ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
As with how many businesses are started, Mark West and Dwayne Devellen saw a need in the Plains community, and from that vision came Hat Creek Butchery.
The butchery started in 2021 and is a USDA-inspected beef and pork processor. Hat Creek Sales, Marketing and Communications Manager Damien Denmark said the business processes beef and pork on site with a USDA inspector at the facility.
“We’re able to have our products labeled as USDA inspected, and we dry age our beef and pork products,” he said.
At this time, Hat Creek Butchery’s Plains location has a small retail store while still primarily serving as a processing facility for cattle, hogs and pigs.
Last week, Hat Creek Butchery announced it was planning to bring a retail storefront to Liberal, and that expansion is taking place at a time when the butchery has significantly increased its level of business.
Since 2021, Hat Creek has increased its online presence to offer shipping to all 48 contiguous states, as well as wholesale delivery in a 60-mile radius of Plains and wholesale products to local restaurants and catering companies. The butchery likewise serves a few grocery retailers, including Plains’ own Grand Avenue Market.
Denmark said West and Devellen not only saw a need in the Plains community, but a fantastic opportunity.
“At that point, that idea turned into a reality, and thus, Hat Creek Butchery was born,” he said. “Originally, they were looking at Seward County to place the processing facility. We got an opportunity to start in Meade County and Plains to fulfill this need.”
Along with all of its other services, Hat Creek Butchery also provides meat to a pet food supplier that turns the met into wet dog food, and Denmark said butchery officials are looking at opportunities to brand their own products and become a national retailer.
“It’s just an opportunity that came that started right here in Southwest Kansas,” he said.
As for the expansion to Liberal, Denmark said Hat Creek officials felt there was a need in other communities, especially Liberal, to have products in those communities.
“We have a heavy customer base that travels in from Guymon, Perryton, Liberal, some from Garden City and Sublette, and we felt we needed to provide some easier access to our products,” he said.
As they were looking for a location for a storefront, Denmark said butchery leaders pictured what that would look like and contacted Liberal realtor Tanya Colvin about space in a shopping center in north Liberal.
“We put a plan together, and we signed and executed a lease to be able to come out and open our storefront in Liberal,” he said.
The retail store will be located at 30 Tucker Road in Liberal, a location currently occupied by the Thai Kitchen. Details about the opening date are still being finalized, and as for future expansion, Denmark said there is always opportunity for that.
“We don’t have anything set right now, but as we continue to grow that footprint across Kansas, not just Western Kansas, there will be opportunity to expand,” he said. “As of right now, we want to focus solely on increasing the opportunity to serve our residents right here in Southwest Kansas and continue to grow the operations of our processing facility in Plains.”
Denmark said the Liberal location will allow Hat Creek Buthcery to open its doors to barbecue restaurants needing last minute-meat they cannot get from their supplier.
“This expansion will bring a ton of opportunities, including creating additional jobs within Liberal, as well as having the opportunity to expand our presence in the community in which we lived in and now we can say we serve in as well,” he said. “As we continue to get that product out, we manufacture our brand and continue the hopes of getting it to national retails across the country.”
Denmark said all of the meat and products are grass and grain-fed and not processed meat.
“We don’t add any chemicals or anything to our beef or pork, and it’s 100 percent natural,” he said. “We take pride in our products, and we believe in putting the customer first and putting our farmers and ranchers first. Every bite you take, whether it’s out of some ground beef or a steak or ribs or whatever it may be, it takes pride because it’s processed right in Southwest Kansas in Plains and served to the people who live, work and play within Southwest Kansas.”
With Plains being located just across the county line from Seward County, Denmark said that county provides Hat Creek Butchery with its biggest customer base.
“The majority of our delivery business comes from Seward County, specifically Liberal,” he said. “A lot of our foot traffic that comes in is from Liberal and Sublette or even those Oklahoma counties.”
So with its services already in Liberal, Denmark said creating a location there only made sense.
“Why not make it more convenient for those individuals who drive to Plains?” he said.
Denmark said owners are projecting a nice economic impact for its customers to have access to quality meat.
“We think that brings a more affordable option,” he said. “We’re working on other opportunities to be able to accept funding sources for those who can’t afford to pay cash, debit or credit card for our beef and pork products. Having that healthier, more consistent option within the community can really strengthen our community in being able to gain access directly to our products without relying on the shipping or relying on us to deliver or relying on driving to Plains.”
Hours at the Plains location at 107 Ontario Street are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Denmark said products will continue to be processed there, and customers can still get grab and go items at the small retail location there. As for the hours for the Liberal location, he said those are still being worked out.
“We want to be able to have hours that meet the demands and the needs of the customer base,” he said. “Once we have those hours accounted for, we’ll be able to announce those as well as our grand opening.”
Denmark said the Liberal location was chosen because of its position and visibility for traffic coming into town.
“There’s individuals going into Walmart,” he said. “Some individuals are going to Dollar Tree or your banking that’s there or coming from your cell phone retail or even your Army recruiting office.”
Wanting to have visibility, Denmark said the north Liberal location was perfect.
“Also being a former restaurant, it has the capacity for us to be able to smoke meats once we’re able to get that taken care of, so we’ll be able to offer that as well,” he said. “It was just a great location, and it came down to visibility. It worked out for us with the enough traffic that can sustain the business, as well as provide that convenience for our customers.”
Denmark said having a highly visible location was one of Hat Creek’s top priorities.
“We want to be able to provide quality at an affordable rate, but we also want to be seen for customers who don’t know about us,” he said. “There’s a customer base that’s untapped in that market, and we provide them the opportunity to have options other than your traditional Walmart, your traditional Dillons and your other grocery stores within Southwest Kansas.”
Denmark said Hat Creek Butchery is currently adjusting its Web site, hatcreekbutchery.com, to allow for pickup and delivery orders to be placed, and orders can be placed by calling the Plains butchery at 620-977-6001.
“We’re in the shop day to day,” Denmark said. “You can either ask for Morgan West or Amanda Devellen, and those ladies will get you taken care of. We have the option for delivery, shipping, in-store pickup.”
Overall, Denmark said Hat Creek wants to provide the correct resources and opportunities for customers to have access to products.
“For this Liberal location, we’ll do the same,” he said. “We’re going to be working on our Web site to develop online shopping and pickup in store, and we’re going to have the opportunity where customers can grab a shopping bag and be able to walk through the store and look at all our different products we’ll have on shelving from our ribeyes to our ground beef to our hand steaks and other pork products available.”
Owner and Operating Manager Dwayne Devellen expressed his enthusiasm for the expansion.
“We’re excited to expand our retail USDA beef and pork products to a storefront in Liberal,” he said. “This way, our customers have easier access to our products. We will continue to offer delivery and online orders for in-store pickup as well as in-store shopping. We look forward to continuing to serve southwestern Kansas and the Panhandle regions of Oklahoma and Texas.”
For more information about Hat Creek Butchery, call 620-977-6001, visit the shop at 107 Ontario Street in Plains or the Facebook page Hat Creek Butchery, or go to www.hatcreekbutchery.com.
