A trusted partner helping meat processors grow, provide quality products

HOLSTEIN, Iowa – Jordan Bremer flips through pages of hand-written notes documenting the many flavor combinations she’s tested over the years at Tiefenthaler Quality Meats, pausing on a page of one of her award-winning creations.

“This one, I did a nacho patty, and it was my grand champion innovative beef in 2018,” she said. “That one actually got launched fully into being a retail product.”

Other experimental flavors, like the PB&J beef patty, require few notes, just one simple word – NO! written in all caps with an exclamation point.

Launching new flavors and products is key to growth for the family business, and trial and error is all part of the research and development process. It’s a passion that Bremer discovered as a student at Iowa State University.

“It gave me the push to want to do R&D,” Bremer said. “That is one of our core things here. We try to come out with at least two new things every year, no matter what. We’re always innovating. You got to keep people wanting to come back in for something new.”

Growing up in the family business gave Bremer an early introduction to Iowa State. Her father, John Tiefenthaler, has worked closely with Iowa State University experts through short courses offered by the Meats Laboratory and more recently with the Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) to develop a succession plan for the family business. The family’s connections to Iowa State meant there was little question about Bremer’s next step after high school.

“I already had a job at the Meat Lab, before I even had my acceptance to Iowa State,” Bremer said. “It was just an easy decision. I knew I had the Meat Lab, and I knew that it was like a second home.”

Helping grow business

Iowa State’s Meats Laboratory is known globally for its various short courses, which were first introduced in the 1970s. The courses cover everything from making snack sticks to curing hams to fresh cuts of beef and pork. Matthew Wenger, who coordinates training and outreach for the Meat Lab, says Iowa State has built a reputation as a trusted partner for meat processors of all sizes, large and small, here in Iowa and around the world.

The mission of the land-grant institution of extension is to take the information to the people, and that’s what we’re doing day in and day out.

Matthew Wenger, ISU Meat Lab program specialist

As part of that mission, the Meat Lab works closely with industry partners, businesses and Iowa community colleges with culinary arts programs. This includes tailored training sessions, seminars for the Iowa Meat Processors Association’s annual convention and hundreds of group tours every year.

The lab also employs around 20 undergraduate students each semester, providing them with hands-on experience during their time at Iowa State. Wenger says it’s all about supporting students and helping grow Iowa businesses.

“When you walk away from a short course and somebody says, ‘You know what, I learned a lot and I’m going to take this back and I’m going to share this with people I work with,’ or ‘We’re going to change our process, or we’re going to better our process.’ That’s really what we’re doing, and why we’re doing it,” Wenger said.

‘Iowa State was huge’

Known for their skinless brats, Tiefenthaler Quality Meats has become a destination for people visiting or traveling through the Ida County town of Holstein in northwest Iowa. In 1991, John Tiefenthaler bought the meat locker, which had primarily provided custom meat processing. Tiefenthaler and his family expanded the business to include a smokehouse, retail shop and wholesale for around 90 Iowa grocery stores.

During his 30-plus years in business, Tiefenthaler has turned to Iowa State’s Meats Laboratory and CIRAS countless times for expertise and guidance. The partnership has allowed Tiefenthaler and his wife, Shelly, to manage the growth of their business and continue to provide a quality product for their customers.

“We’ve learned so much from just little tidbits of information here and there. The knowledge that we gain, the things we can figure out and then developing new products and trying to discover what tastes good and what works together,” Tiefenthaler said.

“I learned as I went and that’s where Iowa State was huge because they said, ‘If you do this, you’ll get this result, and if you do that, you’ll get this result.’ Then you put it together in your head and all the sudden a light goes on and you say, ‘That’s how you do this.’”

Future growth and transition

A loyal customer base and multiple state and national awards lining the walls of the retail shop are proof that Tiefenthaler has found the recipe for success. With the construction of a 2,000-square-foot addition and a team of 20 employees, there is opportunity to build on that success. However, the next steps for growth will be up to the next generation.

The family has worked with CIRAS to develop a succession plan. Tiefenthaler says figuring out roles and responsibilities and other aspects of passing on a business is an intense process. Having CIRAS as a partner to set them on the right path has made all the difference.

“All the support and wisdom they gave us, we took it and we ran with,” Tiefenthaler said. “I don’t know if they know how much of an impact they’ve had, because everything we’ve come up with out of all those meetings has resulted in 100% following through. It’s happening.”

For Tiefenthaler, there’s a great deal of pride in watching his children make those decisions and carry on the family business. Bremer is confident taking this next step because of the knowledge and experience she gained as an Iowa State student and knowing the support the university provides for small businesses. It also means a lot to Bremer to continue a family tradition of serving their community and customers.

“There’s a lot of pride knowing that you were able to create something that everybody loves,” Bremer said. “It’s just another way to prove to myself that I’m where I need to be and doing what I need to be doing.”