Red River’s Pingel Processing opens Phase I of expansion project

Rich Palzewic

Staff

August 24, 2026

RED RIVER – With Phase I of Pingel Processing’s expansion now complete, Co-owners Dani and Dallas Pingel said it’s now on to the next chapter.

The couple said Pingel Processing – and the accompanying Red River Meat Market, which The Business News first highlighted in its Dec. 29, 2025 issue – recently opened its new retail space, which more than tripled the amount of square footage previously available.

“We simply ran out of space and needed more room – it was too cramped inside,” Dallas said. “The expanded retail space will better suit our needs. We also couldn’t build up an inventory of products because we had no space to store them. The only time some items would be back in stock was when I could make them again.”

Before the opening at W9262 County Road A in Red River – a small, unincorporated community in Shawano County – Dallas said he was busy stocking the meat cases in anticipation of what was to come.

“The first few weeks have been great,” he said. “It’s been a nice steady pace and not 100 people at once. The amount of customer traffic has been a perfect flow.”

Though Dallas has been “hiding in back” prepping for the increased customer traffic, Dani said she has personally seen the reaction from folks as they walk through the doors.

“I told our kids, ‘I wish I had a camera on the door because everyone who walks in says “wow, wow, wow,”’” she laughed. “It would have been cool to catch everyone’s reactions. It’s been very well received – the space is very welcoming.”

Dani said the design of the retail space is aesthetically appealing and helps showcase the various products the market offers – which includes smoked sausage items such as summer sausage, snack sticks, ring sausages, sandwich meats, jerky and other smoked specialties.

Additionally, Dani said several varieties of bratwursts (pork, all-beef, chicken and turkey), breakfast sausage and flavored patties are also available.

“With the high ceilings and the aesthetic of what it looks like, it makes the meat really pop out,” she said. “Your eyes immediately go right to the cases. It turned out really nice, and we’re proud of it. I said to Dallas, ‘You have to fill up the cases because I think it’s about triple the space of our old retail area.’ He said to me, ‘I have so many products in my head and have been waiting [to fill the cases] for years.’”

What’s to come?

Now that the initial phase of the project is complete, the Pingels said Phases II and III are already underway.

Once completed, Dallas said the total expansion will be almost 8,300 square feet.

Though the first phase has already made a noticeable difference, adding retail space and expanding square footage, Dallas said he’s most excited about Phase II, which will bring on-site beef harvesting by the end of October or early November. 

Dani said a lot of the excitement with Phase II comes in the form of supporting local farmers.

“To be able to humanely handle the animals and provide fresh, locally raised beef right from our meat case, as a customer, what more would you want?” she said. “People will know exactly where their beef is coming from. Even with our smoked salmon, people ask where it was raised. Where it comes from matters to people.”

Dallas said a recent beef recall – where nearly 30,000 pounds of raw beef products imported from Argentina were recalled in two states because they entered the United States without undergoing a required inspection – helps put the issue into perspective.

“Our on-site beef harvesting will support us, our local community and give customers peace of mind knowing where our beef comes from and how it’s managed – that will be a huge benefit for us,” he said. “A lot of farmers gave up [on raising beef] because they couldn’t find anywhere to butcher, and they didn’t know how to do it themselves. People are excited that we’ll be able to help them.”

Currently, Dallas said local producers are shipping their beef 30 miles or more to get it processed.

“In most cases, it will be a huge time saver for people,” he said. “It will save them the time and money for hauling, and it will also save us money from having to buy it from a processor. We’ll be cutting out the middleman, and that will save both us and consumers money.”

Phase III, Dani said, will be the renovation of the former retail area.

Community give back

As the business has expanded, Dani said Pingel Processing’s focus has remained on the quality of its products. 

In April, she said they submitted their products to the Wisconsin Association of Meat Processors (WAMP) for consideration in its annual awards.

Taking home a blue ribbon for Dallas’ Raspberry Chipotle Bacon and an honorable mention for his Cherry Pistachio Summer Sausage, the Pingels said a recent trip to the Wisconsin State Fair saw 10 pounds of each product auctioned off for a good cause.

“They auction off all of the award-winning meats for the year,” Dani said. “Those products are brought to the auction, with all the proceeds going to support Wisconsin 4-H.”

The winning bidder, Dani said, got to take the product home in a cooler.

“Our bacon made $3,750, and our summer sausage took home $2,500,” she said. “One of the other products went for about seven grand. Bidders are like insurance companies and meat distributors that supply meat. They are supporting the customers who do [business] with them.”

For more information and to view updates on Phases II and III, the couple said to visit pingelprocessing.com or find it on Facebook.