Our communities are fortunate to have many long-lived businesses that add a sense of stability and continuity to our lives, even as the world around us shifts and one generation gives way to another.  One such business is Bud’s Custom Meats in Riverside.  

For owner Doug Havel, the butcher’s art has long been a way of life.  

“My dad was a farmer, so we butchered on the farm,” he says of his upbringing.  His dad’s skills were in such demand by the neighbors, in fact, that to stay within the law he would have to open his own butcher shop.  So naturally, he did.

Raymond “Bud” Havel built his shop in 1984 with the help of his son and daughter.  In 1997, Doug Havel bought his dad out and took over the business.  In the 39 years since its founding, the business has adapted and evolved.

If you’ve ever driven by the business located on Hwy 22, you know what it’s known for: BEEF JERKY, as the signs proclaim in all caps. 

Bud’s Custom Meats didn’t start out making beef jerky, but about two years in, they began experimenting with it, and their traditional methodology and original seasoning mix created something customers came back for.  Today they offer jerky in several flavors, including Hot, Cajun, and Teriyaki, but Havel says he’s never lost a taste for the original, now labeled Bud’s Famous Beef Jerky.

“We piece out pretty close to 1200 to 1500 pounds of jerky every week, which yields about 600-650 pounds of dried jerky weight that we sell each week,” Havel says.  “We sell a lot of jerky.” 

That jerky may be the famous thing, but it’s not the only thing the butchers are working on behind the counter: they butcher about 15 head of beef, 10 head of hogs, and 15 head of sheep a week.  They process 800 pounds of beef sticks and bologna, 300 pounds of bacon, 1000 pounds of pork burgers a week as well.  They’re bustling back there.

“It’s always amazing to see how much stuff we do each week, how it’s grown from when my dad had the business,” Havel says.  “When he started, we did three to five beef a week.  We didn’t do all the stuff that we do now.”

“We had three employees back then, and now I’ve got 10 employees,” he continues.  “Of course, we do three times the work that he did, but I have three times the employees too.  We start at six o’clock in the morning and we go hard until about two o’clock.  Then we just kind of clean up and then take care of customers until five o’clock.”

At one point, that high productivity literally exploded the butcher shop’s 200-amp electrical meter. The power company upgraded them to the largest meter they had, but “I was pushing that right to the limit,” Havel says.  

The solution was the solar panels you see flanking the shop.  Havel took advantage of the government incentives offered at the time, installed the panels, and found himself with all the power he needed.  The power he generates feeds the grid and turns his meter backwards, dropping his electrical bill by a third each month.

Changing government regulations in the meat processing industry are also a constant challenge the business faces.  

“This business is changing all the time, [there are] new regulations all the time,” Havel says.  “We used to have zero jerky regulations when we first started doing it. . . Now it’s completely different.”

Today, variables such as water activity and humidity levels, moisture and protein content, are all regulated and controlled.  Bud’s Custom Meats keeps up, but it takes time and attention.

Changing market preferences have also affected the business.  When Havel’s dad owned the business, hides left over from butchered animals could be sold for a profit and turned into leather.  Today that is no longer the case, as consumers would rather buy goods made of synthetic materials.  

“We used to get paid $50 [a hide] back when my dad was butcher,” Havel says.  “Now I pay them $2000 a month to take the stuff away.”

Growing, changing, and being challenged are parts of business and of life, and those aspects of running Bud’s Custom Meats haven’t detracted from Havel’s love of what he does.  He embraces his calling.

His favorite part of his work is “the customers that come in.  We like to joke around in here with the customers, and people come back,” Havel says.  He enjoys watching his counter people recall what customers usually buy and help them get what they came in for, and he likes finding out where people come from and getting to know them when he has the opportunity.

He also enjoys the hands-on aspects of his work; these days, taking care of the jerky and stuffing the beef sticks suit him best.  “The cutting up the meat and the butchering part, that’s just getting too heavy for me now,” he says.  

As he has just entered his 60’s, Havel isn’t ready to retire, but he is thinking about slowing down.

“This is a job where there’s constantly coolers and freezers to watch all the time,” he says.  “I didn’t get to travel near as much as what I wanted to, and I want to do some traveling before I get to where I can’t do anything anymore.”

“I suppose my ideal life now would almost be, work two months, take a two-week vacation,” he says.  “That way we could travel to the places we haven’t seen and then come back.”

To keep a business running for nearly 40 years is no easy feat.  80% of American businesses don’t last 20 years, never mind twice as long.  How has Havel managed to pull that off?

“Probably my hard work and dedication to the business,” he says.  “I’m here 13 hours a day.  When my dad had it, I was probably here 10-12 hours a day.  When I first took over, I didn’t go home until all the work was done.”

“It just takes a lot of hard work,” he reiterates. “You’ve got to put in the hours.”   

Does it feel worth it?

“Oh, yeah.  Real worth it,” he says.  “It’s satisfying to know that so many people are pleased with the products that you do.”

If it’s been a while since you visited, stop by Bud’s Custom Meats at 3027 IA-22 in Riverside.  You’ll find a shop filled with far more than jerky and beef sticks; the butcher stocks a large variety of game fish and seafood, as well as exotic meats such as elk, rabbit, frog legs, and occasionally turtle.  For those ready to fire up the grill, you’ll find no shortage of steaks, burgers and hot dogs.

When Havel or his staff hand you that red-lettered bag filled with meat for meals or snacks, just read the text on it and you’ll know what to say.

Thank you.