Started as a family business in 1962, Frohling Meats Inc., located in Hecla, S.D., purchased its first smokehouse in 1997. The company manufactures a wide range of smoked products and sells an estimated 25 to 30 different products at any one time in Frohling Meats’ two retail stores.

Jon Frohling, the company’s owner, who’s been with the business since 1994, says that he learned smokehouse operation from hiring an experienced operator and from networking through associations. Now, he teaches courses at North Dakota State University and South Dakota State University, and will run a session on summer sausages at the upcoming American Association of Meat Processors conference this July.