article Behind-the-Scenes Update
We wanted to share a behind-the-scenes update with you! The newsletter below is something I’ve been sending out (roughly twice a year) as a way to stay in touch with potential partners, investors, and supporters... basically anyone cheering us on as we build Kakadoodle. It’s a transparent look at our progress, challenges, and vision for the future of local food.
As we enter this next phase of Kakadoodle, we know we can’t do it alone. Up to this point, we’ve been bootstrapping (scrappy and funding Kakadoodle ourselves), and we’ve taken it about as far as we can on our own. We’re now starting to explore what external support looks like, and how to bring in aligned partners who believe in what we’re building.
If you would like to be added to this list, please email marty@kakadoodle.com, and we will make sure you stay updated as well! Thanks for being on this journey with us!
📦 Current Snapshot
💰 We’re now over $40,000 in monthly revenue 🚚 500+ modern households getting chemical-free food delivered to their doorstep 🌾 Supporting 30+ local farms through our marketplace
🐓 Bird Flu, NBC & a Broken Food System
Earlier this year, bird flu wiped out our flock. It was heartbreaking… and then, almost immediately after, federal funding froze. A 1–2 punch that hit hard.
But something beautiful happened. Our customers raised $60,000 on GoFundMe to help keep Kakadoodle going. It was a crazy emotional time, and, it brought MariKate and I to tears multiple times. We realized then that we aren’t just a food delivery service... we’re a growing movement and vital part of our community.
Nearly every local network and NBC National news picked up the story. They spent days on the farm and many hours with their investigative team. The narrative? Empty egg and meat shelves reveal a fragile, centralized food system. The solution isn’t more industrial consolidation. It’s decentralization… thousands of small producers, not hundreds of mega-farms.
Although I didn't realize it, and was not necessarily intentional… that's the system Kakadoodle is building. But it needs a new kind of consumer to support that system.
👩💻 A New Kind of Local Food Customer
The thing I’m most excited about? We’re not just converting CSA or farmers market shoppers… we’re creating a brand-new local food consumer: People who wouldn’t shop at a farmers market People who value convenience and trust People who are willing to pay for clean food… but need it to be easy They find us online. They click a button. They get products from 10+ farms, delivered to their door. That’s the magic.
I don’t see other farms at the farmers market as competition… they serve a different audience. We’re reaching the ones they can’t.
🚀 What’s Next?
We’re exploring funding options… not just to survive this tough season, but to level up.
We're proving it can be done in Chicago. Then expanding into other markets and do it again.
As always, if this sparks any ideas, questions, or you just want to chat - I'm around.
