West River Meats is on the rise in Rutland
Don Thul stands in the large cooler at West River Meats in Rutland where beef is aged for at least 14 days. Humboldt Independent photo.
After a six-year absence, Don Thul re-opened West River Meats in Rutland in mid-December.
Fire destroyed the meat locker on Feb. 22, 2015. Thul vowed to be back and made good on his promise. In between he operated a restaurant at Algona Country Club.
For the new meat locker, Thul added onto an existing 24’ by 40’ building that had housed his catering business. The 60’ by 40’ addition was started in the fall of 2020. Material and machinery delays kept the locker from opening until December of 2021.
Another 20’ by 60’ addition is under construction on the front of the building. It will provide space for a retail store, which will carry about 40 different products including fresh cuts of beef and pork, sausages, snack sticks, various flavors of bacon and Thul’s award-winning brisket. It will take about 10 weeks to get the rafters for the addition, so Thul is hopeful the retail space will be open in about 12 weeks. The retail store will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Read more about the business in this week's Humboldt Independent, your trusted source for local news and sports.
