One steer, one field, one run of the kitchen. A known quantity with a known cost.
One lotA single, countable batch of food
02
The lot is divided into shares
Quarter, half, full. Priced from the producer's actual cost plus margin, not from retail comparison.
¼ · ½ · 1Share sizes cut from the lot
03
Members buy shares before the season
Price locks at purchase. What the member pays in spring is what the food costs them, whatever happens to grocery prices later.
Price lockedSet on the day of purchase
04
The producer gets paid up front
This is the part that matters. Working capital before planting, not after harvest.
Paid in fullBefore any cost is sunk
05
Members draw down over time
Some goods are held; some are picked up on a schedule. Which is which depends on the product.
Balance ↓Units leave the share as they're taken
06
The ledger tracks the balance
Every member sees what they've bought, taken, and have left. Nothing is guessed at either end.
Bought − takenThe remainder is the member's balance
The storage question
What gets held, what doesn't
Lumpy and storable
Example: Beef, pork, grain, honey, firewood
Model: Held inventory
Arrives in one large quantity. Sits in cold or dry storage until drawn down.
Continuous and perishable
Example: Vegetables, eggs, dairy
Model: Pre-order, pickup window
Comes in steadily and won't wait. The share funds the season; the member chooses each pickup.
Processed
Example: Sauce, kraut, stock, preserves
Model: Either — this is the bridge
Shelf-stable output made from perishable input. Can be held like beef or ordered like produce.
Product type
Example
Model
Lumpy and storable
Beef, pork, grain, honey, firewood
Held inventoryArrives in one large quantity. Sits in cold or dry storage until drawn down.
Continuous and perishable
Vegetables, eggs, dairy
Pre-order, pickup windowComes in steadily and won't wait. The share funds the season; the member chooses each pickup.
Processed
Sauce, kraut, stock, preserves
Either — this is the bridgeShelf-stable output made from perishable input. Can be held like beef or ordered like produce.
Preserving turns a harvest window into a year.
A field of tomatoes may need to move in three weeks. Sauce can be drawn down in February. Conversion makes surplus useful instead of leaving the loss with the producer.
