Alpine Made LLC, Kerry J Planck-Beiter
Kerry Beiter will be expanding within the next five years. "I'm using revenues from the soap & skincare business to escalate production & hire a second full-time employee next year (2016), double my production in two years, and triple production thereafter, in addition to adding a 600-square-foot addition to my production shop."
In Jan. of 2015, Kerry secured her first USDA business loan to build a barn allowing for goat herd expansion, doubling numbers in just a few years. To promote & sell her products, Alpine Made partners with a handful of local stores, including Kitchen & Table of East Aurora, Feel-Rite Natural Food Shoppes in Buffalo, Her Story Shop on Elmwood Ave in Buffalo, The Farm Shop in Buffalo, and a few Organic Health Food Stores in Manhattan, NY. She also sells at five local farmers’ markets, including the Elmwood-Bidwell Market in Buffalo, NY on Sat. from 8-1 pm. This year she's added several large venue festivals such as The Elmwood Festival of the Arts in Buffalo, & the Letchworth Arts & Crafts Festival in Letchworth Park.
Kerry Beiter owns & operates Alpine Made, a line of organic goat milk products created using the milk produced at Beiter & Sons' Farm, her 8-acre goat farm. She currently has 34 Alpine dairy goats that she milks twice a day, using the organic milk in her soap & skincare.
Kerry's farm is certified organic by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York. She obtained two USDA grants to build her farming infrastructure. Kerry spends at least 80 hours a week working the farm, making soap/skincare & selling at local markets as well as small stores & on her website. "Getting the organic certification was difficult, but it was worth the effort." Her already sustainable methods made the certification process a little easier.
Alpine Made has worked with SCORE for over two years, gaining invaluable insight into every aspect of business start-up & in-business advice. SCORE's Straight Talk Series helped jump-start Kerry's business planning & helped implement sound business practices while facilitating needed changes for growth along the way. Alpine Made is a member of the BBB upon recommendation from SCORE mentoring.
5 yrs at Bloomingdales New York City, 35 years CEO at Sample Inc (retail chain in Buffalo NY), 21...
