Local Family Business Celebrates a Major Milestone

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Four generations ago, the Rittberger family, began a retail butcher shop in the Zanesville City Market. 116-years-ago, they expanded that business into a wholesale operation based from their farm on Lutz Lane. 

“Carl Rittberger Sr. came from Germany in 1897, as a 16-year-old kid, with his family. And was trained in Germany in the meat trade. Came here and then you know started a meat business here locally. You know and for over 100 years, we have produced some of the best lunchmeats, hotdogs, bacon in the world, because of what grandpa knew,” Carl Rittberger Sr., Inc. President Andrew Rittberger said. 

Rittberger Meats & Farm Fresh Market began by purchasing livestock from local farmers prior to customer demand outgrowing the local supply and long before the chain supermarkets began adhering to the mega brands.   

“Prior to 2012, 98 percent of our business was wholesale,” Rittberger said. “We sold to all the big box stores in our area. But over the years, the last 50 years, they’ve slowly been pushing us out because our products aren’t cheap enough. So because of that, in 2012 I opened our first retail store. And then in 2019 then, we moved to the location we’re in now, up across from the mall, in the strip center.”

Rittberger’s has a loyal customer base who candidly affirm the quality and praise the old-world flavors that come through the variety of meats that are served through their retail outlets, food trailer and catering service. Additionally, for the first time, this fall, area hunters can deliver their harvested deer to the Lutz Lane farm to have it processed into venison.