Page 8 | SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD
SALUTE TO AREA BUSINESSES Building Community Through The Ages
No completion without community
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The staff at Manea’s Meats gathers outside their facility July 15 in Sauk Rapids. What was once a small startup by Rolando Castellanos and Don Manea is now a distinguished presence in downtown Sauk Rapids, home to 58 employees.
Manea’s Meats celebrates 45 years of business in Sauk Rapids BY EVAN MICHEALSON STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS – Rolando Castellanos arrived in America with nothing but a dime and the clothes on his body, but the Cuban immigrant was ready to carve out a new life in his new home. Over four decades later, Castellanos’ impact still remains ever-present at Manea’s Meats, the meat market he started alongside Sauk Rapids native, Don Manea. The business marked its 45th year of existence in May. “To look at what we started with – which was zero – to look at what we have built and what is running here now, it’s astounding,” Don said. “I come by
and I look and go, ‘Wow, this is really our plant.’” While the progress Manea’s Meats has seen has been nothing short of a Cinderella story, Don and his wife, Alina, along with fellow co-owners, Juan and Marion Castellanos, are quick to point out just how vital the business’s strong community footing has been. They provide food choices at the Benton County Fair, Sauk Rapids Food Fest and several other large-scale gatherings, and in March, following the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, they served and delivered free lunches to area children and families. Sauk Rapids residents have been important to their success.
“We’re here for 45 years because of the community,” said Kelly Baumann, sales and marketing manager. “Their (Manea’s) philosophy is if it weren’t for this community, they wouldn’t be here.” That philosophy has held strong, all the way through Manea’s Meats’ humble roots. The Manea and Castellanos families worked together to start a meat business in 1975 based around authentic Cuban recipes. Rolando, a former slaughterhouse owner, served as the primary meat cutter for the aspiring business, whose spice-filled product distinguished itself from its competition of at least a dozen meat markets in the St. Cloud area. This uniqueness sparked the need for balance, as Manea’s worked to
retain their Cuban identity while aligning with their environment. “The seasoning was a little stronger than what they were using here, so we had to step down our spices two or three times to get it to where the people were accustomed to what we were making,” Don said. Gaining a footing within the central Minnesota town would take more adjustments than altering recipes; Manea’s Meats would need to increase their variety and production of meat products. The meat market has an old saying of ‘Our wurst is our best,’ to describe their signature bratwurst.
Manea’s page 9
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