Bollinger County Chamber Selects Veteran Business of the First Quarter

The Bollinger County Chamber Veteran Business of the first quarter is Elderland Meats. Elderland Meats (formerly Zalma Frozen Foods), located at the junction of State Hwy 51 & State Hwy E, One mile south of Zalma, MO, is owned and operated by Pam and Jerry Elder. "Zalma Frozen Foods" opened in the early 1980's. The Elders purchased the business in 2007 and changed the name to "Elderland Meats." Mr. Elder said, "We were a customer of Zalma Frozen Foods when the previous owners decided to close it. We needed a reliable local processor for our cattle so we bought the business." They also own Elderland Restaurant in Bloomfield and farm in Stoddard and Bollinger Counties. Elderland Meats is primarily a family business with four to seven part time employees. Mr. Elder said, "We depend heavily on Jody Borders and Danial Clary to keep things going. We are a full service custom meat processor. We also sell retail and accept debit/credit and EBT cards. Custom services include: Slaughtering, Processing, Sausage making, Curing, and Smoking. Types of animals processed include: Beef, Hogs, Sheep, Goats, Buffalo, Deer, Wild Hogs, Elk, Bear, Ostrich, and Emu."

Mr. Elder enjoys being able to provide needed services for other livestock farmers and face to face contact with other meat producers and consumers. He feels the vast majority of Elderland Meats customers are a pleasure to work with.

As with any business the Elders face challenges. Meat shops today face the challenges of increasing costs of all inputs (materials, utilities, etc.) and limited ability of customers to pay more for the products/services. Keeping up with paperwork and record keeping requirements of the government meat inspection system are also a big challenge.

We asked Mr. Elder what has been the key to your success? He said, "Our ability and willingness to work with our customers. We are local livestock farmers and consumers, so we well understand our customers' "challenges."

Our facilities, ability, and flexibility makes Elderland Meats unique . We are able and willing to react to schedule changes and emergencies. We work with our customers to schedule and process their meat as they want it processed when they want it processed. If a customer wants his beef aged three weeks prior to processing, we do it. We have adequate refrigerated storage to do this--Most custom processors do not. If customers want a special cut, we provide it. We are truly blessed with our many loyal customers. If you haven't tried us, please do. Please visit our web page at elderland.com

Mr. Elder belongs to many organizations which include: Bollinger County Chamber of Commerce, Missouri Association of Meat Processors, Missouri Farm Bureau, Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce, Bloomfield Lions Club, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 47, VFW Post 7822, and American Legion Post 382. He feels it is important for every business in Bollinger County to be a member of the Bollinger County Chamber of Commerce! By having a large membership the Chamber can better support all of us. There is no better way for us to support each other than being a member of the same organization where we can interact and learn from each other and benefit from our combined strengths and efforts.

For your meats and processing needs call Elderland Meats at 573-722-3622 or 573-421-0492 or stop in during their regular business hours:

Monday: 7:00AM - noon: Take in livestock for butchering (You must schedule animals you want to bring in), Wednesday: 8:00AM-4:PM: Processing, Friday: 1:00PM-5:00PM: Open for retail sales and custom pickup

Saturday: 8: AM-Noon: Open for retail sales and custom pickup.