Oct. 26--A small band of Minneapolis meat dudes with a growing company called Man Cave Craft Meats is planning a big Chicago-area expansion in the near future.
You may have already seen their specialty burgers and brats, available in Jewel-Osco stores since May, with packaging featuring a bearded butcher with heavily inked arms crossed. One of the tattoos reads, "In Meat We Trust."
So far, that's working out well as a mission statement for Man Cave Craft Meats, now sold in about 700 grocery stores in nine states, according to company spokesman Ben Collins. CEO Nick Beste first hawked his gourmet meat at the Minneapolis Farmers Market before taking the business, founded in 2009, to catering house parties.
"From there, it's taken off like wildfire," said Collins, 23, one of the nine 20-something employees who run the company.
The Man Cave products are sold in all 184 Jewel-Osco stores in the Chicago area, according to a Jewel-Osco spokeswoman. And Man Cave executives hope to eventually branch out into other chains, Collins said.
The top sellers include the Buffalo-style blue cheese bratwurst, and the burgers made of 50 percent Angus beef and 50 percent ground bacon, Collins said. On average, they're priced at about $6.99, though it varies.
Last year, the company saw about $1 million in gross sales, Collins said. This year, it's expected to make about $2.2 million. By 2020, the goal is to hit $100 million, he said.
The company contracts out with meatpacking plants in Minnesota, Wisconsin and, beginning next year, at the Grant Park Packing facility in Chicago's West Town neighborhood. The company's craft meats involve using high-quality product to create bold flavors, Collins said -- no condiments necessary.
"Take the bacon burger, add some cheese, lettuce and tomato, and you have yourself a fully functional sandwich," he said.
Beyond the grocery expansion, the company also hopes to deploy a food truck in the Chicago area, Collins said. Currently, there's one in Minneapolis and there are plans to expand the fleet in the coming year.
Contrary to the name, Man Cave Craft Meats does count one female employee among its ranks and is working to develop products that appeal more to women shoppers, like its line of turkey burgers.
At times, he said, Man Cave Craft Meats fights the "misperception" that its meat is just for men.
"That's not the case at all," Collins said.
gtrotter@tribpub.com
