SUTHERLAND, IOWA — Friedrichsen Meat Co. is expanding its operation with the construction of a 1,440-square-foot building, which will double its beef and triple its pork processing capacity.

The Sutherland, Iowa-based company first opened in June 2022, offering custom butchering and a retail meat market. Owned and operated by Will and Macey Friedrichsen with the help of one part-time employee, the business has quickly grown to need more team members and operating space.

“We have been slaughtering more livestock than originally planned and have had a high demand for retail products and special orders,” the Friedrichsens said. “We have added a couple more part-time employees for cleaning in the last year, but the need for larger equipment, a larger space for processing, retail and storage, and more employees has been shown.”

A recent grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority through the Butchery Innovation and Revitalization program will aid Friedrichsen Meat in its expansion project.

The company is adding onto its current facility, which will include a new storefront and retail space. The current retail area will become a second processing room, doubling what Friedrichsen Meat currently has.

The new addition will house a smokehouse room, complete with a new smokehouse. With these new features, Friedrichsen Meat will be able to address the bottleneck issues it is currently facing and allow the company to add more products to its offerings, including dried beef and snack sticks. Friedrichsen Meat also plans to process several more deer through these additions.

The new building is anticipated to be operational by the end of this year.

Friedrichsen Meat currently offers several meat products as well as seasonings, sauces, marinades and grilling tools, among other items.

“We have already expanded our retail offerings a little bit recently with the addition of a dry ager, and we are excited to have some dry aged steaks ready for retail sale soon,” the Friedrichsens said.