Thielen Meats History

For the past 100 years, Thielen Meats of Pierz has been renowned among the locals in central Minnesota and countless visitors passing through Morrison County. This extraordinary meat market has left a lasting impression on anyone who has had the pleasure of experiencing it.

Call 320-468-6616 to place your order today

Nationally Known Meat Market

We are known around the world for having the very best quality fresh and smoked meats. Our home-smoked bacon has become world famous for its leanness and great smoky flavor. Read about the awards we have received.

We are now proudly employee-owned building upon the four generations of family ownership. Though we've added many great meat products over the years our old-fashioned techniques have remained the same. We hand cure all our hams and bacon in-house using the area's finest quality pork. We also offer USDA choice beef that's cut fresh daily, all-natural Amish grown chicken, and a great selection of fish and seafood.

We are truly a full-service meat market. We take pride in using the very best ingredients to produce over 100 varieties of fresh and smoked sausages. We also make a large selection of ready-to-cook products such as meatloaf, marinated steaks, chicken and pork and many great grilling items.

Our retail meat market is located in Pierz, Minnesota. Our market is HACCP compliant and inspected under the "Equal to USDA" standards. This means we are able to assure you are receiving food that is fresh, safe and healthy. We are also able to supply meat products to restaurants, institutions, and other retail locations.

Thielen Meats History

The meat market was started by Phil Thielen in 1922. They were first located in back of a furniture store in downtown Pierz, a farming town of 1,300 people 110 miles north of the Twin Cities.

Phil's son, Lerald or Junior, worked for his dad and eventually took over with his wife, Dorothy. They built the present building in 1961. Lerald died in 1977, but Dorothy's still around and still helps out sometimes.

Thielen Meats grew into a nationally-recognized and revered brand with Lerald’s son Keith Thielen and his three sons Matt, Andy, and Joe Thielen. In 2023, Thielen Meats became proudly employee-owned, but Matt, Andy, and Joe are still key parts of the business to ensure that the Thielen tradition continues in Pierz.

It was Phil Thielen who developed the bacon-making formula still being used today. It all starts with good-quality pork bellies, currently supplied by a packing plant in North Dakota. The bellies are hung on racks that are then rolled on overhead tracks into a 6-by-12 foot steel smoke chamber or smokeshouse. There's nothing written down; it's just the way we've done it for over 80 years.

Timeline

1922
Phil Thielen starts a meat market with "eighteen cents to his name."
1961
Phil's son Lerald Thielen (a.k.a. Junior) and wife Dorothy buy the market from Phil.
1977
Lerald dies. Dorothy still owns the market. Sons Keith and John run the store for her.
1990
John Thielen leaves Pierz to start Thielen Meats of Little Falls.
2000
Keith and Renee Thielen purchase the store from Keith's mom, Dorothy.
2015
Keith's sons Matt, Andy, and Joe Thielen buy the store from Keith.
2023
Thielen Meats of Pierz becomes proudly employee-owned.
See the full article in the Dec/Jan 2022-23 issue of the Lake Country Journal.