This feature is a question-and-answer session with a new Blount County Chamber member. So, here we go with our 219th installment visiting with Matt Vick, owner of Smoky Mountain Cattle Company which raises fullblood Japanese wagyu in Maryville and sells wagyu beef direct to consumers via our online store.
Why did you choose this business? This is our way of giving back and showing our love. In my family, if you wanted to show someone you loved them, you fed them. Whether that was at my grandmothers for Sunday lunch or my great grandmother bringing a pound cake over any time she visited or my grandfather providing an annual 4th of July BBQ for the community. Now nobody wants me cooking for them, but one thing that I can do is provide the uncooked food. By running a farm, we get to provide a food source and work to improve and protect the environment we all know and love.
How did you get started? The short answer is that I grew up on a cattle farm in Alabama that raised black angus. I went on to study finance in college at Wofford College and spent the early part of my career as an entrepreneur in the insurance industry. In 2019, I had the opportunity to change professions and ended up going back to my roots. Being a farmer I am able to combine my passions for the environment, being a business owner and supporting my community.
What is your background? It took years. The first set of skills I received was animal husbandry as a youth growing up on a family cattle farm. I learned how to feed cattle, how to identify sick animals, how to assist in laboring, etc. I also learned agriculture operations: how to check cattle indexes, harvest hay, haul animals, seed fields, etc. My next set of skills came in college when I studied finance. Here I learned how to read, interpret, manage and project business finances. Lastly my most recent set of skills that I use came from running my own insurance business. I learned the in’s and out’s of being a business owner.
Who is your biggest fan or mentor? That would be my business partner and father-in-law, Coll Thomson. Out of college, Coll hired me as an insurance salesman and the training began. It really has not stopped since. A few years after being hired, we started another insurance business together and now Smoky Mountain Cattle Co. Throughout the years he has offered insights, training, experience and most importantly encouragement to be confident in my decision making.
Describe your customers. Our customers are local individuals that share a passion for locally sourced food, high-quality food and protecting our environment and agricultural community.
What are three things you wish you knew when starting out?
1. I wish that I knew more about business to consumer marketing. I spent the early part of my career in business to business marketing. I am learning that reaching the consumer can be very different.
2. I wish I knew graphic design better. There are so many ideas that we have as a business, but lack the capability to quickly create needed documents. And being able to have a designer quickly and inexpensively create them can be difficult.
3. I wish that I knew more about financial instruments that could be used in the agriculture industry
What do you enjoy most about your business? There are lots of things I enjoy. First is that I love educating the community on wagyu, agriculture and sustainability. I love providing a local and sustainable food source to the community. I love being a steward of the land. I love being around animals.