Josh Curtiss and Kate Kavanaugh

Owners, Western Daughters Butcher Shop

In 2013 Kate Kavanaugh and Josh Curtiss opened Western Daughters Butcher Shop in the LoHi neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. One of the first whole animal butcher shops in the West, Western Daughters focuses on grass-fed and pasture-raised meats in partnership with local ranches. Kavanaugh and Curtiss came together 8 years ago after having forged very different paths for themselves. Kavanaugh, a photographer who had pursued biology and anthropology at CU Denver and Arizona State, became passionate about food after leaving vegetarianism soon after their meeting. Curtiss, a master carpenter and sculpture artist, left his job running a company that built interactive children’s spaces in public libraries to continue his lifelong journey of learning skills to apply to his own venture. The two have spent the last four years on a pursuit to build a better food system in the state of Colorado, forging relationships between processors, farmers, and consumers all the while exploring the idea that good food should be a byproduct of conservation.