- An animal sanctuary in Silicon Valley called Sweet Farm is letting people pay to get llamas, goats, and other farm animals to tune into their video calls for under $100.
- Since launching the service, called Goat 2 Meeting, last month, Sweet Farm had fielded more than 300 requests for animal cameos and virtual field trips in work happy hours and corporate meetings.
- Sweet Farm cofounder Anna Sweet told Business Insider that the money made from Goat 2 Meeting will help the farm recover some of the revenue it's lost due to coronavirus lockdown orders.
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A farm in Silicon Valley is offering remote workers around the world a way to break up the monotony of endless Zoom calls and video chats.
For less than $100, you can request a cameo appearance in your video chat from Sweet Farm's llamas, goats, and other farm animals. The project, called Goat 2 Meeting after the popular conferencing software, allows people to bring farm animals into their work happy hours and corporate conference calls, Sweet Farm cofounder Anna Sweet told Business Insider.
As the coronavirus pandemic leads millions to comply with lockdown orders and make remote working a daily occurrence, employers are turning to video calls on Zoom, Google Hangouts, and other software to mimic face-to-face meetings and conversations. Goat 2 Meeting is just one example of the innovative projects and offerings that have popped up in recent weeks to bring people together - albeit virtually.
Since Goat 2 Meeting opened up in mid-March, more than 300 requests have already been made, Sweet told Business Insider. Sweet Farm's animals have already made appearances in meetings for Fortune 500 companies and tech startups, she said. In one virtual happy hour for a law firm, lawyers brought their kids along to the video call to meet the animals and get a virtual tour of the farm.
People can pay anywhere from $65 to $250 for various interactions with the animals, which include goats, sheep, pigs, cows, turkeys, and llamas - by far the most popular choice. For $65, you get a 20-minute virtual tour of the farm for up to 6 call participants. To book for a bigger meeting, you can pay $100 for a 10-minute animal cameo, or $250 for a 25-minute virtual tour.
Sweet, who also works in tech in Silicon Valley, founded Sweet Farm as a nonprofit animal rescue and sanctuary designed to "connect people to where their food comes from." The farm is usually funded in part by in-person visits, but those have been made impossible due to the coronavirus pandemic. Goat 2 Meeting is a way Sweet Farm can make up for some of its lost revenue, Sweet said.
Sweet Farm is also offering free virtual field trips to schools and nonprofits. Sweet said the farm has already held field trips for schools in the United Kingdom and Brazil, and is soon providing a virtual tour for a homeless shelter in North Carolina.
"I think we're all a little stressed with what's going on, many of us have been sitting inside," Sweet told Business Insider. "We're just hoping to bring some smiles to people's faces, while bringing them out to the farm at the same time."
Those interested in booking a Goat 2 Meeting can do so by filling out this form on Sweet Farm's website.