CAMANCHE, Iowa – The Naeve Family Beef processing facility here has closed its doors.
The business, however, may reopen soon after it goes through a “transition,” according to a business group leader in Clinton, Iowa.
The 15,000-square-foot beef processing facility at 1902 Seventh Ave., Camanche, temporarily closed last Wednesday, Aug. 16, according to a post on the company’s Facebook page.
The facility has about 50 employees.
“We regret to inform you that our plant will be temporarily ceasing operations effective immediately. Although we continue to work towards a solution to continue operations, we are unable to keep processing at the facility at this time,” according to a post on Naeve Family Beef’s Facebook page.
The company’s retail store, Meat & Greet, remains open at that same location. The retail store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
A second Facebook post made on Friday, Aug. 18, stated: “We greatly appreciate the outpouring of support from the community on our temporary closure. Our retail store will remain open at this time. We still have many of your favorite fresh and frozen beef cuts along with products from our incredible local vendors available for purchase.”
It’s not known why Naeve Family Beef closed or when the beef processing facility will reopen.
Calls and messages left for Andrew Naeve, president of Naeve Family Beef, were not returned to the QCBJ on Tuesday morning. Calls to the Naeve Family Beef facility also were not returned.
However, Andy Sokolovich, president and CEO of Grow Clinton, the business advocate group serving the Clinton region, told the QCBJ on Tuesday, Aug. 22, that he expects the facility to reopen.
“Naeve Family Beef will return more robust and better equipped to handle the market demand for their services. Grow Clinton will continue to support their staff and offer expert guidance moving forward,” Mr. Sokolovich said in an email to the QCBJ. “Like many companies, they are going through a transition, and it is vital that we, as a community, help in any way possible to ensure that both the Neave family and their operations are successful.”
The Naeve Family Beef processing plant opened in the spring of 2022 and cost about $10 million to build. It was called a state-of-the-art facility that could process up to 60 animals a day. The company has described itself as a niche beef processing company, developing high quality beef to area customers, including local restaurants, food service companies and direct-to-consumer marketplaces.
“This has always been a dream of our family; to create this business,” said Mr. Naeve in an interview with the QCBJ last year.
A big part of that dream was for the Naeve family to create its own brand of beef through the new processing facility. The new plant was used primarily to process Angus cattle for sale to local and regional customers.
“We’ve had excellent support from the community. A lot of people are really excited to see this (plant in operation),” Mr. Naeve said last year.
The company’s retail store, Meat & Greet, opened last October. It offers a variety of locally-made products from several Clinton companies. Products include meat products from the plant; clothing from the Adcraft Printwear; honey from D&W Apiary; horseradish mayo, mustard spread and honey BBQ sauce from Yaeger’s; and locally-made candles.
The Naeve family is a six-generation farm family that raises cattle, grows crops and operates a trucking company based in nearby Andover, Iowa. There are three generations now working on the family farm. They include: Allan Naeve; his son, Ray Naeve; and grandsons, Andrew and Adam Naeve.
