KANSAS CITY, MO. – Boston-based Five Way Foods manufactures premium beef, chicken and fish bone broths — in addition to a vegetable option — using locally sourced bones, vegetables and herbs. The broths are slow simmered for hours in order to extract vitamins and minerals.
The humble bone broth has seen a resurgence in popularity, due, in part, to consumer interest in high-protein, low-carb diets. Bone broths are a fairly good source of protein, containing anywhere from 6 to 12 grams per cup and combined with other ingredients like vegetables, bone broths may also provide trace amounts of other nutrients such as iron, zinc, and vitamins A and K, to name a few.
John Hopkins, founder of Five Way Foods, seized on the bone broth moment about five years ago. He was building his culinary skills in his home kitchen, cooking meals for his family. His youngest son had food allergies, so it was crucial that he pay strict attention to ingredients; whole foods were 
As his skill level in the kitchen continued to improve and he was using better cuts of meat and other ingredients, he started to ask himself, “Why am I getting a great piece of meat, locally sourced vegetables and other things, and then taking a carton of broth that’s probably been in my cabinet for weeks or months and then pouring it into that dish?”
Five Way Foods was born out of that experience.
The company was on the way to establishing a comfortable niche in farmers markets, Whole Foods stores and some foodservice operations; but then came the global pandemic.
This episode of the MEAT+POULTRY podcast is a profile of Five Way Foods, how Hopkins started the company, where he thinks it’s headed and how its flagship product reflects his values about community, sustainability, stewardship and good health.
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