Scouting Sioux Metro: $2.5M butcher shop to fuel small town economy — and freezers
Schmitz Custom Meats, veteran butcher welcomed to Dell Rapids
DELL RAPIDS – The meats are coming to northern Minnehaha County — and with them, a boost to the area economy.
Schmitz Custom Meats kicked off construction this week on a $2.5 million meat processing facility in Dell Rapids, a project expected to bring jobs, retail sales and a veteran butcher’s touch to the community.
The 6,000-square-foot shop, going up in the Fiegen Industrial Park at the northwest corner of Garfield Avenue and Quartzite Street on Big Sioux River community’s southern edge, will feature state-of-the-art equipment and employ five to six people when it opens in spring 2026. In addition to processing wild game, beef and pork, the complex will include a retail space where customers can buy locally sourced meat directly from the butcher.
“We’re excited to bring our passion for processing quality meats and customer service to Dell Rapids and the surrounding communities,” said owner-operator Steven Schmitz, telling The Dakota Scout during a Friday groundbreaking ceremony that he’s dreamed of owning his own shop since he began working at another local butcher when he was a teenager. “This facility will allow us to lean on the agricultural roots of our state by working with local farmers and producers while contributing to the area we call home.”
Cosand Construction is leading the build at the site, previously owned by Dell Rapids Lumber.
“Dell Rapids thrives when local entrepreneurs invest in our community,” said Doug Hainje, manager of Dell Rapids Lumber and past president of the Dell Rapids Economic Development Corporation. “We’re proud to see this project take shape and look forward to their grand opening next year.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Scouting Sioux Metro is a feature of The Dakota Scout highlighting people, projects and progress shaping South Dakota’s small towns. A partnership with Sioux Metro Growth Alliance — of which The Dakota Scout is a member, alongside dozens of towns, counties, businesses and nonprofits in the region — this article meets the same journalistic standards as all other content produced by The Dakota Scout.
