By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

Stephen and Melissa Bigge have taken ownership of the former Warren's Meat Market in Hays, operating under Bigg E Meats, 1010 E. 29th.

Stephen Bigge is the sixth generation farming land near Stockton. His family has both a crop and a ranch operation in Rooks County.

The Bigges had been selling quarter, halves and whole beefs off their farm and had an interest in ramping up farm-to-customer selling prior to the pandemic.

The Bigges were lucky in that they already had slaughter dates prior to the backlog at meatpacking plants setting in during the pandemic, Melissa said.

The meat market closed temporarily for cleaning and remodeling and reopened in mid-April under the Bigges' ownership.

The Bigges carry both meat raised from their farm and fresh-cut boxed meat from wholesalers. The farm-fresh meat is raised on the Bigges' farm, as well as on a farm owned by Stephen's college roommate.

The Bigges' farm beef is grass-fed, grain-finished. The calves start with cows, then are put on a grow ration and finally finished at a feedlot. The final stage in the feedlot helps to promote marbling.

The Bigges' farm beef is dry-aged for 14 days. Whereas much of the meat that comes from large packing plants is finished through a quicker process known as wet-aging. Stephen Bigge said the dry-aging enhances the flavor.

Bigge said the boxed meats' quality is comparable to other meat retailers in the community.

"We all strive to turn out a quality product," he said.

Stephen Bigge said the meat market provides a different level of service compared to big-box grocery stores.

When the meat market is out of a certain cut, they go to the freezer and cut more. You can talk directly with Justin Bollig, who is Bigg E's director of production and meat cutting. You can consult him on choosing cuts of meat or get recommendations on how to cook a cut of meat, Bigge said.

Bigge acknowledged food is a large percentage of families' incomes and said he wants to be competitive.

"We want to provide locally sourced products at an affordable price," he said.

In addition to Let It Rise bread mixes from Hays, Tommy Sues Noodles, Becky's Bierocks from St. Francis and Jack's Gourmet Seasoning from Russell, the store is now carrying Alma cheese and Papa Baldy's popcorn raised in McPherson.

The store also carries deli items, such as ham salad, chicken salad and raw burger, and specialty items like Rocky Mountain oysters and a variety of fresh-ground brats and sausages that are made on site.

"As we continue to learn and refine the recipes and add new products, we hope to get to the point where we're a local source for regionally produced products," Stephen Bigge said.

Bigge is already working with a family in Ohio to bring in maple syrup.

"Ultimately, our goal is to tell the story of agriculture and where food comes from and how it got to the table," Melissa Bigge said. "We want to let people know it's safe."

Stephen Bigge gave the example of their sausage. He said when a customer comes in and wants to know what is in their sausage, staff can tell them exactly what is in the sausage because it is made in-house.

The Bigges also take special requests, such as liver for pets or bones for broth.

Melissa said she thought the pandemic has brought to light the need for local food sources, such as local meat markets.

Stephen said it's important to support local farmers and ranchers, because it is not an easy lifestyle.

"A lot of the [farm-fresh] meat we have in the cooler right now is stuff that I raised," Stephen said. "I know when the animals were born. I know how they were taken care of. I know how they were raised and taken care of. I know when I took them to get processed and that they were processed humanely."

Bigg E Meats can be reached at 785-625-4902 or by email at [email protected] Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

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