Pandemic hatches idea for country store to sell local products

ASHTON, Ill. — Shopping at Pfeiffer Farms Fresh Market is like walking into a country store that offers a variety of locally grown products.

“I want it to be comfortable,” said Edy Pfeiffer, who owns the store together with her husband, Denny. “We’re using antique furniture for displays, like the sewing machine that was Denny’s mother’s.”

“My goal for the first impression is to be wow,” Denny said. “I want people to say they’ll be back.”

The idea for the new store started last year.

“This idea hatched a year ago when the pandemic hit and we had two feedlots full of cattle that we couldn’t sell,” Edy said. “It was scary, so initially we were going to sell our beef.”

However, the plan grew as people in the Ashton area developed interest in the store.

“We are including products that are grown and raised in the area,” Edy said.

The beef comes from Pfeiffer Farms, and customers have the option to purchase half of a steer, quarter of a steer or individual cuts.

“We feed our steers what we grow, and we don’t use implants or growth hormones,” Denny said. “We’re also offering bundles of meat that include hamburgers and steaks.”

The pork is from Denny’s cousin, Mike Pfeiffer, a lifelong pork producer.

“When people come into the store, I welcome them and tell them the story of where our beef and pork comes from,” Denny said.

“I’ve had chickens for eggs, so I’m expanding the flock, and we’re raising meat chickens, too,” Edy said. “We bought a new henhouse, and I have eight ducks, so we’ll also have duck eggs.”

More Than Meat

As the growing season progresses, the store will feature produce from the Pfeiffers’ garden, including green beans, tomatoes, raspberries and 10 varieties of pumpkins.

“People have expressed interest in bringing their excess produce here,” Edy said.

Numerous other products are available from local people, including, honey, soaps, lotions, knitted and crocheted items, as well as baked goods such as cookies, coffee cakes and pies during the summer months.

“There’s a gal who faced the same crisis when she lost her job because of the pandemic, so she is selling her dog treats here,” Edy said. “The hemp farmer from down the road is selling his CBD line that includes gummies, oils and creams.”

Two dairy farmers from Belvidere are selling cheese at the Ashton store.

“We have an outlet for strawberries, and we have a greenhouse lined up to grow mums,” Edy said. “Our latest is a person who is bringing in fresh flower bouquets from her 3-acre flower farm near Dixon.”

“We want to have people come here for more than just beef. We want other things that are local,” Denny said. “People support local and it’s fresher than what you buy in the store because a lot of the eggs are sold the same day they are laid, so that’s why we have fresh in the name of our store.”

Shoppers at the store can choose a beverage from a full line of bottled vintage pop.

“It’s the pop I grew up on like Dad’s Root Beer, Green River, Dr. Pepper and vanilla cream,” Denny said.

In The Zone

Establishing a fresh market on the farm required the Pfeiffers to meet many regulations, complete certifications and pass inspections. The process started with rezoning.

“We went to the Lee County Board to get a special use permit for this building,” Edy said. “We had to notify all the neighbors, so that process took three months.”

The farmers obtained a meat broker’s license and an egg license from the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

“The Lee County Health Department sent us this thick packet of regulations that looked overwhelming, but a lot of it didn’t pertain to us,” Edy said. “And I also have a food handler’s license, so it seems overwhelming, but you just take it one step at a time.”

Customers from several towns including Rochelle, Oregon, Franklin Grove, Sterling and Rock Falls have already shopped at Pfeiffer Farmers Fresh Market since its opening at the beginning of April.

“We’ve had meat customers from Peoria, Bloomington and Tampico,” Edy said.

“In life you need a purpose and in my previous profession I didn’t know there was a purpose,” Edy said. “Here you see the satisfaction of people that are getting food; they appreciate it and that makes you feel good.”

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun work,” Denny said. “When you can put a smile on people’s faces when they leave the store, that’s what you want.”

Special Event

On Aug 14, the Pfeiffers are hosting a special Craft, Vendor and Farmer’s Market on the farm, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

“We are inviting local people to set up outside and maybe this will be an annual event,” Edy said. “I’ve had people express interest and I didn’t even know they made or grew things.”

Denny is planning to park his two Super M tractors in front of the store.

“They were my dad’s tractors and when I was growing up they were our main tractors,” he said. “My dad ran one and I ran one.”

Those tractors were used to pull equipment such as a 14-foot disk or a four-row planter.

“We were really farming,” Denny said.

Today Pfeiffer’s operation includes 3,800 acres of corn, soybeans and some hay.

“We have two feedlots that each hold from 150 to 200 head of cattle and we have a small cow/calf herd,” Denny said. “We get our feeder cattle that are Angus steers mostly from Virginia at 700 pounds and feed them to 1,500 pounds.”

Although it has been a lot of work to develop the Fresh Market, the Pfeiffers are enjoying the new addition to their farm.

“This year it is fun farming because we’ve got good prices, I’ve been able to plant whole fields without having to work around wet holes and the store is doing good,” Denny said. “Opening weekend of the store, we had so many good comments on Facebook like, ‘I found my go-to meat store.’”

Pfeiffer Farms Fresh Market is located at 2511 Reynolds Road, Ashton. The store is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. As produce is available, the store will also add Sunday hours from noon to 3 p.m.

For more information, call 815-761-6074, or visit the Facebook page, Pfeiffer Farms Fresh Market Inc., or the website, www.pfeifferfarms.com.