Taylor’s memory
Mattsons remember, honor daughter
with business
By Rae Lanzrath
STAFF WRITER
KENSINGTON — What is in a name? Whether a farm, a person or a pet, a name is typically the first piece of information people know. For the crew at Taylor’s Market, the name is more than words.
In April 2021, Taylor Mattson died in a car accident at 16 years old. Nearly four years after her death, her memory lives on through her family, their farm and their business — Taylor’s Market.
“She would have loved this; she was all about family and doing things as a unit,” said Kerri, Taylor’s mom. “It’s a great way to honor her.”
Taylor’s parents, Matt and Kerri, and brother, Zach, and Zach’s wife, Jenna, own and operate Taylor’s Market. They sell beef, lamb, pork and goat meat as well as goat milk and pet food products through their online store.
The Mattsons opened Taylor’s Market in June 2024. Their goal was to create a business that would provide locally raised meat in a user-friendly way. They said they focus on selling in smaller amounts, using the internet and becoming a resource for their customers.
Prior to opening, something was missing from the business: a name. Zach and Jenna had the idea of using the business as an opportunity to memorialize Taylor.
“They came up with the name, and it just felt right,” Kerri said.
While the name is the family’s way of remembering Taylor, it also serves as their daily reminder to live their lives the way Taylor lived hers, Jenna said.
“She was just one of those people that anyone could get along with,” Jenna said. “She had passion, and she loved what she did.”
Once the business officially opened, the family began selling small cuts of meat rather than traditional quarters or halves.
“In today’s economy, most people can’t afford buying a quarter or half of beef,” Kerri said.
“We understand that the market has changed so much over the years, and it’s just not feasible anymore.”
Customers can purchase meat from the Barn2Door website, choosing pre-made bundles or customizing their order. They also can choose if they would like their products delivered, or they can set up a pickup time.
“More people are wanting to get homegrown products instead of going to the grocery store,” Kerri said.
While Taylor’s Market is relatively new for the family, farming is not. Matt’s parents, Rodger and Patty, ran a dairy farm until 2016. The farm began before Rodger was born, and Matt grew up there as well. Along with the dairy, the Mattson family has raised cattle for custom-exempt butchering for more than 40 years. They sold the beef in quarters, halves or as whole animals.
The Mattson children — Zach, Austin and Taylor — grew up on the family farm, and all three kids inherited a passion for agriculture and farming from their parents. The boys both work in the industry, and Taylor participated in 4-H showing dairy cattle.
Kerri wears many hats, from being the farm’s bookkeeper to serving on the Pope County Farm Bureau Board. Rodger, Matt and Austin all work on the farm full time, where they grow around 2,200 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa and raise Holstein steers. Zach works for Jenniges Meat Processing in Brooten.
“He’s able to butcher our animals, and they’re USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) inspected (at Jenniges) so we can sell it,” Jenna said. “It works out really well.”
Zach, Jenna and their daughter, Paige, raise sheep, goats and pigs at their farm down the road from Matt and Kerri. When she is not at the farm, Jenna works as a veterinary technician at H&H Veterinary Service in Benson. Jenna and Zach also make the deliveries and run the social media for Taylor’s Market.
“We’re the go, go, go in the business, and Matt and Kerri are the anchors,” Jenna said. “They slow us down and bring us back to reality. Zach and I are a bit more impulsive.”
Matt and Kerri originally had the idea to run the business several years ago, and it was just something in the back of their minds, Kerri said. Zach and Jenna were the ones who decided they should do it and then helped make it happen.
“It’s a good partnership because we balance each other out,” Jenna said.
The family has big goals for the future of Taylor’s Market. From farmers markets to a store front and everything in between, they are constantly thinking of new possibilities. As the family works tirelessly to care for their animals, grow their crops and run their business, they are motivated by their memories of Taylor.
“Everything she did, she did it with her whole heart,” Kerri said.
with business
By Rae Lanzrath
STAFF WRITER
KENSINGTON — What is in a name? Whether a farm, a person or a pet, a name is typically the first piece of information people know. For the crew at Taylor’s Market, the name is more than words.
In April 2021, Taylor Mattson died in a car accident at 16 years old. Nearly four years after her death, her memory lives on through her family, their farm and their business — Taylor’s Market.
“She would have loved this; she was all about family and doing things as a unit,” said Kerri, Taylor’s mom. “It’s a great way to honor her.”
Taylor’s parents, Matt and Kerri, and brother, Zach, and Zach’s wife, Jenna, own and operate Taylor’s Market. They sell beef, lamb, pork and goat meat as well as goat milk and pet food products through their online store.
The Mattsons opened Taylor’s Market in June 2024. Their goal was to create a business that would provide locally raised meat in a user-friendly way. They said they focus on selling in smaller amounts, using the internet and becoming a resource for their customers.
Prior to opening, something was missing from the business: a name. Zach and Jenna had the idea of using the business as an opportunity to memorialize Taylor.
“They came up with the name, and it just felt right,” Kerri said.
While the name is the family’s way of remembering Taylor, it also serves as their daily reminder to live their lives the way Taylor lived hers, Jenna said.
“She was just one of those people that anyone could get along with,” Jenna said. “She had passion, and she loved what she did.”
Once the business officially opened, the family began selling small cuts of meat rather than traditional quarters or halves.
“In today’s economy, most people can’t afford buying a quarter or half of beef,” Kerri said.
“We understand that the market has changed so much over the years, and it’s just not feasible anymore.”
Customers can purchase meat from the Barn2Door website, choosing pre-made bundles or customizing their order. They also can choose if they would like their products delivered, or they can set up a pickup time.
“More people are wanting to get homegrown products instead of going to the grocery store,” Kerri said.
While Taylor’s Market is relatively new for the family, farming is not. Matt’s parents, Rodger and Patty, ran a dairy farm until 2016. The farm began before Rodger was born, and Matt grew up there as well. Along with the dairy, the Mattson family has raised cattle for custom-exempt butchering for more than 40 years. They sold the beef in quarters, halves or as whole animals.
The Mattson children — Zach, Austin and Taylor — grew up on the family farm, and all three kids inherited a passion for agriculture and farming from their parents. The boys both work in the industry, and Taylor participated in 4-H showing dairy cattle.
Kerri wears many hats, from being the farm’s bookkeeper to serving on the Pope County Farm Bureau Board. Rodger, Matt and Austin all work on the farm full time, where they grow around 2,200 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa and raise Holstein steers. Zach works for Jenniges Meat Processing in Brooten.
“He’s able to butcher our animals, and they’re USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) inspected (at Jenniges) so we can sell it,” Jenna said. “It works out really well.”
Zach, Jenna and their daughter, Paige, raise sheep, goats and pigs at their farm down the road from Matt and Kerri. When she is not at the farm, Jenna works as a veterinary technician at H&H Veterinary Service in Benson. Jenna and Zach also make the deliveries and run the social media for Taylor’s Market.
“We’re the go, go, go in the business, and Matt and Kerri are the anchors,” Jenna said. “They slow us down and bring us back to reality. Zach and I are a bit more impulsive.”
Matt and Kerri originally had the idea to run the business several years ago, and it was just something in the back of their minds, Kerri said. Zach and Jenna were the ones who decided they should do it and then helped make it happen.
“It’s a good partnership because we balance each other out,” Jenna said.
The family has big goals for the future of Taylor’s Market. From farmers markets to a store front and everything in between, they are constantly thinking of new possibilities. As the family works tirelessly to care for their animals, grow their crops and run their business, they are motivated by their memories of Taylor.
“Everything she did, she did it with her whole heart,” Kerri said.
