Lucy Patto Davidson was in the woods, cooking an entire lamb over a fire when she first met Kat Goldin – the two names behind Goat Rodeo Goods.
It is hard to think of a more perfect meet for a duo whose professional relationship has been defined by food.
Instead of whole animal carcasses, however, the two women are now bonding over a range of their own boisterous pickles, preserves and spice blends.
How Goat Rodeo Goods started
Kat and Lucy’s kitchen provision company Goat Rodeo Goods started as a means of using surplus crops from both local farmers and their own farm-to-table event space, Fodder + Farm.
As Lucy tells me: “Crates and crates of cucumbers arrived so we put our thinking caps on and came up with a few different varieties of pickles as well as a few other bits and bobs.
“We had a Christmas market in the barn and the pickles sold out immediately.”
This initial success saw the duo head down to Glasgow in 2024 to secure some more cucumbers.
They got slightly more than they bargained for.
“There was a bit of miscommunication about how many cucumbers come on a pallet,” Lucy says, laughing.
“We thought we were getting enough to make 200 jars, but it was actually enough to make 2,000 jars.”
Kat and Lucy subsequently spent two weeks working round the clock to pickle the cucumbers before they went off.
“We thought that’d last us the year, but the whole lot sold out in six weeks,” Lucy says.
An expanded range of products
Goat Rodeo Goods now boasts a core range of pickles, spice blends, rubs and flavoured salts.
Kat – who is from Iowa – tells me: “All our products are led by Lucy and her experiences as a chef.
“However, I like to think I have some input when it comes to pickles. Of course, American pickles are very different to British pickles.”
The duo’s combined vision has seen them develop three types of cucumber pickles.
“The Bad Boy Bread and Butter Pickles, I like to call that our gateway pickle,” Lucy tells me.
“The Hell or High Water is a spicy little mumma. It’s pretty punchy, very vinegar forward. Spicy, sour, salty – it’s our hardcore pickle.”
In terms of spice blends, Goat Rodeo Goods is known for its Better Than Sex Roast Potato Seasoning which, I’m told, lives up to its name.
Another standout product is Spicy Disco Mix, a blend of pink peppercorn, parsley, juniper, orange and Aleppo pepper.
“We always prioritise British produce,” Kat tells me.
“But ingredients like pink peppercorns don’t grow in the UK. It’s about making considered choices and then working out what the next best option is.”
“We’re realists,” Lucy adds.
Branding as bold as the flavours
While Lucy is a private chef who specialises in live fire cooking and game, Kat is a bona fide food creative having worked as a publisher, photographer and writer.
Her skills behind the screen and camera have ensured that the Goat Rodeo Goods brand is both striking and quirky.
“It all kind of started with wanting to change the narrative around seasonal food,” Lucy says.
The duo go on to explain that the marketing of seasonal food products can often be sanctimonious.
“Who wants to be preached to like that?” Lucy asks.
Aside from perfectly encapsulating the duo’s free-spirited personalities, the branding is also professional.
“Having all that previous experience allowed us to launch with a higher production value than we otherwise might have had,” Kat says.
There’s no doubt this has contributed to the brand’s success.
Continuing to reduce waste
Although it is impossible to make all their products using surplus food, Lucy and Kat continue to tackle waste where they can.
Any pickles that cannot be sold are dehydrated and used to make Goat Rodeo Goods’ range of pickle salts. This same technique is used to make the brand’s kimchi-flavoured salt.
“We’re continuing to work with local, small farms,” Kat says, explaining that they often buy excess veg and use it to make a range of limited-edition products.
Aside from saving good food from going on the compost, this also means local farmers get paid for otherwise worthless stock.
Kat and Lucy have previously made green tomato salsa, Scottish-grown chilli honey and pickled charred stems using excess produce.
The duo is also committed to helping consumers reduce waste.
On social media they have launched a series called Brine Time, which teaches people how to use leftover pickling brine.
The future for Goat Rodeo Goods
In May, it was announced that their company had won a Scottish EDGE award. The company received both cash and an advertising allowance.
When I asked what they planned to spend the money on, Kat said: “For us, it is really about leveraging our efficiencies here.
“We want to ensure that our growth is built upon solid foundations.”
Focusing on the here and now also means that they will likely bounce their advertising allowance to next year.
“Creativity needs space and time,” Lucy tells me.
“When we do it, we’re not going to half do it, we’re going to go for it.”
Of that, I have no doubt.
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