Ground Floor: Food lover’s hobby becomes a new business in NewBo

CEDAR RAPIDS - Steven Prochaska isn't just a guy who loves sausages and beer; he's a guy who likes to make his own sausages and beer.

And through the pursuit of his sausage-making and home-brewing hobbies, Prochaska cooked up a whole new career for himself. He is now the owner of the Sausage Foundry, a new business located at NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids.

It all started seven years ago when Prochaska’s then-girlfriend – now wife – bought him a food grinder attachment for his stand mixer.

“I’ve always been a bit of a foodie,” he said. “I started making sausages as a hobby.”

Then, about five years ago, he acquired another hobby: brewing beer.

“Sausages and beer, it’s a match made in heaven,” he said.

Prochaska joined the Cedar Rapids Beer Nuts, a home brew club. One day, fellow member Quinton McClain invited him to participate in a day of making venison sausage, which became an annual tradition.

McClain went on to open Lion Bridge Brewery in Czech Village. In the spring of 2014, he asked if Prochaska would be willing to make some mushroom brats for a Houby Days special at the brewery, and Prochaska agreed.

“I delivered 20 pounds of sausage to him,” Prochaska recalled. “The next week he called me up and told me he was putting it on the menu.”

A few weeks later, Prochaska got another request for sausages from Bricks Bar and Grill, where the Beer Nuts meet.

“I created a recipe for them, a smoked Hungarian sausage, and they put on the menu.”

By then, Prochaska had upgraded to a grinder that could handle 50 pounds of meat at a time. While working full-time, he was delivering 50-plus pounds of sausage to his restaurant accounts every two weeks.

Late last year, Prochaska was approached by Nathan Lein of Big Boy Meats, a livestock producer with a retail outlet at NewBo City Market.

“NewBo was looking for new permanent merchants,” Prochaska said. “Nathan said I should quit my job and start the Sausage Foundry full-time. I laughed at him.”

But Prochaska's interest was piqued. He worked up a business plan and decided he would regret not pursuing the opportunity. He gave three months' notice at his job in January and opened the Sausage Foundry on July 2.

The Sausage Foundry, which shares a space at the market with Big Boy Meats, offers more than 50 varieties of sausage and charcuterie on a rotating weekly menu. Prochaska hand-crafts all products using meat sourced from Iowa farmers.

“I use heritage pork for everything,” he said. “I could buy cheap pork but it's important to promote bio-diversity and provide an outlet for farmers who use sustainable production methods. That's pretty much the linchpin of the business.”

Prochaska plans to add smoked meats to the menu when he completes the purchase and installation of a smoke house later this month. His long term plans include adding a separate production facility and expanding into the wholesale and mail order markets.

l Know a company or manager who has been in business for less than a year that would be ideal for “Ground Floor”? Contact Francie Williamson at francie.williamson@thegazette.com

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