ABOUT US

        What do you get when you combine a cattleman and a chef?  In this case, you get a couple who can operate a meat processing business that produces high quality, tasty cuts of meat.  Mike and Donna Uhl are the owners of Allen Meat Processing in Allen, Kansas.  Mike grew up working on ranches and feedyards around Coldwater.  Donna grew up in Emporia.  She went to culinary arts school and later got her bachelor’s degree.  Donna worked as catering director around the US and was a chef at a hotel in Emporia when she met and married Mike.  On July 1st of 2019,  Mike and Donna became the new owners of Allen Meat Processing.  “With my background in culinary arts, I felt totally at home here,” Donna said.  Her knowledge of food safety and handling standards made it a great fit.  The butcher who worked for the previous owner is staying on with the Uhls.  “He is absolutely wonderful and talented,” Mike said. 

         Allen Meat Processing is currently licensed for custom processing only but is planning to expand.  “I want it to be possible that our local ranchers to have their own meat processed and marketed with their ranch name,” she said. The company already markets retail cuts from boxed beef which they purchase.  “We age those steaks 30 days before we cut them,” Mike said.  The Uhls have lots of business ideas and have already made significant improvements, such as building a wall to separate and enhance their retail space.  “I’m like the president, I’m building a wall,” Donna said with a smile.  The front side has rustic tin and barn wood from a barn on her father’s farm, while the back side toward the processing space has a hard, sanitary finish for cleaning and food safety.  Beef cattle and hogs are the primary livestock they process, but they can handle sheep and goats as well as deer.  “Lots of people are asking if they can bring their deer in here this fall,” Mike said.

        Allen is located directly on the Flint Hills Nature Trail state park which has drawn lots of people.  “We’ve had people bicycle in here who are from Chicago, Minnesota and New York,” Mike said.