Jeff and Katie Fuhrmann of Salchert Meats
What do you get when you cross a world champion cheesemaker with a man who knows finance and sales? The successful young owners of Salchert Meats in St. Cloud, Wisconsin: Jeff and Katie Fuhrmann.
Their popular little butcher shop, located on Main Street in an area known to the locals as “The Holyland,” has a history stretching back to the early 1900s. New life was breathed into the operation when Mr. and Mrs. Fuhrmann took over the reins in January of 2019. Making the purchase was a big decision for the couple, the parents of three young boys, but it was an opportunity they couldn’t resist when this beloved hometown business came up for sale.
Working in the food industry was nothing new for Katie. She has an extensive background in food production marketing, spending the first part of her professional career in the cheese industry as the head cheesemaker and marketer for her family’s business, LaClare Family Creamery. Together with her family, she helped create a successful start-up goat cheese company, assisted in the building of their multi-million-dollar plant, developed and implemented a food safety program, and grew the business to over four million dollars in sales in a ten-year period while producing some of best goat cheese in the world. Katie and her team earned over thirty awards including U.S. Cheese Champion – Best of Show, World Cheese Champion – Best of Class, and American Cheese Society – First Runner Up Best of Show.
But Katie felt called to step away from those projects to join her husband in developing their own business together. Utilizing his background in finance and sales, when Jeff reviewed the financials of Salchert’s and learned about the operations, he felt the business had great bones and a solid foundation that they could build on. They took the plunge and bought the operation, but they also knew they had their work cut out for them. Salchert’s enjoyed a great reputation and produced quality products, but the Fuhrmanns wanted to implement a documented food safety program and develop a strong brand identity as they moved forward.
Salchert Meats is a Hearth & Field staff-favorite. Those of us who buy – and sell – our meat at Salchert’s know that Jeff and Katie bring more to the store than their professional savvy and business sense. Katie’s radiant smile when she greets us as customers at the counter, and Jeff’s straightforward and honest respect for those farmers among us with whom he works, make the couple always a joy to encounter. Their meat is excellent, and reasonably priced, but even if it weren’t, the experience of walking into their storefront – always decorated for the season – and being greeted by a diverse lineup of locally raised meat cuts offered with their expert and friendly help would still be worth it.
Self-picking meat out of massive cooler bins at huge chain grocery stores just can’t compete with the humanity, charm and personal value of buying local from a place like Salchert Meats. Katie takes pride in being able to talk with customers about their particular needs and dietary concerns and matching them up with foods and farms that will work well for them. The Fuhrmanns believe in “knowing your farmer,” and as mediators between the farms that raise the animals and the people who eat the meat, they serve an invaluable role connecting the producers and the consumers in a way that large-grocery employees cannot possibly do.
Self-picking meat out of massive cooler bins at huge chain grocery stores just can’t compete with the humanity, charm and personal value of buying local from a place like Salchert Meats.
“Everyone is fighting something in their diet,” Katie says. “People can have the conversations with us and understand more about their food source. This is something you can’t do normally at the big chains.” The freshness of the meat is also beyond compare, and as Mr. and Mrs. Fuhrmann like to say, “The flavor sells itself.” Katie’s history in food production and her roots in family farming give her a special love for showing off what farmers have created. That element of the work, Katie notes, “Is very fulfilling to me.”
But the benefits of a small business are not only for the customers. Jeff and Katie appreciate running Salchert’s because of the connection to the local farms, but for other reasons as well. On a personal level, they are grateful for the teaching opportunity that managing the business provides in forming their sons. They believe the work they do, and the example they set as they take care of the duties of ownership, help to instill in their children a sense of purpose and responsibility.
Their oldest son is only six years old, so greater involvement is still a few years off, but for the time being Jeff and Katie make a point to include their boys as much as possible in little ways — bringing them along to do errands or dropping orders off for people, for example. This also incorporates the children into the communal element of the hometown business. For the Fuhrmanns, an element of this entire project is to help their boys understand that, “There is more to life than just themselves. There is a family, a community and so much more,” Katie says.
From a managerial perspective, Jeff and Katie enjoy having the freedom as owners to make decisions and to quickly implement changes when they are needed. With a personal knowledge of their customer base, they take pride in receiving and responding to feedback, both good and bad, to improve their operation.
Having just a handful of employees to pull off all the various facets of meat production and sales is both a blessing and a curse. “Our biggest challenge is that we are a small team, so we all wear a lot of hats,” Katie notes. “I love that my team is able to do every aspect of the business, but it does take special people to be able to do that.”
Besides requiring team members who are able to take orders, answer questions, communicate with farmers, keep the books, wrap meat, maintain the facilities, and conduct sales, Mr. and Mrs. Fuhrmann also need people who are well-versed in the art of butchering. Although there is a kind of precise science involved in the fact that the meat cuts never change, it is nonetheless a honed artisan’s skill that enables a butcher to produce the best food. The mission at Salchert’s, as they custom-process beef and pork, is to improve the quality of the meat protein for their customers. They achieve this by dry-aging the beef, and by attention to detail in their cutting and wrapping techniques. The little things make a big difference.
“It is inspiring to watch a talented person who is trained in the art and technique,” Katie reports. She believes that taking time to learn the process well from the beginning, and not rushing the outcome, yields better results in the end. Patience is part of the process, but the time invested in the beginning pays off later.
Salchert Meats boasts a long, successful history, and now under the care of the Fuhrmann family, the future looks bright. Their hard work, their superior products, and their commitment to their local community, make Jeff and Katie’s contribution to society a truly valuable one.
Those of us who enjoy eating meat would do well to support local businesses such as Salchert Meats, even if it means driving a few extra miles out of the way once in a while. The results will be well worth the trip. But don’t take our word for it. Taste and see for yourself the delicious difference of a little local flavor.
