All About the Process
Michiana Meats Provides Top-Notch Processing
Writer / Matt Keating
Photography Provided
Leonard Schwartz, owner of Michiana Meats LLC, says customers can rest assured that the companys custom processing plant is top notch.
I have been in the custom processing business for a while, and attention to detail is very important, Schwartz says. We make sure that every step of the process is the absolute best it can be. The great thing about processing meat the right way is that it extends the shelf life of the meat a lot, and it also improves the taste.
Michiana Meats moved into a new building on June 13, 2022, and Schwartz loves the new plant.
Its more room than what we had before, and we can get a lot more work done, he says. Its helped us have more space for more processing. Its really helped us out a lot.
Schwartz says he and the employees at Michiana Meats have extensive knowledge of meat processing. He says his father-in-law Alvin Kuhns has been in the custom processing business for 45 years.
He knows everything about the business and has a great eye for detail, Schwartz says.
Schwartz is also excellent at what he does and makes sure the processing is perfect.
People bring their cattle, hogs, sheep and goats in to us and we take it from there, Schwartz says. We follow every step along the way during the processing. When a customer brings in cattle alive for example, we weigh the cattle to get that information first.
The employees at Michiana Meats use a water hose to keep the area clean and prevent contamination. Employees use a hanging weight scale to determine the weight of the meat, and then put the carcass in a chill cooler.
We hang it there overnight and keep in the chill cooler for 24 hours, Schwartz says. It gets the heat out of the carcass faster.
After that, the carcass is put in an aging cooler according to Schwartz.
We then hang the carcass for six to 10 days, Schwartz says. After that we process the meat into rib eyes, etcetera. We can also ground the meat into hamburger in an industrial meat grinder.
Michiana Meats processes a wide range of meats.
We process and pack roasts, steaks, brats and stuffed sausage among other meats, Schwartz says. We also pack breakfast links.
Schwartz notes that all of the employees at Michiana Meats are his family members.
We will bring in other employees if we need to, Schwartz says. I hope to expand.
Schwartz believes Shipshewana is the ideal location for his business.
Its very nice to be able to live and work in this community, Schwartz says. We feel close to the community and we enjoy talking to everyone. I cant say enough positive things about all the great people in this area.
Schwartz adds that he appreciates all of his loyal customers.
We have been building up the business and reaching out to the community to keep things going well, Schwartz says. We have
been grateful that a lot of our return customers have been telling their family and friends about us.
To find out more about Michiana Meats, located at 8195 West State Road 120 in Shipshewana, call 260-768-7520.
