Happy Cow Milk
Age of company:
5 years (Happy Cow 1.0 and 2.0 combined)
Sector:
Agriculture
Annual Revenue:
Projected to $299k in FY22
Campaign link:
Total Raised:
$400,000
Number of Investors
557
Country:
New Zealand
Background
The founder of Happy Cow Milk, Glen Herud, walked away from dairy farming in 2004 because of the industryβs damage to the environment and cruelty to livestock. In 2015, he returned to dairy farming and founded Happy Cow Milk 1.0, which was a kinder, more sustainable way of dairy farming.
Unfortunately, the model was not as profitable as heβd hoped. In 2018, he reluctantly announced to his customers that he would be closing up shop.
Messages of support and donations from his customers came pouring in; his customers were refusing to let Happy Cow Milk close. This inspired Glen to reinvent the Happy Cow Milk model through a new piece of technology that would facilitate both kinder, more sustainable dairy and profit. To fund this technology, Glen turned to the people who backed him and who showed they love what he does: his crowd.
“Happy Cow Milk exists today because of our crowd - people who refused to give up on the idea of kinder, greener, fairer dairy.
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Timeline
What worked well?
Being sure that the Happy Cow Milk crowd would get behind them
Glenβs crowd had already shown him that they were willing and able to support him in growing his business (emotionally and financially).
Being open-minded and willing to learn
Glen was open to advice and ideas throughout the process, taking full advantage of the know-how in his own team and the PledgeMe team.
A good team
Copywriting, social media, advisors, design: all aspects of the Happy Cow Milk campaign were covered by experts who worked hard together.
Good Comms
They kept their crowd in the loop throughout the process and had a clear communication plan.
It was a great redemption story
Happy Cow Milk βrose from the ashesβ as Stuff put it. They had a heartwarming story that included admitting failure, and they werenβt afraid to tell it.
What could be improved?
The Information Memorandum (IM) should have had the founder involved from the start - While the first drafts of the IM were adequate, the personality and passion of Happy Cow Milk really came through when the founder Glen got involved.
Conclusion
Happy Cow Milk raised $400k through 577 shareholders.
Happy Cow Milk had a vision for kinder, more ethical and sustainable dairy. They are inventing and testing a technology that could solve the issue of the scalability of their ethical, sustainable model of dairy farming. In order to fund this new technology, they turned to the people who love and support what they do the most: their crowd of customers, friends, family and fans.
Your action plan
Putting it into practice
Cultivate the relationship with your crowd
Being open and transparent with your crowd is a great way to foster your relationship with them. Sometimes, admitting your failures can be just as important as touting your successes. After all, they love what you do so theyβll support you!
Have a clear communication plan beforehand
Be prepared with a clear calendar for all campaign dates and deadlines: social media campaigns, media releases, team check-ins and related events. Talking to your crowd is key for crowdfunding success.
Tell your story
Get the media involved. If you have a great story to tell, tell it! People love hearing about how a crowd of people got together to make magic happen. Be prepared to spend money to market and run your campaign.
How can PledgeMe help?
If youβre considering an equity crowdfunding campaign, weβre ready to help. Contact us for a chat.
You can also learn more about creating a crowdfunding campaign in New Zealand or in Australia on our main website.
