BUCYRUS – A new business in downtown Bucyrus is focused on “MEAT-ing” the needs of Crawford County area residents.

Center Street Meat Company, 100 E. Center St., officially celebrating its grand opening Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon.  But the wholesale butchering business and retail store has been serving customers since the end of January.

“It’s going excellent.  We’re very, very busy so far just by word of mouth,” said Tonya Lohr, who owns and helps run the full-service butcher shop along with her husband, Andy Lohr, and their two children, Jessica Alt and Jake Lohr.

Center Street Meat Company specializes in locally sourced beef, pork, and chicken, which is aged in-house and cut daily, Tonya Lohr said.  A variety of bratwurst flavors are also available, along with smoked meats which are slow-cooked on site.

The Lohrs, who have raised cattle on their Parcher Road farm for years, do all the custom processing to fill the cases of the fresh meat market.  “We’re farm to table.  We’re basically going full circle, straight from the farm to the deli case,” Lohr said.

Raising cattle has always been Andy Lohr’s livelihood, while Jessica, who has an accounting degree, has always had a passion for the beef industry, according to her mother.  Jake is the meat cutter of the family operation, which is housed a two-story brick building.

Tonya Lohr said, however, it was actually a fluke that the family decided last year to launch their own business.  A realtor suggested she look at the building – which used to house the Bratworks – “and right away my husband said this would be a perfect meat market.”

Besides fresh meats, the retail store in the front carries a variety of deli salads, homemade baked goods, and honey, maple syrup, sauces and dressings, all of which are locally sourced, Lohr said.  The deli case is stocked with Boar’s Head brand meats and cheeses.

Center Street Meat Company just finished processing and packaging a large batch of hams for the Easter holiday, all flavored in their smoker, Lohr said.  The shop has also been busy with custom orders, she said, and will soon offer an assortment of freezer bundles.

Throughout the shop’s soft opening, Lohr said, they have appreciated the support received from family, friends and other Bucyrus business owners.  The store, she said, is excited to now be an official part of the county’s business community.