If you are from Albion, you may remember it as Red Hill Repair or going back farther as Red Hill Station. Now, it is the home of a quaint country market known as Greathouse Grazing Acres Market.
Pictured at left, owners Charlton and Michaela Greathouse have turned what used to be a repair shop, into a cute country market at the west edge of Albion. Many of you may have visited them already, but if you have not, you will want to by the time you get done reading this article. Let's go back to the beginning...
Several years ago, Charlton's grandparents Jim and Bonnie Greathouse, ran and owned a well-known meat processing plant, Farmer's Packing, on the east side of Albion. Growing up around the processing plant and learning about the ins and outs of the business, Charlton had the desire to own and operate his own meat processing plant someday. Unfortunately, when the time came for his grandparents to sell the business, the timing just was not right for Charlton to take over.
Growing up in Wayne City, Michaela was involved in her school's Future Farmers of America program and had the desire to share her love of agriculture with incoming students. Serving as a high school ag teacher prior to starting their family, Michaela grew up with a dream of running a grocery store/market to provide fresh, high-quality foods for local people. Great customer service in some places has become a thing of the past, and she wished to bring back that quality that used to be a priority when you shopped at a local general store.
When Charlton and Michaela met, they soon realized they had dreams that might make a great combination for a business. They discussed different ways to bring their ideas together, but had no idea how it would all come together just a few short years later. In 2021, they formally started their farm under Greathouse Grazing Acres, LLC. Under GGA, they sold their eggs, marketed halves and wholes of beef and hogs, and eventually started selling retail cuts. This business venture helped them build their clientele to determine if they would be able to expand on their dream of running a market and processing plant.
Moving into 2022, Michaela left her position as a teacher and started sharing their business journey on social media. Since not everything had gone "back to normal" following the COVID pandemic, she started teaching canning classes online and in person while also selling her canned goods under the Illinois Cottage Food Law. Expanding their garden to just less than an acre (that is a BIG garden!), they began selling their produce as well.
That fall, Michaela and her boys brought meat, canned goods, and produce to sell up to the square in Albion. Based on the number of community members they met that day it was apparent that there was a need for these products to be available to the public on a regular basis...but how? That need became even more urgent when the only grocery store in town, IGA, closed in January 2023. Not ready to open up a processing plant, they decided they could open a market store front for people to purchase high quality meats and grocery items to fill the void left by IGA closing. That storefront held a soft opening on May 10, 2023, with a grand opening on July 7, 2023.
With that in mind, what once was a repair shop on the edge of Albion, was bought and turned into Greathouse Grazing Acres Market in just over a month's time. An extension of their farm, Greathouse Grazing Acres, Charlton and Michaela have made multiple renovations and improvements to the building to turn it into a market and future processing center. Pictured above are before and after of inside the market.
In order to help make these much needed building improvements to help serve the community with the market store front, GGA began working with Mary Warren of the USDA Rural Economic and Community Development, as well as Wayne-White Electric. Through the USDA, GGA Market was able to secure a 10-year, zero percent REDLG loan to help fund improvements to their insulation, HVAC system, flooring, coolers, and electricity. Wayne-White Electric Cooperative served as the sponsor of the loan application for GGA. Pictured at right are Michaela, Martha Anne, and Britt Shepherd, Wayne-White Electric CFO.
The market quickly turned into much more than they expected it to be, requiring them to turn to family and friends in cattle to help keep up with the demand their customers required. And their customers do not have to wonder where their meat comes from when they purchase from GGA - all meat and eggs come from Wayne and Edwards Counties. Their meat is then processed at 3 different area processors: Legacy Meats in Sumner, Triple C Meats in Vienna, and WP Meat Company in Enfield. Each are family-owned operations and provide different cuts of quality meat.
Supplies that can be found in the market include: local meats (beef, pork, chicken, rabbit, turkey), locally grown lettuce year round, produce (locally grown during peak growing seasons), homemade baked goods like pies and cookies from Farmhouse Bakery in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, homemade breads from Great Harvest Bread Company in Owensboro, Kentucky, baking supplies (also available in bulk), seasonings, Prairie Farms dairy products, deli items such as meats and cheeses, homemade ham salad and egg salad, locally made vendor items and Michaela's home canned goods ranging from jam, salsa, relish, applesauce, apple butter and much more! They are mindful of quality and ingredients when purchasing products to sell from other vendors. For example, the unbleached flour they sell is milled here in the United States and they also carry a line of gluten free items.
Just like their family, GGA is not done growing. They are currently in the process of putting in a full kitchen and expanding their showroom to help them expand their product offerings. In the future, they would love to have the ability to cut their own meat in house. Their current focus though is doing what they can to expand their business while also expanding their family. Currently, baby number 4 is due in January 2025! And running the market and farming is not their only responsibilities. Charlton works as a full-time diesel mechanic at Albion Equipment, and Michaela keeps very busy with family, farming, and market duties daily. They are also heavily involved in church and community service activities.
So if you get the chance to visit Albion, make sure you drive out to the west side of town to visit Greathouse Grazing Acres Market. Their current hours of operation are Tuesday - Thursday: 10am-6pm, Friday: 9am-6pm and Saturday: 9am-3pm. Those hours will change in January with the arrival of their new baby. You can keep up with GGA on Facebook and Instagram, visit them at the store at 838 CR 400 E, Albion, or give them a call at (618) 302-4977.
If you are a business that would like to learn more about the USDA REDLG loan opportunities to expand your business, contact our office at (618) 842-2196. Wayne-White Electric Cooperative has helped sponsor REDLG Loans for Southern Gray Boutique, Union Drainage District, Brownsville Water, Clay Water, Boyleston Water, Fairfield Rural Fire Department, Hamilton County Hospital, and Fairfield Memorial Hospital. If you are located within our service territory area, contact us to see if you would qualify for one of these opportunities.
Greathouse Grazing Acres Market is proudly powered by Wayne-White Electric Cooperative.
