Meat brand Shenandoah Valley Organic raises $15m in funding

Shenandoah Valley Organic (SVO), a meat company based in Virginia, has secured $15 million in funding, to expand its retail footprint and develop its Farmer Focus brand.

According to a statement from SVO, the funding will be used to invest in plant modernisation to increase throughput volumes and to expand its marketing and brand outreach focused on growing its Farmer Focus brand across the US.

Founded in 2014, SVO said it offers partnerships with its farmers, to ensure they retain ownership and grow profitability while also providing traceable organic meat.

“We are pleased to add investors and advisors to the SVO team who share in our vision and mission and offer deep expertise across the retail and supply chain,” said SVO’s CEO Heatwole.

Heatwole added: “This investment will enable SVO to continue expanding our retail footprint and Farmer Focus brand offerings.”

The round was led by venture capital firm NRV with participation from Open Prairie, as well as existing investors S2G Ventures and Middleland Capital’s VTC Innovation Fund.

Laura Markley, managing director of NRV said: “Shenandoah Valley Organic is an incredible growth story out of Harrisonburg, VA, and NRV is excited to be part of their future as they continue to expand the Farmer Focus organic meat brand.

“Their best-in-class traceability links products on the shelf back to the specific family farm that sourced them, providing transparency along with a high-quality, clean-label, organic product.”