs 30+ demos a month. But they just don’t hand out samples. They bring recipe cards and meal ideas, turning first-time tasters into repeat buyers.
Start with a co-packer that fits your business today, not someday. They started with a small co-packer before moving up. “It sucks to start over, but starting too big would have just burned us and we would’ve never gotten off the ground,” says Chelsey.
USDA compliance is a system. It’s up to you to manage it. The hardest part of USDA compliance isn’t the rules. It’s keeping your own paperwork straight. “Have your recipes. Write your SOPs. Build in buffers,” Cassie says.
Getting to the meat of things
Pork by the numbers
#1: Pork is the most consumed protein in the world
30+ demos/month: Average number of tastings Lottie’s runs across stores
100% traceability: Every cut sourced back to family farms
Try this if you’re in a USDA-regulated category
Start with your network. Lottie’s launched through foodservice partners they already knew. That gave them revenue and traction before going retail.
Pick a co-packer that fits your size and stage. A smaller facility gives you more control and confidence, with fewer risks. Scale only when you’re ready.
Build systems for USDA before you need them. Consultants help, but organization is what gets you to your goal. Write out your SOPs. Prep your formulas for scale.
Solve what’s in front of you. Legacy food categories are slow by design. “It’s a game of inches, but every step moves the business forward,” says Cassie. You don’t need to move fast. You just need to keep moving.
The full Lottie’s Meats playbook: Building a better pork brand, from farm to fork.
