Our family first met Cathy Moenning several years ago during a Saturday morning stroll through the Rochester Farmers Market. We have been regular customers ever since.
First and foremost, Cathy’s pork is exceptional, whether it’s bacon, chops, or sausage. It has become a staple in our fridge, whether for summer nights on the grill or cozy winter breakfasts around the fire.
That quality comes as no surprise once you learn how the Moenning family raises their pigs. Cathy’s husband, Paul, represents the family’s long tradition: his father bought female pigs for a 4-H project in 1939, and the herd has been in the family ever since. Today, the pigs live active outdoor lives in the fresh air and sunshine, on natural bedding. This lets them follow their natural instincts, which in turn produces the best-tasting, most nutritious pork.
The Moennings’ Registered Hampshire breeding stock has won awards again and again. The family has also helped countless farmers improve their own herds by providing breeding stock known for excellent production and meat quality.
Those good practices are the heart of the Moennings’ work, and Cathy says they’re what keep the family going.
“What carries us through struggles and strengthens us each day is the privilege and honor of working with God’s creation to provide a nourishing product people appreciate and enjoy,” Cathy told us. “We are blessed to work with the land and animals, and when the time comes for our crops or pigs to move on, we have done our best to bless others.”
Introducing Daymark Meat Bars
During a visit last year to the Moennings’ farmers market booth, we spotted something new: pork snack sticks Cathy had made to sell at the market. Early feedback had been encouraging.
That’s when we told Cathy about our family’s business. Given what we know about our customers, we thought the snack sticks could be a great fit if she were open to refining the packaging and scaling up production.
Within weeks, Cathy was at our office, learning what the next steps might look like. We weren’t sure how serious she was about bringing the snack sticks to a wider market, but it was the last time we underestimated her.
Over the course of the past year, Cathy has worked diligently to bring her vision to life. She partnered with a local designer to strengthen the packaging and found a processor who could help her scale up.
The result is the Daymark Meat Bar, a Minnesota-raised pork stick with clean ingredients and no added nitrates. The bars are now available in two flavors, Original and Hot Honey, through the Neighborly store.
“This new line of pork snacks has been dreamed of, sought after, researched, developed, and tested for some time,” Cathy shared. “We wanted a meat product with a short, readable ingredient list that could maintain shelf-stability and showcase the quality meat that went into it.”
Bringing the Daymark Meat Bar to market meant mastering a new industry, and Cathy has met that challenge head-on. The community she has built around her has given her even more confidence for what’s ahead.
What comes next is still taking shape. A website is in the works, and there are plenty of longer-term ideas, but nothing is definite yet. For now, her focus is on Neighborly, and we couldn’t be prouder to be her first wholesale client.
