Nice to Meat You: Fischer Family Farms

If you ever ordered pork from a high end restaurant in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, chances are you’ve had Tim’s from Fischer Family Farms Pork in Waseca, Minnesota.

Born and raised on a 155 year old livestock farm that goes back five generations, Tim knew he wanted to continue his family’s legacy as early as high school. Although his family had cows as well as other animals, it was pigs Tim felt a connection with.

“I always liked working with the pigs,” says Tim. “I like the genetics part of it. It always just amazed me, like if I take a pig that has this genetic background and breed it with a pig that has that genetic background, what do we come up with?”

Fischer Family Farms raises their heritage pigs naturally, meaning they are free of stimulants, hormones, and medication with plenty of room to run around and fed grain grown right on the farm.

With 1,500 Duroc, Berkshire, Yorkshire, and Hampshire pigs, Tim jokes, “We’re basically a 4H project compared to everyone else.”

Thanks to a friend who suggested they sell their pork to restaurants in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Tim rolled up his sleeves and started going door to door to hand out samples and business cards.

“I’d walk into a restaurant for the first time with a pack of bacon or a maple coil, and you could see the chef just look at me like, ‘Oh crap. It’s another salesman,’” jokes Tim remembering back to his early days.

Yet, Tim finds his favorite part of running his business is the opportunity to meet new people and talk with them. Even if that means facing rejection every once in a while.

“You’ve got to be ok with people telling you no and getting the door slammed in your face,” says Tim.

He found the best way to sell his products was by building a relationship with chefs, and listening to what they had to say.

“You sit there and shake their hand and talk for a minute. Some are like, ‘I got to get going,’ or ‘I got my son’s soccer game that I’ve got to get to,’” explains Tim. “Then in a week or two I’d go back and ask ‘how’s Johnny doing in soccer?’ And they’re surprised, like this guy actually cares, you know? Then all of a sudden they’re like, ‘why don’t you bring me twenty pounds of bacon next week or a couple of loins?’”

Today Fischer Family Farms Pork is featured in 84 restaurants, 5 colleges, and furnishes the pork for the Grandstand acts at the Minnesota State Fair.

People often tell Fischer Family Farms their products taste the way pork used to, and that’s due to their marbling.

“We take great pride in that,” says Tim. “Like in our sausages, it’s mostly pork shoulder that’s ground up, so when you get like a link or a maple coil or the brats, you’re getting meat. You’re not getting basically everything that’s left over and that’s what sets us apart.”

Because his products are made differently, Tim suggests you cook them differently. He recommends keeping the heat low to allow the heat to get through to the center of the meat before the outside is done, avoiding a charcoaled look. If you don’t, it’s going to dry out as their meat doesn’t have as much fat in them, making them healthier than other pork products.

Tim understands the appeal to crank the heat with the hope the food will cook faster though.

“I’m one of those people when I put something on the grill, I want it done a minute or two later because it just looks so good!”

However, with success came struggle. When the country went into lockdown during the pandemic, so did they. With no restaurants to send their pork to, Fischer Family Farms lost all of their business in one day.

“Talk about a deer in the headlights look,” says Tim.

Farmers are constantly at the mercy of things out of their control, like the weather or price of grain. They are well aware of the risks involved and ride the waves of professional ups and downs with every season. It comes with the territory, and it’s what gave the Tim and the crew at Fischer Family Farms the strength to keep going.

“Most people would just give up and walk away,” says Tim. “But you have to figure out a way to make it work.”

And that’s exactly what they did.

As packer plants began to shut down and meat cases at chain grocery stores across the country went empty, Tim knew people were in need and decided to reach out directly to consumers. Fischer Family Farms began selling half and whole hogs and soon sold about 600 pigs in a matter of months.

“That really was our salvation,” says Tim.

Eventually, the restaurants returned, but to Tim’s surprise, so did his customers during the height of the pandemic.

“They were like, ‘you know, this is actually way better than pork I can buy in a grocery store. Can we keep buying half and whole hogs?’”

The prospect of continuing to expand beyond restaurant clientele is what excites Tim the most about partnering with The Meatery.

“This opens up a whole new avenue for us,” says Tim. “I’m glad The Meatery came about.”

Throughout the years, Tim and the workers of Fischer Family Farms have been tested. Yet, it’s never stopped them and because of that now Meathusiasts everywhere can enjoy a five start meal from the comfort of their home.