Amsterdam Meat Shop

Outside of Manhattan, Montana, Amsterdam Meat Shop’s windmill welcomes local customers. The shop offers local products such as bacon, ham, and beef and provides processing of seven different species for local meat producers. While Jake Feddes was in process of purchasing the iconic meat shop, he was directed towards the availability of a Montana Meat Processing Grant. These grants allow local processors an opportunity to expand capacity due to the lack of processing facilities because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Feddes was referred to Prospera by a friend at the Department of Agriculture to get help with the grant. “I was in contact with [Prospera] because we closed on the business on the 1st of July and the grant had to be in the 2nd of July.” Feddes was fully funded by the state grant that allows the Amsterdam Meat Shop to expand its processing capacity by 50–60% with the addition of equipment. The expansion will be completed by the end of 2020, and Feddes is booked for processing until 2022.

For entrepreneurs looking to start or purchase their own business, Feddes advises, “Do your due diligence before starting or purchasing a business and know what programs are out there to help you. I had no idea about Prospera before I started in this venture, and it’s been such a help to us. I just keep sending people their way if I can because I would never had known what to do or where to start without them.”