During the pandemic’s peak, as pork plants shut down, farmers faced challenges harvesting hogs. However one person stepped up to provide an outlet for these farmers in her area.
Keri Retallick and her family started their business known as The Meat Schoppe in 2021. They collaborated with small locker plants across the state, and ensured surplus pigs reached food banks. They serve the Lancaster and also surrounding communities with locally grown, farm fresh beef and pork.
“We found an opportunity in a beautifully renovated building in Lancaster,” explains Retallick. “Initially focused on frozen retail products, the shop has evolved into a farm-to-table experience, complete with a connecting restaurant.”
The shop proudly showcases locally sourced beef from 2K Cattle Enterprises – which is her family’s seedstock beef operation.
Retallick says, “Diversifying the operation to include a meat retail location has allowed us to provide our quality products to your dinner table. High-quality premium Angus beef doesn’t just happen by chance, it takes years and years of meticulous breeding decisions involving Angus genetics. We have spent years refining our genetic program to ensure we can offer the very best.”
The pork is also locally sourced from Wolf Family Farms of Lancaster. It is also complemented by in-house sausage making and a frozen meat section.
Despite being in a smaller community, Lancaster’s shop has garnered regional attention, attracting patrons from surrounding areas and even neighboring states like Iowa and Illinois.
Their steakhouse, Madison Street Steakhouse and Grill, spearheaded by her daughters, has become a hub for private events, bridging the gap between farm and table. Customers appreciate the family-owned, local, and premium quality offerings.
