Family-owned meat processing company Wahoo Locker not only processes a variety of meats including beef, pork and wild game, but the company also sells its own products and cooking items at its own retail store. Based in Wahoo, Neb., Wahoo Locker is both family owned and family operated.
Known as the “Home of the Wahoo Wiener,” Wahoo Locker was founded many years before the current owners, the Emswiler family, took over. In 1998, Charlie and Kristi Emswiler purchased Wahoo Locker and successfully ran it for 15 years before tragedy struck in 2013. That year, the company faced an unforeseen hurdle when their facility burned down. Thankfully, no one was injured in the fire.
We last spoke with Wahoo Locker in 2015, two years after the grease fire that destroyed the original Wahoo Locker operations. Luckily, the Emswiler family was already planning on expanding Wahoo Locker and had previously purchased a 17,000-square-foot building next to the original operations.
In the face of the tragedy of the fire, the Emswilers were forced to pivot production to the newly purchased building. Despite this roadblock, which stalled production for five months, Wahoo Locker came back stronger than ever.
Originally, Charlie Emswiler worried that the new space would be too large for Wahoo Locker. “We’ve since then added on three times,” Emswiler said. “We are basically almost maxing out our facility now.”
The new facility allowed the Emswiler family to greatly expand their retail storefront, featuring products made on site at Wahoo Locker. This facility also opened the way for federal inspection, resulting in a new private-label customer base.
“With our retail store, we have added some satellite stores throughout Nebraska, which has really helped us to grow a lot on retail side,” Emswiler said.
“Over the last 12 months, we did add four full retail stores, one in Omaha, Neb., one in Lincoln, Neb., one in Fremont, Neb., and one in Grand Island, Neb., so that’s been a huge step up for our retail. Getting our products close to 70% of the population in Nebraska, that’s been a huge push for us.”
Wahoo Locker seasonings. Courtesy of Wahoo Locker
Charlie Emswiler at the Wahoo Locker retail store. Courtesy of Wahoo LockerEmswiler noted that, though there are many good meat processors out there, Wahoo Locker prides itself on quality. He noted how diverse the company is, pointing to its retail store and kitchen store, as well as full-service catering services.
Wahoo Locker further differentiates itself with various state and national awards in cured meats competitions. While each award is special to Emswiler, he particularly values any awards won by his family.
“We’ve won many awards over the years,” Emswiler said. “Probably in the last three or four years, my son took over the sausage kitchen. So any awards now that we win are probably more important to me than the other ones, because it’s him doing it himself, learning.”
The next Emswiler generation currently works at Wahoo Locker, learning the ins and outs of the family business.
