Friday Apr 04, 2025

#98 - Cole Mannix @ Old Salt Co-Op - Montana’s Multi-Faceted Regenerative Meat Brand

On this episode, we are joined by Cole Mannix who is the Founder and President of Old Salt Co-Op.

Old Salt Co-Op is supporting regenerative agriculture with a collection of vertically integrated businesses bringing regeneratively raised meat to consumers. The Old Salt brand was created by a group of family ranches in Montana to provide a better food system and future for their land, their animals, and their customers.

Old Salt sells meat direct-to-consumers online, they operate two restaurants in Helena, Montana, and they’re also operating and acquiring meat processing facilities in the region. All with the goal of selling damn fine Montana meat based on one simple idea: land is kin.

In this episode, Cole details why these family ranches created Old Salt in search of a better alternative to the commodity market, why their focus is to turn consumers into citizens, and how their model can eventually triple rancher margins by creating equity upside for producers.

We chat with Cole about the why and how behind the complex Old Salt ecosystem of enterprises, the legendary Old Salt Festival coming up in June, why he wants to start a grain-finished program, and so much more.

Episode Highlights:

🤝 Why 3 ranching families united to start the brand

💥 Their unique corporate structure and multiple businesses

🔥 Why land and community are the same thing

🐺 How their ranching partners co-exist with wolves

💭 Building an experiential brand not tied to claims or certifications

👀 Their plans to add a grain-finished beef offering

🤯 Why downstream consolidation is the problem - not production

👎 Regulatory and financial barriers preventing regional meat processing

💯 Turning customers into citizens

👉 Their plans to triple rancher margins

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