Bemidji, Minnesota
Four Generations.
One Obsession.
Since 1940, the Stittsworth family has been making smoked meats the only way worth making them — slowly, carefully, and with real wood smoke.
The Full Story
Willie “Jipe” Stittsworth,
Ankeny, Iowa — 1940
Willie Stittsworth opened his butcher shop in Ankeny, Iowa alongside his wife Madge. He cut meat by day and built bombs for the war effort by night. The standard was set from day one: do it right, use real wood, take no shortcuts.
In 1993, Corey Stittsworth and his brother Clay purchased the Nymore Food Mart in Bemidji — originally established in 1899 — with a simple goal: create an old-fashioned meat market. After several attempts, they landed on the perfect brat recipe. It became a hit fast. Demand grew. The territory expanded.
In 2010, Mychal Stittsworth — Corey’s son — took over as owner and pushed the operation to a new level. He introduced the MSU Trailer, allowing animals to be processed directly on the farm (true farm-to-table), and built the Stittsworth Smokehouse to mass-produce brats, wieners, summer sausage, dried beef strips, and beef sticks at scale. Today: 2,500+ stores, 28 team members, 100,000 lbs of locally sourced product every month. The recipes haven’t changed much.
Founded
Generations
Retail Stores
Lbs / Month
Team Members
Family
Grow Local. Eat Local. Support Local.™
What We Believe
“Real smoke can’t be faked. Real flavor can’t be rushed. Real family can’t be manufactured.”
— Mychal Stittsworth, Third Generation
Family Night — Bemidji, MN
Over the Fire — John Holmgren, 2023
From the Smokehouse
See How It’s Made
Filmed on-site in Bemidji, MN by filmmaker John Holmgren. Real process. Real people. Real smoke.
The Smokehouse
Craft & Process
Family & Farm
The Tradition
Behind the Smoke
Minnesota Roots
Our Heritage
86 years in the making
Ankeny, Iowa → Turtle River, Minnesota → Everywhere
The Beginning
Ankeny, Iowa
Willis "Jipe" Stittsworth opens a butcher shop with wife Madge and their kids. By day he cuts meat. By night he builds bombs for WWII. The standard is set from day one.
Second Generation
Bemidji, MN
Willie "The Golden Beaver" Stittsworth — son of Willis "Jipe" — and wife Arla retire early from Bemidji State University to give everything they have to the family business. They grill brats at every fair, carnival, festival, show, and open house across the region — the face of Stittsworth wherever there's smoke and a crowd.
Third Generation
Bemidji, MN
Corey Stittsworth and his brother Clay purchase the Nymore Food Mart in Bemidji — originally built in 1899. Goal: create an old-fashioned meat market. They perfect the brat recipe. It becomes an instant hit.
Family Focused
Bemidji, MN
Corey buys Clay out and runs the operation solo. Tighter. Leaner. Still the same smoke and spice that built the name.
Fourth Generation
Bemidji, MN
Mychal Stittsworth — Corey's son — takes over as owner. He modernizes operations, expands distribution, and begins building toward a Smokehouse production facility.
The MSU
Minnesota Statewide
Mychal invents the Mobile Slaughter Unit — Minnesota's first USDA-approved mobile unit. The concept becomes Friesla. The industry takes notice.
Smokehouse Opens
Turtle River, MN
The Turtle River smokehouse opens. 28 team members. 100,000 lbs per month. 2,500+ retail stores. Still family-owned, still handcrafted.
Ships Nationwide
Everywhere
From Minnesota to your doorstep. The same smoke your grandparents would have recognized, delivered fresh. Four generations of family, nothing important has changed.
The Fifth Generation
Turtle River, MN
Sophie and Willie Stittsworth are growing up in the business. The smoke keeps rising. The tradition continues.
The Future
Sophie & Willie
The fourth generation is already growing up in the business. Sophie and Willie Stittsworth are learning the trade the same way every generation before them did — by watching, doing, and caring about the craft. The smoke keeps rising. The tradition continues.