Neighbor’s Meats invites student tour

Members of the NRHEG ProStart class visited Neighbor's Meats the morning of Friday, May 10 to learn more about the preparation and processing of meats. According to Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) teacher Kelly Delacruz, her students’ understanding of the steps needed to butcher and prepare meat is helpful to their overall progress as they handle, prepare, and serve food.

 

Owner Dan and Amber Lewer led the students through the plant, explaining the various steps followed to meet United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards as various types of meat and foods are prepared.

 

Joking that NRHEG area residents are “spoiled” because there are meat lockers in four of its five communities, Dan Lewer said that supporting the local economy is not the only reason to visit a local processor.

 

“It’s about knowing where your food comes from,” he said. “When you buy meat locally, you know a lot about where and how the animal was raised. You know it’s processed fresh, and you get the benefit of working with someone who knows what’s popular in our local area.”

He went on to say that small shops tend to offer a wider variety of products.

 

“We’re always working to find new flavors and items that will keep our customers coming back,” Lewer comments. “We offer more options and specialty flavors than you will find in the big stores, because that’s what our customers are looking for.”

 

ProStart students expressed surprise at the size of the Neighbors’ Meats building. “It doesn’t seem this big from the outside,” commented one tour member. Among the equipment explained to the group were the company’s coolers, freezers, cradles, saws, grinders, stuffers, patty maker, link machine, smokers and vacuum packing unit. The company’s cooler is capable of holding up to 36 beef at a time. An overhead track system allows beef to be moved throughout the building, including in and out of the coolers.

 

An ongoing challenge, Lewer said, is “predicting the retail stream,” in other words, determining what new trend or interest will drive customer interest in the near future.

 

He explained Neighbors’ Meats calls for input from its 15 full- and part-time employees to select and refine seasonings and flavors which will be broadly appealing. The company is even considering producing its own line of specialty seasonings. He said at least two or three new products are under consideration every week.

 

Lewer mentioned ready-to-cook meals and specialty products including pre-made meatballs and skinless bratwurst as items the company has recently added.

 

“We’re glad the class took an interest in what we do,” said Lewer. “I would say the more people know about the ways their food is handled, the smarter they will be as cooks and consumers.”