Family-owned Brunswick business to celebrate centennial

A family-owned agribusiness in Brunswick is achieving a rare feat: celebrating 100 years in business. J.E. Meuret Grain Company was founded in 1923 to assist farmers with buying, storing, and selling their crops. 100 years later, the mission remains the same: to help farmers throughout Northeast Nebraska to prosper and feed the world. The company is now led by the third and fourth generation of the Meuret family to be involved in the business.

What started with a single grain storage facility in Brunswick in 1923 has now expanded to eight locations throughout Northeast Nebraska: Brunswick, Creighton, Dakota City, Crofton, Atkinson, Orchard, Pierce and a large feed mill near Plainview. The company owns more than 20 million bushels of storage and can serve customers' needs by shipping a single truckload or a train that holds 450,000 bushels from multiple locations. It employs more than 100 people throughout its facilities.

J.E. Meuret Grain Company will hold a centennial celebration on June 24, in Brunswick. A catered meal and live band will serve as a thank you to employees and customers. Throughout the company's 100 years, the Meuret family has operated with the belief that the success of the business is tied directly to the success of its customers.

"We understand how fortunate we are to be celebrating 100 years in business and it's all thanks to our loyal customers and employees," said Pat Meuret, co-owner. Brother and co-owner Jim Meuret added, "Brunswick and all of Northeast Nebraska has been good to our business and to our families and we hope we've been good to them in return. We're proud to celebrate this milestone and look forward to what's to come."

J.E. Meuret stands for Joseph Edward, the business's founder who purchased the Brunswick Elevator in 1923. In 1947, J.E. Meuret died suddenly, leaving his wife, Katie, as the sole owner with six young children at home. Their two oldest sons, Lee and John Sr. (ages 16 and 15 at the time), took turns attending high school and running the business on alternating days. Younger brothers Joseph and Richard (Dick) joined in as they were old enough to help, too. After graduating high school, John and Dick ended up staying in Brunswick to run the business, adding additional bins to grow capacity and fertilizer services to diversify their offerings.

In the late 1970s, Burlington Northern planned to abandon the rail line into Brunswick. Realizing the impact it would have on the businesses, farmers, and communities along the spur, John and Dick, instead, convinced the railroad to invest millions of dollars in upgrades. In 1980, the improved rail line carried its first unit grain train, loaded with 200,000 bushels of corn, from J.E. Meuret Grain Company to Seattle, destined for overseas export. The ability to ship by rail meant better prices for local farmers, additional growth for J.E. Meuret Grain, and more economic opportunities along the entire spur.

By the late 1980s, John and Dick were ready to take a step back and allow the next generation to take the reins. Two of John's sons, Pat and Jim, had worked at J.E. Meuret Grain since they were children and had returned to the family business after a few years away at college. Pat oversaw the grain trading and shipping. Jim managed the day-to-day operations, including the growing number of employees.

Throughout the 1990s, Pat and Jim saw possibilities that existed in expanding the business, branching into feed production and livestock. In the 2000s, the fourth generation of Meurets returned to join the family business. Pat's sons, John, James, and Justin, were first to return. Jim's sons, Matt and Riley, soon followed. The 2010s saw continued expansion for J.E. Meuret Grain, with the addition and improvement of facilities in nearby communities and an upgrade in the speed and capacity of the Brunswick facility, allowing it to efficiently load 110-car shuttle trains.

With its headquarters remaining in Brunswick, each of the locations assists area farmers with their feed and grain marketing needs while also bringing unique, in-demand services. The Dakota City shuttle-loading facility, for example, is the largest distributor of organic grain to the west coast. Pierce, Creighton, and Crofton facilities are Purina Feed dealer locations. The seven area grain-storage and shipping facilities are complemented by a centrally located high-capacity feed mill, serving livestock operators throughout the region, and an expanding fertilizer business in Brunswick and Crofton. Farmers can also purchase crop insurance through agents associated with J.E. Meuret Grain.

For more information on J.E. Meuret Grain, visit http://www.jemeuretgrain.com.