DECATUR, ARK. — Cooks Venture, a poultry processor that marketed the environmental sustainability of the products it produced, has ceased operations and closed facilities in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

In a letter to employees on Nov. 17 the company said, “While we would have preferred to provide you with more notice, due to the unexpected and last-minute lack of financing for the company’s continued operations, we were unable to do so. The company has, since at least as early as Sept. 1, 2023, been engaged in serious discussions with investors to obtain financing which, if obtained, would have enabled the company to avoid a shutdown and continue its operations. Unfortunately, earlier this week we learned that the company would not be able to obtain the anticipated financing.”

Founded in 2019, Cooks Venture combined regenerative agriculture with transparency and had the goal of improving the agricultural supply chain. In 2022, the company received $50 million in funding from the technology company PIUS.

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