Can ambitious rural Minnesotans bring in new people to revitalize the tradition of local butcher shops and meat processing lockers in Minnesota?

Judging from the experience new local meat processors shared at a Minnesota Farmers Union Bottleneck Project workshop, the answer is a qualified yes.

A 2022 report, Meat Processing Bottlenecks, found that 33 percent of existing meat processors and meat lockers are without a fully developed succession plan. For the small to mid-sized livestock farmers who rely on these businesses, losing one-third of the state’s butcher shops and meat lockers threatens their livelihood and by extension, the prosperity of rural communities.

As Bottleneck Project organizer, we’re working on promoting resiliency in greater Minnesota’s small local meat lockers.

It’s important to local communities and it allows farmers the option through direct marketing to increase their bottom line while providing meat to their local communities.

The Bottleneck Project was developed with the support of the Minnesota Farmers Union, University of Minnesota Rural Sustainable Development Program and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to support family farmers and the local food economy in rural Minnesota. The event held April 20 at St. Mary’s Church in Willmar is a continuation of that work.

Tough, but rewarding

“Don’t get into this industry unless God tells you to get into it,” K & S Poultry & Meats owner and operator Klinton VanHeuveln told the 30 potential meatpreneurs at the event.

He detailed the long hours and learning curve his family mastered as they expanded their poultry operation to a full-service local custom meat operation in rural Kerkhoven. Now the shop does custom processing for area livestock producers, as well as vacuum-packed meat for customers.

Kerkhoven area meatpreneur Giorgia Gallardo followed a different route into the business.

“I was a paralegal,” she said. “My husband knew butchering. I didn’t even kill flies.”

Now, Gallardo butchers and processes sheep, goats, cattle and deer at the Kerkhoven Country Butcher business she owns with her husband. They have also expanded to serve the halal meat market in the Twin Cities area. After taking joint ownership of their plant in 2020, the couple earned their equal to license in 2021. Minnesota’s equal to license means that those facilities meet or exceed standards for federally inspected meat processing facilities. Meat processed at these facilities is allowed to be processed for wholesale and retail markets in Minnesota.

Resources available

Sophia Thommes, Ridgewater College meat cutting instructor, said students from across the country earn beginning and advanced meat cutting certificates through the college. The course work is online, but students learn the art of meat cutting at certified meat shops located near them.

Christine Fischer, Regional Director for the Southwest Minnesota Small Business Development Center based in Marshall, advised aspiring meatpreneurs to write business plans. She said budding entrepreneurs can acquire these skills at no cost working with the center. It also offers help for those seeking Small Business Administration (SBA) loans.

Banks like to work with the SBA, said Lisa Martins of Bremer Bank, because that decreases their risk with a loan. She reiterated the need for a financial plan.

“We need to be smart about our finances before we take our next step,” said Jennifer Mendoza, Greater Minnesota Career Development and Community Liaison for Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES), based in St. Paul.

“Sixty percent of new businesses are founded by immigrants,” said Rico Duran of Latino Economic Development Center Minnesota based in St. Paul. Coaching entrepreneurs is the core of the organization’s work. “Our organization is open to working with everyone, not just Latinos.”

Minnesota Department of Agriculture State Program Administrator Maya Benedict shared the basics of state Agricultural Growth, Research and Innovation (AGRI) Meat, Poultry, Egg, and Milk Processing (MPEM) grants.

The grant’s priorities include creating additional meat or poultry slaughter and processing capacity to increase access to kosher or halal markets and for “improvements for operations owned by individuals in historically underserved communities or for businesses that directly serve historically underserved communities.”

— Paul Sobocinski is MFU Bottleneck Project Manager. Learn more about the project and its apprenticeship program at https://bottleneckproject.weebly.com/