BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—The bratwurst recipe is a secret, but it’s no secret that Carle’s is the king of sausage making in this town.
Carle’s Market, located at 1210 E. Mansfield Street, has been churning out spicy German sausage for 95 years. Still made by hand the old-fashioned way, the third-generation owners guard the recipe and carry on the family tradition.
“It’s a craft, bratwurst making,” said Carla Koepke, who runs the operation with her younger sister and co-owner, Chris Berry. “I think we kind of lucked out over the years. We weren’t afraid to change with the times but at the same time not get too big.”
Carla, who grew up a block-and-a-half away from the store, started helping there when she was only 12. She and Chris did the dishes, swept the floors, and learned how to clerk and cashier, often working full-time during the peak summer months.
By age 14, they learned what it takes to make bratwurst – 600 pounds a day back in the day. They mixed up 200-pound batches of pork, eggs, cracker meal, and seasonings, then stuffed it into natural hog or sheep casings to create Carle’s famous links.
They worked beside their mother, Ruth Carle Spiegel, who ran the store for years with her sister, Dorothy Carle. They too learned the bratwurst business from their parents, Alta and Harry Carle, who opened the small neighborhood grocery in August of 1929.
In the beginning, Carla said, the original recipe also called for beef and veal, but they were eliminated decades ago. Louis Carle, Harry and Alta’s son, was the meat cutter back then, but his sisters eventually took over the business when their father retired.
Over the years, Carle’s evolved into a meat market and deli known for its homemade salads. Customer favorites? Ham salad and hot German potato salad – Ruth Carle’s recipes from the 1950s – and the sought-after cranberry salad that still bears her name.
The birth of the Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival in 1968 added to the popularity of bratwurst. Business continued to increase, which led to the construction in 1992 of a new 6,500-square-foot building, quadrupling the size of the former location, Carla said.
Carla and Chris officially took over the store that year. “I remember my mom and Dorothy saying, ‘You do what you want. There’s no pressure,’” Carla recalled. “But Chris and I liked it. We had the energy and the youth back then. We knew we could grow the business.”
Chris, “always the cook,” took charge of ordering, invoicing, and planning special events. Carla found her niche in H.R., payroll, and advertising. But it’s not uncommon even now to spot them downstairs mingling with a customer or ringing up a sale.
Since then, they have added a 48-seat dining area next to the hot bar, giving customers the option of enjoying daily specials and deli items onsite. Catering has also made its debut, from boxed lunches to formal events with hundreds of guests.
Although original links account for 80 percent of the business, Carla said, bratwurst patties have gained in popularity. Other varieties, such as jalapeno and cheddar, are also produced and shipped in one-pound packages to customers around the country.
Nowadays, a fourth generation of Carle’s is immersing themselves in the family business after starting out, like their predecessors, as dishwashers in the kitchen – Carla’s daughters, Ella Koepke and Anna Koepke, and their cousin, Brooke Berry.
“All three are looking at Carle’s for their future,” Carla said. “They have youth and energy on their side. All three are thinkers and problem-solvers. And our sons, while not in the business, are always willing to help.”
Because Carle’s is still going strong. The last of eight “wurst” makers in town. Carrying on a family tradition built on brats – and so much more.
Photos: Carle’s Market
