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Stoltzfus Butcher Shop: In the business of customers and community for 30 years

LOGANTON -- Mark Stoltzfus has been in the farming business his whole life, and in 1998 opened Stoltzfus Butcher Shop on the property near his home in the East End of Nittany Valley. As time moved on, and demand increased, he began to process pigs and deer. In 1991, the store was a participating deer processor in the Pennsylvania HSH program, or "Hunters Sharing the Harvest," Pennsylvania's Exclusive Venison Donation and Distribution Program.

Stoltzfus Butcher Shop became so successful that it outgrew the original store and, in the Fall of 2017, Mark opened a new market within eyesight of the family farm.

According to Mark, business is booming, but it's all about the customer and community for him. "We specialize in local," he said as he looked at the large sign hanging above the meat counter.

It reads: "Mission Statement – to provide services to our local economy through quality products at affordable prices, with customer service our #1 goal."

"That's something to keep in mind," he stated, as he pointed to the words. "That's our goal."

Mark stands behind his words, and carries an unbelievable amount of unique, local products. Raw milk from Snydertown, yogurt, smoothies and flavored milk from Howard, freeze-dried fruits from East End and many more area treats. On the shelves visitors will find locally produced maple syrup, honey, chocolate eggs, pickled vegetables and other canned goods, and homemade local rootbeer and kombucha, just to name a few items.

The homemade potato chips are made by Stoltzfus Butcher Shop staff member Steve and his wife, and come in flavors like sour cream and onion and honey mustard. They are thin, crispy and melt in your mouth, and are amongst the best of the best.

In the summer months the shop offers the experience of "pick your own bouquet," from the large, colorful flower garden in front of the store, and beginning April 1 they will have monthly Saturday barbecues featuring brisket, chicken and ribs.

As their name states, they are a butcher shop and specialize in the art of meat processing. Stoltzfus Butcher Shop offers an abundance of outstanding special meat cuts, as well as meat bundles, hamburger, pork chops, steaks, lunch meats, store-made smoked cheeses, ring bologna and even hard to find specialty products. "We raise our own non-GMO pasture raised chickens, and also carry duck and rabbit," said Mark. "We have lamb in the freezer, and will have more for Easter, as well as home-cured smoked hams that people can order."

Two "must-haves" when visiting Stoltzfus Butcher Shop are both storemade.

First, the melt-in-your-mouth Canadian bacon, which might ruin customers for all other Canadian bacon.

Second is Mark's personal creation, "beef brisket bacon." Mark smokes and cures beef brisket and then slices it thin, creating something that nobody else in the Central Pennsylvania area is doing.

"We cure a beef brisket by using our bacon brine, and when I take it out, I put a brisket rub on the top," explained Mark. "Then I smoke it for 36 hours."

The beef brisket bacon is versatile, and perfect for a special occasion dinner, or a Sunday morning brunch, and even for casual events, like an afternoon of watching football, paired with some local barbecue sauce on some of the shop's homemade bread.

The store has had some recent renovations, removing a wall to expand the inside to make more freezer space. It is ultra clean, and when you enter, smells fresh, with none of the typical butcher shop smells that put some people off. It is six years old, but feels brand new. The employees are friendly, talkative and willing to explain any questions a customer may have.

Their love for their business, their customers, and their craft, is apparent in every aspect of the store.

Stoltzfus Butcher Shop is truly a unique gem of Central Pennsylvania, located in the far end of East End, about three miles from Rote.

"We appreciate our customers, because if they come out here to see us, that's what they've come for, and we want everything to be right for them," said Mark. "We want to give them a good experience."

Stoltzfus Butcher Shop is located at 1784 East End Mountain Road, Mill Hall, PA 17751. They are open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and are closed on Sundays. They can be reached by phone at 570-726-7799.