Hard work, family, maple smoke and old country recipes

By Robert Williams

Editor

The Ketter family celebrated 100 years of being in business exactly one century since Edward and Frank Ketter purchased the market from Ted Buekle and opened for business Friday, Sept. 5. The Frazee community joined the family in a celebration on Friday afternoon sharing old fashioned Ketter’s hot dogs, music and fellowship.

“I went home to take a little rest and I came back and I couldn’t believe all the people here,” Kenny Ketter said.

Amidst the many conversations are a number of facts that really make the Ketters and Frazee a special place when it comes to businesses that have stood the test of time. This year Anderson Bus and Coach and Daggett Truck Line also celebrated 100 years in business. To have one business reach that mark is special. To have three in a town of less than 2,000 residents do it in the same year is exponentially rare.

“It wasn’t easy; we’ve gone through some long, long hours,” said Kenny. “We started from nothing.”

While a precise, up-to-date figure is not available, research indicates that there are likely over 1,000 U.S. businesses that are at least 100-years-old. One academic study identified 1,150 such companies operating as of 2011, though researchers noted that many small, privately-owned businesses were probably missed. 

This small number reflects how difficult it is for a company to survive for a century. For perspective, the U.S. Small Business Administration reported over 33 million businesses in the U.S. as of 2023. This makes centennial businesses incredibly rare, representing a small fraction of all U.S. companies. 

Many of these companies remain rooted in and visible within their local communities and have a strong commitment to quality standards. That is true for Ketter’s Meats, along with a trait most businesses would relish.

“My dad and grandpa always said this business gets better during tough times,” Kevin Ketter said. “Everybody starts shopping around for cheaper stuff, buying quarters or whatever. It just always has done better during tough times.”

The Ketters also represent hard work and describe that with an affable sense of humor, along with familial relationships and the passing of the business to the next generation.

“We’re a family and we have to stick together,” said Brittany (Ketter) Kangas. “I started working here when I was really young, probably seven or eight, so it’s all I ever really knew in a way.”

Brittany is Kevin’s daughter and she and her son Dillen Kangas are the latest generations of Ketters to join the business. There was no big speech between mother and son about Dillen working at the family store.

“Not really, but he just kind of fell into the same pattern I did,” said Brittany. “Dad never said I have to stay either, but it just happens.”

Kenny was quick to quip when he was asked a similar question.

“I was too dumb to do anything else,” he laughed. “I had some good help all the way along. A lot of hard work and that’s something you don’t find nowadays. When I started I worked incredible hours. A lot of days I got up at four in the morning and at 10 at night we were still working. Trouble is now these kids can get such good jobs. They don’t have to do this. It’s a whole different world now.”

Kenny is proud of the latest generations of the family taking charge of their portion of the family history and business. 

“Brittany is a jewel,” said Kenny. “She’s a real peach.”

Kevin shared a bit of his dad’s sense-of-humor when describing the younger generation joining the family workforce prior to a more sobering realistic statement on how important family is.

“You can work them a little harder,” he laughed. “The business has to come first and it can be hard on the family sometimes.”

There are two big secrets on how the meat market has stayed in business for 100 years and why there is still a steady stream of traffic pulling into and out of Ketter’s Meat Market daily.

It’s the wood fire smoker and recipes from the old country.

“That’s how come you smell smoke all the time,” Kenny said. “Every time we open the door smoke comes out.”

To Kenny, there is no meat market without the old-fashioned smoker. He has battled to keep it as the modernization of the food industry has kept at him to change his process. He has openly refused repeatedly.

“You don’t know how hard I fought for this,” Kenny said. “Every inspection and this is the only one in the country.”

Inspectors want the Ketters to use gas like everywhere else.

“We don’t have any gas in here; it’s all maple wood smoke,” he said. “Inspectors tried to get with the assessor and I wasn’t budging. That’s the way they did it in the old days. Basically, a lot of my recipes come from Germany, from the old country, and we don’t try to do it how they do it nowadays with the plastic casings and we try to keep all the chemicals out of it. I think people want that.”

The century anniversary also came at the perfect time this year, one week ahead of the opening of archery deer hunting season. Venison is something that keeps the meat market going all year every year, but more so over the next few months as the hunting seasons open.

“It would be tough without that,” said Kevin. “It’s not only during deer season because people bring in their venison year round. That keeps us busy all year long making sausage.”

“It just keeps getting better and better,” said Kenny.