courtesy of Saddleberk
When Saddleberk’s owners Greg Lehman, Dave Rigo and John Sommers were approached about opening a North Market storefront for their Berkshire breed pork farms, there was a little hesitation – but only a little
“It was kind of, I don’t want to say a no brainer, but we knew (North Market Executive Director) Rick (Wolfe), we knew some of the people at (Bridge Park developer) Crawford Hoying,” Rigo says. “It was the right time for our business, we wanted to make sure our name got out there.”
Saddleberk had initially formed in 2013 when Kroger expressed interest in a high-end line of pork. In the seven years before its first storefront, the business had expanded to five farms across Ohio that made the product available in more than 100 stores in Ohio and Michigan.
The North Market Bridge Park location, opened this fall, expands Saddleberk’s offerings to include made-to-order sandwiches, grocery items and, of course, high-end meat. The opportunity to interact with experienced butchers and staff further improves upon the shopping experience.
“It’s a personal experience,” Rigo says. “We want to make sure that it’s a hugely inviting type of place, that people feel like they can come in and get service like they’re not going to get anywhere else.”
The combination of prepared foods with the grocery also allows for even fresher product.
“The fact that we sell upwards of 50 burgers and 50 chicken sandwiches every day,” Rigo says, “that allows us to never have a chicken breast or meat cut in our fridge for more than a day.”
The store’s product comes almost exclusively from Ohio and maintains the same commitment to quality established when Saddleberk first began raising Berkshire breed hogs.
The company selected that breed after reviewing research on the benefits of different breeds. Berkshire was the clear winner, Rigo says.
“It always wins every taste test,” he says. “It’s basically like the Wagyu of pork.”
Berkshire breed pork features better marbling and has more flavor than the overly lean pork that Rigo says wrongly attempts to be the other white meat.
More than just having the right breed though, Saddleberk prides itself on an approach that prioritizes quality over convenience. Having all Ohio farms actually makes it more convenient to deliver the freshest product to consumers. At those farms, Saddleberk pays attention to properly raising its pigs.
“We’re trying to put out there the best eating experience that you can have with pork,” Rigo says. “There’s a ton of studies showing that if animals are treated well – they’re happy animals, they don’t have as much stress – then the quality of the meat in the end is much better.”
The other meats available from Saddleberk similarly emphasize quality. Saddleberk gets its prime beef from E.R. Boliantz, which Rigo says is the only producer of USDA graded beef in Ohio. Dee Jay’s Custom Butchering supplies lamb and Amish chicken.
Courtesy of Saddleberk
With the storefront location, customers can try the meats in readymade sandwiches or purchase cuts to prepare their own. An important part of the North Market Bridge Park butcher and grocery is providing an opportunity for customers to interact with knowledgeable staff. Together the store’s two butchers have more than 60 years of experience, Rigo says, and the chef comes from a Michelin star kitchen.
“You’ve got some really great experts and they’re very, very personable,” Rigo says. “We have a ton of customers already that know these guys by name and they’re going up, ‘Hey, what should I do with this type of meat?’”
Saddleberk is currently taking holiday orders for ham, beef and turkey – the latter from Bowman & Landes Turkeys. Additional items include charcuterie boards and various sides. Christmas and New Year’s orders should be placed by Dec. 10, there may be limited availability for Thanksgiving orders. For more information contact orders@saddleberk.com.
Cameron Carr is the associate editor. Feedback welcome at ccarr@cityscenemediagroup.com.
