Specialty food makers & markets
Books and taxes for butcher shops and meat markets.
Whole animal purchases, custom cutting for hunters, restaurant wholesale accounts, and a retail counter that sells everything from the same carcass. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
October came in at $11,700. Custom processing for hunters picked up hard this month, so I kept those fees separate from your regular counter and wholesale sales.
- Retail counter salesCounter sales
- Restaurant wholesale invoiceWholesale orders
- Custom processing feesCustom cutting fees
- Local farm, whole beef purchaseLivestock and whole animal cost
- Sausage casings and cureCuring and sausage supplies
Why your books are different
A butcher shop's books go wrong around the whole animal.
You are not buying pre-cut inventory by the case. One animal becomes steaks, ground meat, sausage, and bones, each worth something different, and hunters bring in their own meat for custom cutting. When the books do not track that, you cannot tell what a carcass actually earned.
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1
A whole animal's cost never gets tied to what it becomes
One steer becomes dozens of cuts sold at wildly different prices, from prime steaks to ground beef to bones for stock. Bought as one lump cost, you cannot tell whether the whole animal actually paid off.
What we doKeeps whole animal purchases in their own line and tracks sales by cut category, so the real return on a carcass is visible over time. -
2
Custom cutting fees get blended with retail meat sales
Processing a hunter's own deer or hog for a flat fee is a service, not a meat sale, but the two often land in the same income bucket, which hides how much of your business is service work versus product sales.
What we doKeeps custom cutting fees in their own category, separate from retail and wholesale meat sales. -
3
Curing and sausage-making costs disappear into general supplies
Casings, cure, and spices for house-made sausage are real recurring costs, but filed as generic supplies they get lost in a category that does not show what your value-added products actually cost to make.
What we doKeeps curing and sausage supplies in their own line so you can see what your house-made products really cost. -
4
Shrink and trim loss are never counted
A carcass loses weight in trimming, aging, and processing, and that loss is real and expected, but it rarely gets written down anywhere as a cost.
What we doTracks trim loss and unsold aged product as its own cost so the real yield from an animal is visible, not assumed.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a butcher shop.
Set up once for how you sell and what you buy. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Counter salesRetail meat sales at the shop, cash and card.
- Wholesale ordersRestaurants and grocers buying by the case.
- Custom cutting feesProcessing fees for hunters and farmers bringing in their own animals.
- Value-added product salesHouse-made sausage, jerky, and cured meats.
Money out
- Livestock and whole animal costCattle, hogs, or lambs bought whole or by the half from local farms or auctions.
- Curing and sausage suppliesCasings, cure, spices, and smokehouse wood.
- USDA or state inspection feesMeat inspection and licensing required for wholesale and retail sales.
- Refrigeration and freezer costsWalk-in cooler and freezer maintenance and utilities.
- PackagingVacuum bags, butcher paper, and labels.
- Equipment maintenanceBand saws, grinders, and slicers.
What we watch for you
- Yield per animal
Sellable cuts against carcass weight bought. A drop points to processing loss worth a look.
- Margin by category
Counter, wholesale, and custom cutting rarely earn the same. Watching them apart shows what to grow.
- Custom cutting volume
How much of your income is service fees versus meat sales, useful during hunting season.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax time is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things butcher shop owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Once all the cuts from it sold, it came out ahead of what you paid, once you count the ground beef and bones along with the steaks. I track it that way so one animal's full return is visible.
It brings in steady fees at a good margin since there is no meat cost on your end. I kept it split from retail sales so you can see how much it is adding this season.
Usually a USDA or state inspection on the facility, and the exact requirement depends on your state and whether you are selling across state lines. That call is above my pay grade, but I keep your inspection fees tracked either way.
The tax side
The tax side of a butcher shop.
Most of what matters here is tracking a whole animal's cost through everything it becomes, and keeping custom cutting fees honest as the service work they are.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Inventory and cost of goods soldOnly the meat and supplies that went into what you sold this year count as cost of goods. Aged or frozen inventory stays on the books until it sells.
- Equipment write-offsBand saws, grinders, smokehouses, and refrigeration can usually be written off in the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent, permanent, for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA part-time cutter or delivery driver not on payroll who you pay $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- The pass-through deductionMost owners can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit before it is taxed. It comes out right only when counter, wholesale, and custom cutting income are tracked cleanly all year.
Deductions butcher shops and meat markets miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Livestock and whole animal purchases
- Casings and cure
- USDA or state inspection fees
- Vacuum bags and butcher paper
- Band saw and grinder repairs
- Refrigeration and freezer upkeep
- Smokehouse wood or fuel
- Delivery mileage to accounts
- Employee cutting gloves and aprons
- Scale calibration
- Signage and case labels
- Business liability insurance
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A butcher shop year, kept every month.
Hunting season, holiday roasts, and grilling season each shift what moves off the counter. Your team keeps you ahead of the tax deadlines through all of it. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for helpers is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your business return is filed and signed, ahead of grilling season demand.
- July
Grilling season check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how summer counter sales compare to last year's.
- October
Before hunting and holiday season
Custom cutting for hunters and holiday roast orders both pick up. Gus looks at freezer capacity and whole animal buying before the year's busiest stretch.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for butcher shops and meat markets. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions butcher shop owners ask first.
Can Gus track what a whole animal actually earns once it is broken down?
Yes. Whole animal cost and cut sales are tracked so you can see the full return on a carcass, not just one cut at a time.
How does Gus handle custom cutting fees for hunters?
They get their own category apart from retail and wholesale meat sales, since it is service work with no meat cost on your end.
Do I need a special inspection to sell wholesale to restaurants?
Usually yes, and the exact requirement depends on your state and whether sales cross state lines. That determination is outside what Gus handles, but he keeps your inspection costs tracked.
Does Gus track meat trim loss and shrinkage?
Yes, as its own cost, so the real yield from an animal is visible instead of assumed from the purchase price alone.
My books are behind from a busy hunting season. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have and he sorts them by animal cost, channel, and fees. Most owners know where they stand within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever