New Watertown butcher shop brings local meat to area

When the COVID-19 pandemic caused many processing plants to shut down, Lindsey and Matt Jungers needed somewhere to process their meat. With other lockers full, they decided to take the plunge and open their own butcher shop in Watertown.

Starting in a remodeled barn, a fire three months later took out the entire building. While this was a devastating loss, it gave them an opportunity to rebuild and accommodate a greater variety of livestock so they could help even more local livestock producers.

After an arduous rebuild with the help of friends and family, the Jungers' reopened their new building last October and expanded to cattle and sheep in November. Since their reopening, the team at Jungers Farms Butchery, Inc. has worked to bring better quality, locally sourced meats and other products to Watertown and the surrounding areas.

Lindsey Jungers told the Public Opinion that business has "started picking up in the last couple months."

She notes that "Facebook is a really big platform" for the company and that is evidenced by her continuous posts on the social media giant.

More: Family business aims to share its fresh-food passion with Watertown and northeast SD

"We only work with local farmers for the meat we sell. Nothing comes from a second party to be reprocessed," Lindsey Jungers explained. "The money goes direct to the farmers, which we and our consumers really like. Every package is also marked with the local farm that we sourced it from, and all of those (ranchers) are within 10 to 20 miles."

Jungers is excited to help both the ranchers and the community.

"We want to get more money directly to our local producers while creating quality products," she said. "To do this, we ensure we only take quality animals, and that only a great product leaves our store."

Jungers Farms is often active in Codington County. The business attends the Watertown Farmers Market every week, helped sponsor a military veterans' organization and participated in the annual Cookin' on Kampeska. The business also sells some of its cuts to Waverly Steakhouse, and the Jungerses are working with other local restaurants to get their meat on those menus.

"A lot of people like buying meat to fill their freezers, knowing where it comes from and knowing that the purchase supports multiple local businesses in one shot," Lindsey Jungers said. "At the locker (shop), we like the slogan, "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food."

The businesses' current bestsellers include Wagyu beef, meat sticks and various bratwurst, where they boast they are always trying out new flavors. Junger Butcher Shop plans to jump into the deer processing arena this season as well.

Lindsey is from Sioux Falls and moved to Watertown to pursue her business degree. She took over pork production until COVID-19 hit and the dream of the butchery was realized. Matt grew up farming crops and is part of a multi-generation farm family.

Chris and Codi Renmoe serve as general manager and assistant general manager for Jungers Farms, respectively.

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This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: New Watertown butcher shop brings local meat to area