Workers are expected to start laying the bricks around the shell building on Perkins Road for the Iverstine Farms Butcher shop, and owner Galen Iverstine says he is shooting for a mid-August opening.
“We’re on schedule,” Iverstine says.
The full-service butcher shop and smokehouse will occupy more than 1,600 square feet in Aldrich Market at 4765 Perkins Road, adjacent to the intersection of Glasgow Avenue, where Rouzan is being developed.
Iverstine Farms Butcher will offer a variety of grass-fed beef, pasture raised Berkshire pork, chicken, holiday turkeys and lamb from its farm, as well as cured and smoked sausages, bacon and ham from the onsite smokehouse.
The developers—Chad Ortte, Robert Svendson and Chris Landry—are to turn the building over to the Kentwood-based Iverstine family no later than July 1. From then, it should take about three to four weeks to install all the equipment and another two to three weeks for food production before the store opens. Iverstine says they want to play with their new smoker and get things just right before opening their doors.
The equipment will be purchased through money raised through the farm’s Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter is a crowdfunding campaign that allows people or businesses to raise money online and encourages giving rewards for donors.
The Iverstine Farms Butcher campaign began on April 25 and has already reached its goal of $32,000. Iverstine says he envisioned needing about 300 donors to reach the goal, but instead needed only half that number.
“More than anything, it’s showing me how much excitement there is for the project,” he says.
The campaign ends May 31. The company will host a BBQ at the Tin Roof Brewery on June 25 for people who donated at least $80 on Kickstarter. Other backers will also receive rewards based on how much they donated.
—Ryan Broussard
