A family-owned meat packing company based in Peoria, IL has plans to rebuild after a devastating fire destroyed the entire business in late 2018.
Raber Packing Company got its start in 1954 when President Buddy Courdt’s great-great-grandfather, Fritz Wetterauer, and business partner, Sam Raber, started a custom meat processing company.
Their mission was to source local animals from local farmers, and in the first 20 years the business grew rapidly into wholesale and retail sales. The late ’60s was the last time the building saw an addition, as a roaring flood in the ’70s caused some damages.
On Nov. 8, 2018, the smokehouses sparked a fire destroying the packinghouse and other parts of the business. The flames consumed hundreds of pounds of meat, and used more than 1.4 million gallons of water, according to a statement released by the company.
Now, President Courdt has plans to rebuild in West Peoria, at a projected cost of $8 million.
Courdt told WLJ that Raber Packing Company is a small processor and will continue to be so. He said the company is different than others because they source animals from local farmers, and then sell the meat in a retail shop. Raber Packing Company is coined as the only local farm-to-fork meat market in the area.
“You walk into the shop and buy a cut of meat, and you know you’re buying something that was raised locally,” Courdt said.
The company processes cattle, hogs, goats, and lambs, and has a high standard of sourcing Prime or Choice grade animals. When the packinghouse burned down in the fall, the company’s local customers were forced to go elsewhere for their sales.
With the new facility, Courdt said there is a chance for growth in their customer base as the new building will be designed to process a larger number of animals. He continued that the beef side in particular will offer an opportunity to expand.
The company building is expected to be completed around November of this year and will feature a 40,000-50,000-square-foot state-of-the-art design, according to a released statement. The facility will be comprised of an expanded retail area, a larger slaughter floor, processing area, and office space.
“We’ve heard from some of our farmers already planning to have animals ready for processing once the plant is completed,” Courdt said.
“We will also have our USDA license as opposed to only the state of Illinois,” he continued, “meaning previously, we did private label for customers so they could sell within the state at farmer’s markets and such. Now, they can sell anyway in the U.S.” — Anna Miller, WLJ correspondent
