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RAKE, Iowa — Brandon and Erika Goette, owners and operators of Goette Farms in Bricelyn, have a passion for locally sourced food.

Goette Farms began in 2014 in South Dakota when Erika and Brandon began supplying lamb.

In 2018 the couple moved to Bricelyn so they could live and work on Brandon’s grandparents’ farm. They expanded to carry lamb and beef.

The business really took off in 2020 when Erika quit her full time job at the USDA to run the farm and take care of their four children. Currently, Brandon still works full time as a sales agronomist.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Erika said, it pushed people to begin buying locally sourced meats. This led to an increase in customers, and with it, expansion of the business and the products they carried.

Right now, Goette Farms supplies lamb and beef to 15 restaurants across five states. They also supply ground beef to three different local school districts. They carry Pasquales Frozen Pizzas, a few different local ice cream brands and other foods.

In September, Brandon and Erika purchased Captain’s Choice, a privately owned seafood supplier in Rake, Iowa. Erika said they had originally just wanted the Captain’s Choice building for its warehouse and large freezer space. However, there was still a large demand for the products Captain’s Choice carried.

“We decided to basically merge the two businesses,” Erika said. “So we added the seafood side of things in along with a lot of the other products that Captain’s Choice was carrying with our home-raised meats.”

She added it has become a one-stop shop for customers to get meat, seafood and other products they carry.

“If we don’t raise it or source it directly already, we try to source everything as locally as possible,” she said. “It just kind of helps to reduce that carbon footprint and to support other small local businesses.”

A grand opening for Captain’s Choice, now Geotte Farms, was held in mid-November.

It’s been a huge transition, Erika said, to take on this new location and increased variety of products.

“Captain’s Choice had a huge footprint that they were servicing,” she said. Goette Farms is now trying to reach those customers again.

The best way to learn more about Goette Farms, Erika said, is to call at 715-307-0921 or check out the Goette Farms Facebook page. The warehouse in Rake is typically open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.