Mayberry Slaughter

Mayberry’s Customer Slaughter, LLC is a custom meat processor in Cookeville, Tennessee.  This family-oriented business processes custom cuts of beef, pork, sheep, goat, and deer. Owners Dewey and his wife Nikki Mayberry were looking to start their own business so Dewey, a 20-year pipeline industry worker would have more time at home with his family. When surveying a need in their area and the knowledge they had about deer harvesting they knew entering the meat processing industry would be a successful venture.

Dewey and Nikki sought the assistance of the TSBDC at the Upper Cumberland District (UCDD) for assistance. Having never owned a business they needed advisement from the ground up. The TSBDC consultants at UCDD explained the process of starting a business, legal structures, writing a business plan, financial projections, resource referrals, and capital options. After Dewey and Nikki constructed a complete business plan using the Live Plan tool provided by the TSBDC, the consultants assisted them in finding a lender for their start-up capital. The couple was able to open their business in October of 2022, creating five full-time jobs for their community.

Since opening, the business has been extremely successful, with custom processing orders booked months in advance.

Dewey and Nikki Mayberry have this to say about their work with the TSBDC at UCDD, “What Tyler and Jodi helped us do at the TSBDC was nothing short of amazing. They explained every aspect of the business process to us, helped us get our ducks in a row, and gave us all the obstacles we might face. Even when we got turned down on the first loan, Tyler reassured us, we looked at the numbers again, made a few adjustments, and went to the next lender. We can’t thank the SBDC enough for what they did for our business.”