Parsons, Kansas —
Whether sitting down to dine at a fine restaurant or preparing a meal at home, the last thing on most people’s minds is where the pork they are eating came from.
That, however, is quite the opposite for Mario Fantasma and his family, who own and operate Paradise Locker Meats in Trimble, Missouri.
Actually, if you ask Mario, the most important thing to him when he is processing over 150 head of hogs a week is knowing not only where they came from, but the farmers name and the breed of the hog.
And, if that isn’t enough, Paradise Locker Meats, cuts, bags and ships their product directly to the customer weekly.
“In order to survive in our industry as a small business we had to find ways to be innovative and different,” Mario says.
In business since 1995, Paradise Locker Meats specializes in custom meats as well as a variety of home made sausages.
From start to finish all of the meat cutting and processing is done on-site in their USDA inspected plant.
Be it innovative, different or just plain savvy, the Fantasma family saw a niche market in processing hogs for Heritage Foods USA and they continue to do so.
Heritage Foods USA was founded 10 years ago as a response to dwindling options in the marketplace for high-quality, humanely raised meat products grown by small or medium sized independent farmers.
“Heritage foods is about 50 percent of our business,” Louis Fantasma, plant manager, explains. “We process about 150 hogs a week for them.”
And, according to him, when they aren’t processing for Heritage Foods USA they stay plenty busy processing a variety of meat products for their own retail store located onsite.
Although the processing side is the bread and butter for the Trimble, Mo., based business, Mario believes working with local producers and local farms is what makes his business second to none.
“We work with local producers who want to market their product off their farm,” Mario says. “This is not only good for us, it is good for the producer and the state of Missouri.”
Paradise Locker Meats, whether it be individually, or through Heritage Foods USA, deals with a number of producers from Missouri and Kansas.
Another unique aspect of Paradise Locker Meats is the fact that they are a small business making a large impact.
“Even though we work with Heritage and local producers we also pride ourselves on working with our local customers as well as consumers,” Mario explains. “We cater to each individual customer that we have. As long as they are getting what they want we are getting what we want.”
Paradise Locker Meats also prides themselves on food safety.
“We have a USDA inspector that works full time at Paradise Locker Meats,” Mario says. “It is his job to check every animal that comes through our door.”
According to Mario, having him there is important because he aids Paradise Locker in the safeguard of the processes of their plant and helps them provide a safe product for the public.
For Mario and his family, the way things are done at Paradise Locker Meats is more than fitting a niche market.
“Things are changing out there and people today want to know what they are eating and where it comes from, that is exactly what we provide them,” he explains.
There once was a time when there was a locker plant in every little town across the country—that’s not the case today.
“We want to continue to thrive in the business we are in and we want to offer the best and safest product possible to our consumers,” he says.
So, whether someone is eating pork in Las Vegas, Nevada or in Trimble, Missouri, Fantasma wants that person eating that product to have the best eating experience imaginable.
“The only way that is possible is to know what you are bringing in and sending out of your business.”
“The farmers we work with are the key to our business and to our success,” he concludes.
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Related Photos
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The Fantasma family, from left, Louis, Mario, Teresa and Nick strive to offer the safest and highest quality product possible at Paradise Locker Meats in Trimble, Mo.
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Every hog processed for Heritage Foods USA is labeled with a code that includes the farm name, farm location and the breed.
Accountability plays a big role at Paradise Locker
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