Nate Kraft: 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year

Nate & Tina Kraft opened Krafty’s Meat Market in 2021 as a premier meat market in the Iowa Great Lakes area. Krafty’s provides a variety of fresh and frozen meat options including beef, pork, chicken, and seafood products. They also have a bake shop to provide fresh-baked buns, breads, rolls, and cookies. With a smokehouse on site, Krafty’s can also produce several flavors of beef sticks, jerky, and summer sausages. One of the most popular products that people from across the region come for are his unique and delicious flavors of brats, of which they have over 55 flavors (and counting!) including PB&J, Pizza, Philly, Habanero Mango, and Bacon Mac & Cheese, just to name a few.

“Being in meat – it’s fun getting different flavors and showing people what you all can do. You can infuse different flavors in meat. Really it’s an art.”

Nate was commended in his nomination for being “committed to being the best.” He understands the importance of customer service and treats everyone as if they are his best customer. The selection of products at Krafty’s are specially chosen for the shelves by Nate himself. He’s the first to step up and help you pick out exactly what you and your family are looking for, and he loves to follow up with customers about their meals the next time they stop by. Through that quality and consistent service, Krafty’s has created a loyal customer base.

“Customer service is number one… We strive to greet everybody when they first come in. If they need help as they’re looking, we’ll ask if they need help finding anything. I stand behind my product, and we strive to be the best at what we do. I’ll do anything for my customers.”

Nate & Tina recognize the importance of giving back to the community. Some of the ways they’ve shown their generous spirit includes making a donation toward the Dickinson County Relay of Live, supporting the Historic Arnolds Park fundraiser, supporting local families in need, and working with local police departments to give out gift certificates to unsuspecting community members.

“We’ve got Spencer, we’ve got Arnolds Park, Milford, Spirit Lake, Estherville…We’re right in the heart of that country of so many different options. We wanted to bring that all right here.”

Though Krafty’s has only been in business for 3 years, they have an established reputation already. Within the first year of business, they received the Iowa Great Lakes Chamber Small Business of the Year Award. Krafty’s is growing at a rapid pace and building a loyal brand for the future.

Congratulations, Nate & Tina, on a successful business, and on being the Corridor’s 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year!