Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Dan Smoots, Fanestil Meats
At a glance: Dan Smoots learned about the meat business in Emporia while working at a beef packing plant. Years later, he purchased Fanestil Meats which, in 2023, built a state-of-the-art 47,000 square foot production facility.
More information: Ron Wilson, rwilson@ksu.edu, 785-532-7690
Photos: Ron Wilson | Smoots Family
Website: Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
Feb. 7, 2024
By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University
“Party time.” That sounds like fun. It’s also the name of a specialty ham that one rural Kansas meat company has been producing for more than 60 years.
Dan and Jan Smoots are the owners of Fanestil Meats, the company that produces the Party Time Ham. Fanestil Meats was founded in 1942 by brothers E.E. and C.L. Fanestil, who built a meat processing facility on the banks of the Cottonwood River south of Emporia.
Pictured, left to right: Joe, Dan, Jan and Nate Smoots | Download this photo
Dan Smoots and his wife, Jan, are originally from the rural community of McClouth, population 859 people. Now, that’s rural.
Smoots started learning about the meat business while working part-time at IBP in Emporia. He earned a degree at Emporia State and was a teacher for several years before IBP offered him a full-time human resources position. He worked at several IBP plants around the nation before returning to Emporia.
One of Smoots’ friends purchased Fanestil Meats and asked Smoots to serve as a consultant. When the friend was ready to sell the company, Smoots and a business partner bought it in 1997.
In 2005, Dan and Jan Smoots bought out their partner. Sons Joe and Nate joined the business in 2011 and 2013, respectively, and a granddaughter is planning on joining the company as well.
For decades, Fanestil Meats operated at its original site on the banks of the Cottonwood River. One challenge of having a riverfront location is the occasional flooding that affected the plant.
As the business grew, the Smoots developed a long-term plan to construct a new state-of-the-art facility. In 2015 they bought land for a new site, along Highway 50 near Interstate 35 at Emporia.
Phase one of the new project was construction of a 23,000 square foot facility with a warehouse, offices and retail store. Phase two was the addition of a 47,000 square foot production facility, which replaced the old plant in the flood plain. The new facility opened in 2023.
The move was challenging. The Smoots’ goal was to move from the old plant to the new processing facility in a week. Fortunately, company leaders had planned ahead.
“It was a coordinated effort that we worked on for a long time,” Smoots said. “Prior planning and preparation really were the keys.”
The company’s 100 employees helped with the move and the company used its delivery trucks to move most of the contents of the old building. The move was successfully completed in a week’s time. The company’s operations now stand – literally -- on higher ground.
Fanestil Meats has been described as a locally legendary processor of ready-to-eat, fresh and smoked and cooked, value-added meats for local and regional retail customers. Its’ trucks deliver to customers in a radius of approximately 100 miles. The fleet includes nine refrigerated trucks, most of which are on the road making deliveries every day.
Fanestil’s retail store offers a variety of value-added meats, whole muscle cuts, whole hams, ham steaks and locally sourced ingredients as well as a full-service deli that includes an array of cheeses, sliced deli meats, and more.
Fanestil’s specialty items include its Luxury Loaf, Macaroni and Cheese Loaf and Baked Beans with Beef. The retail operation also features local suppliers of products such as snacks, honey, jam and jellies, spices and rubs, cheese curds and other specialty items.
In 2022, Dan and Jan Smoots were named the Kansas Small Business Administration Business Persons of the Year.
The Party Time Ham was been one of the company’s signature products for more than 60 years. The ham is 98% lean pork, has a light smoky flavor and is dipped in a caramel covering. “The rich aroma, firm texture and incredible flavor combine to make a party in your mouth,” Smoot said.
For more information or for online ordering, go to www.fanestils.com.
Party time. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s a great time to feature a ham of the same name, produced by Fanestil Meats in Emporia.
We commend the Smoot family for making a difference by expanding and enhancing their operation. Sounds like a fun party to me.
Audio and text files of Kansas Profiles are available at http://www.kansasprofile.com. For more information about the Huck Boyd Institute, interested persons can visit http://www.huckboydinstitute.org.
***
K‑State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well‑being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county extension offices, experiment fields, area extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K‑State campus in Manhattan. For more information, visit www.ksre.ksu.edu. K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.