Inboden's celebrates 50 years

DeKALB – Tom Inboden counts the 50 years Inboden's Meats Ltd. has been in business as an accomplishment, but he knows that's not a free pass to coast from here on out.

"You've got to get up and dig in every day if you want to continue to be successful. I really believe that," he said.

Tom's father, Ocie Inboden, opened the meat market in 1962 in the same DeKalb location it's in now near the corner of First Street and Hillcrest Drive. Growing up, Tom remembers washing out glass milk and soda bottles as the "sink man" after school.

After serving in the Navy, Tom said his father had a hard time finding work when he got out of the military. He held a string of jobs, from carpentry to pressing coats, before deciding to jump into the meat business.

"He borrowed from every relative he knew until he had enough money to buy an existing superette," Tom said. "In 1962, he opened it up. All the liquid capital he had to buy with was $22."

Back then, the small market consisted mainly of meats and a small aisle of other food items. Today, Inboden's Meats Ltd. carries fresh produce, unusual rices and grains, domestic and European condiments, 150 types of cheese from all over the world, high-end wines and eclectic beers.

But meat has always been a mainstay.

"We really kind of built our business on having really high-quality meat," Tom said. "We tried to be really good at that."

Tom now runs the business with his wife, Ingrid Inboden, and two of his sons – Joe and Dusty Inboden – are preparing to be the third generation to run the specialty store. Tom's third son, Nathan, works in the food industry in South Dakota.

They still age their meats as Ocie Inboden did back when the shop first opened. Tom said that's something few meat retailers do these days, and they still age beef products at Inbodens because it condenses the flavor by letting some of the water weight evaporate.

While that 50-year tradition is still in play, Tom Inboden said the business wouldn't still be here if it didn't evolve with the times.

"Evolving is part of what has kept us successful," he said.

The business now has several divisions, including the retail side – Inboden's Meat Market. Since the 1970s, Indboden's has run a commercial supply company for restaurants, schools and stores, both large and small.

And PRIME Catering has catered about 200 weddings, alone, since that portion of the business started six years ago. On top of that, Inbodens added a pig-roasting service five years ago.

Joe Inboden said what sets the family business apart from the handful of competitors that have cropped up over the years is the focus on quality over quantity.

Tom Inboden said the meat sold in the butcher shop is inspected daily by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"Nobody, and I mean nobody, carries the quality of meat we do because it's graded by the government," he said.

The Inbodens plan to celebrate their 50th anniversary this fall to say thanks to their customers. The type of celebration has yet to be announced.