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Carroll Farm and Meat Company, a new butcher shop and meat-processing store, is coming to Andalusia in the coming months, thanks to Marshall Carroll and Andalusia native Jennifer Botta.

Carroll’s passion for farming began when he was 16.

“I started out doing commercial vegetables,” Carroll said. “Then we bought some pigs just for our family consumption.”

After his father went to a restaurant in North Carolina, Carroll started the breeding process on different pigs.

“He told me that it was the best pork that he had ever put in his mouth,” Carroll said. “So, the chef came around and told him that the breed was well known in the south east, but was well known as the best all over the world. We own pork genetics from everywhere. After that, we went through a three to four year breeding stage, because we didn’t have a large enough pork capacity for a wholesale providing level. We had to market to the public and we have been selling to farmer’s markets and a couple of wholesale places around just to get on our feet.”

With the company expanding with more pigs, Carroll said they are looking at getting individually certified.

“We are hoping to house our own USDA inspector and do our own inspecting,” Carroll said.

The largest portion of the store is expected to be the back area that will hold a walk in freezer.

“In the back, we will be processing our products for commercial wholesale,” Carroll said. “We will be processing all of our own sausage from smoked linked, chorizos, Andouille and bratwurst. Also, we will have our own aged beefs, snack sticks and jerky. We will have our own walk in cut room and walk in freezers. The front will be more of the retail part, where we will provide holiday meats like Boston butts, smoked turkeys, hams and smoked chickens.”

Carroll said they are at the point now where they will be doubling their production soon.

“We are finally at the point where we can supply a larger amount of goods,” Carroll said. “We have kind of plateaued right now and are producing about 340, but we are about six months from doubling that. So, we are kind of hanging out right now where we are at until we get the store open a little better, then we will take off.”

There are no other places in the southeast, Carroll said that will provide the quality and production value that the store will carry.

“We are definitely one of a kind,” Carroll said. “There are a couple of guys that will do some small things like lamb, but they are all strictly retail.”

So far, Carroll said people have responded well to the announcement of their opening.

“I have always done previous marketing for retail in South Alabama like Enterprise, Ft. Rucker and the Dothan area,” Carroll said. “Since we have posted it on Facebook, we have seen a huge amount of support from the Andalusia area.”

Carroll Farm and Meat Company will be located on the square where Surly Mermaid used to be.

“We looked at a lot of places on the bypass,” Carroll said. “But Jennifer [Botta] knew that the square would be a great place and would have enough space. We are paying for all of this out of pocket. So, we needed a place that could have affordable rent and would have all the space we needed.”

Carroll said he is looking forward to starting the business because he thrives on running a business.

“I have done this since I was young,” Carroll said. “I am a first generation farmer that started from scratch. So, the aspect of growing the business is what gets me out of bed in the morning. I really am looking forward to serving the community of Andalusia, as well.”

The couple hopes to have the business open by Christmas of this year.