Farmers, state and local officials celebrated the groundbreaking July 29 of Knockout Butchery, a $2.6 million beef processing facility, on Walnut Grove Road near Roebuck in Spartanburg County.
The facility is being built by Travis and Misty Howard and is part of an effort to supply a growing demand for local beef. The Howards operate an existing facility in Pauline, and the new butchery is expected to quadruple beef processing capacity.
The new facility will support up to 10 new jobs and be able to process up to 35 head of cattle per week. It is expected to be a USDA-inspected facility, which means products can be sold to in-state and out-of-state customers.
The cost of the new facility is being supported, in part, by a $600,000 grant from the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. A total of $3.4 million in SCDA grant funding is supporting seven beef processing projects statewide.
Knockout Butchery will offer beef cuts and smoked products like summer sausage, beef sticks and jerky. The facility will incorporate a storefront and a venue for butchery and agriculture education.
Once the new facility is complete, the Howards plan to convert their existing Pauline operation to pork and poultry processing.
