Courtesy of Conger Meat Market
Visiting Conger, Minnesota, is like stepping back in time. The town had a population of just 153 as of the 2020 census, and several buildings in the tiny downtown—like the post office—date back to the turn of the 20th century, when the railroad came through southern Minnesota.
On William Avenue, one small-town butcher shop has been operating for more than 90 years—and has withstood all those decades of change, including changes in the way people eat and shop for groceries. Now, family-owned Conger Meat Market is expanding its offerings to grocery stores around Minnesota, letting fans as far afield as the Twin Cities (and beyond) taste the market’s traditionally made meat products.
Photos courtesy of Conger Meat Market
Ray and Mabel Bohonek moved to Conger from Lake Mills, Iowa, in 1935. Ray started selling his traditional Czechoslovakian sausages and bologna, and Conger Meat Market was born. The Bohonek family ran the butchering operations and storefront into the 1970s, and the market has changed hands a few times since then. In 2004, Jeremy and Darcy Johnson, the current owners, purchased the market and started thinking about modernization: They opened a new USDA-certified facility, doubled production capacity, were recognized for creating rural jobs, and now have more than 50 employees. “We’ve always believed that if you make a quality product and treat people right, customers will keep coming back,” says Jeremy Johnson. “That mindset has carried through generations of the business.”
The Johnsons and their team still use many of the original Czech recipes and traditions that made the butcher shop an initial success. “Over the years, we’ve grown from a traditional small-town butcher shop into a broader retail and direct-to-door business while still staying true to who we are,” Johnson says.
Rochester and Mankato are now home to Conger Meat locations, and grocery stores around Minnesota stock specialty retail products, like its popular Wagshire Patties (a blend of Wagyu beef and Berkshire pork) and handcrafted Pizza Patties—a nostalgic throwback to what was once a staple of Midwestern drive-ins and burger stands. “We’ve been excited to see the growth of Wagshire and Pizza patties in the frozen section, because they give people an easy way to bring quality Midwest beef and pork into their homes any night of the week,” Johnson says.
Customers can also order from a larger selection on Conger Meats’ website—including brats, summer sausage, jerky, and steaks—and bring their own beef, pork, or venison to the butcher shop for processing.
“A lot of companies talk about heritage, but for us it’s just how we’ve always operated,” Johnson says. “We still care about the details. We still believe good products take time and consistency.”
Conger Meat Market frozen patties are available at Lunds & Byerlys, Kowalski’s Markets, and Coborn’s grocery locations. congermeats.com
