Total Investment: $455,000
Program Used: PA Industrial Development Authority (PIDA) Loan
Project Description:
Eleven Oaks Farm, founded in 2012, is a family-owned enterprise located in Newville. The Shuster family, who also owns Newville Construction Company, has expanded the farm to include raising Wagyu Beef and Gloucestershire Hogs. The specialty beef products, marketed as Blue Mountain Wagyu, are non-GMO modified, pasture-raised and humanely tended and genetically optimized for marbling and taste.
The Blue Mountain Wagyu brand is marketed to high-end restaurants for its superior taste and texture of steaks, roasts, and ground beef. Due to the high demand for the beef, the farm needed to grow its herd size in a sustainable and healthy manner, and has begun its own genetic management activity. Through assistance from CAEDC in partnership with AgChoice Farm Credit, Eleven Oaks received a $227,500 loan from PIDA to acquire the additional needed farmland.
Testimonial:
“The benefits of working with CAEDC stretch beyond helping us secure funding for our growing Wagyu Cattle and Gloucestershire Hog farm,” said Jim Shuster, Eleven Oaks Farm owner. “They assisted us all the way through the loan process, helped to make connections and relationships to expand our reach within the region, and offered guidance for continuing to market ourselves and our products.”
