The Collegian

Issue date: 10/8/09 Section: Down the Hill

Media Credit: Michael Mayday

Media Credit: Michael Mayday

Roughly 272,000 deer were harvested during Michigan's 2008 firearm season. That's over 40 million pounds of meat harvested, processed and consumed by Michigan residents. While some hunters process the deer on their own, others leave it to professionals like Bret and Pam Griffis of Jerome, Mich. to process, package and in some cases even mount a trophy buck for them.

Bret and Pam purchased Jerome Country Market in 1987, when it was a small highway party store selling typical wares such as beer and snacks. For added revenue, they decided to process deer for local hunters.

Eighteen years later, they expanded Jerome Country Market to a new building featuring a state-of-the-art processing facility to help with the increasing demand.

"We're just a family-owned business that just took a process to the next level with the technology available to us today," Bret said.

Bret, who spent 25 years at the Bob Evans processing plant before retiring, owns and works at the market with his wife and son, Pam and Bret Jr.

During last year's bow season, Jerome Country Market processed roughly 20 to 30 deer a day, and 3,400 whole deer throughout the firearm season , Bret Jr. said. This year, he said they expect about a 10 percent increase.

"We stop processing beef and hog during gun season because we have to make room for all of the venison," Pam said, "We can cut well over 100 to 200 a day if we're going hard."

Bret said he believes the appeal of his business is the ability to purchase odd cuts and jerky that isn't normally found in major stores, such as elk, wild boar, buffalo and ostrich jerky.

Pam said the market updated the building to cater to deer hunters and processing in 2005, adding pens, which hold live hogs and cows before processing, six coolers, three freezers, cutting rooms, saws, smoker houses for jerky and salmon, and packaging areas.

Watch the video for a tour of the processing facility

Jerome Country Market from Collegian Webeditor on Vimeo.

Bret said he developed the blueprints and designed the building himself.

The Griffis' store most of their meat in the same cooler. Beef, hogs, and venison are hung on hooks and are separated by rails, the venison a little more so for sanitary reasons, Pam said.

But it's not just meat that Jerome Country Market produces. Pam said her son, Bret Jr., and son-in-law, Tim Woodard, started a taxidermy business eight years ago to run along with the meat processing business.

In a typical year, Bret and Woodard will process anywhere from 300 to 400 mounts, which include anything from deer and boar to elk and skunk. Bret said the process, which requires the animal to be measured, skinned, tanned, salted, and finally mounted on a replica, takes anywhere from six months to a year.

"They don't do anything too exotic," Pam said. "With the amount of deer they get to mount, they don't have time."

Bret Griffis said Jerome Country Market was just nominated to represent Michigan for the Beef Packer's Award, a national award that could go to any processing plant, including major processors.

"They could've took Oscar Mayer, they could've taken some major processors, but they took us, and that is a great honor," Bret said.

Bret also said they will host their first Buck Pole this firearm season, where hunters will have the first two days to hang their biggest buck on an elongated pole. The owner of the biggest buck will be entered into a drawing to earn various prizes sponsered by local affiliates.

Bret hopes to get over 100 to 200 people out for the event.

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