By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
Since taking over ownership of Cooper’s Mill and Market two years ago, the McMullen brothers have remodeled the production facility and renovated the market. Now, they’re expanding the scope of the market’s signature product: apple butter.
“One of the cool things about the business is the process that we use to cook products – primarily apple butter – it’s very unique, very different,” said Justin McMullen, vice president of Cooper’s Mill. “From what we know, there isn’t anybody in the state or in the area that uses our production methods.”
Cooper’s cooks the apple butter in a cooper kettle – another staple of Bucyrus – over a wood-burning hearth.
“That was something important to us through the acquisition,” McMullen said. “Maintaining some of that history or tradition but also how can we bring the process into the 21st century a little bit, too.”
McMullen said they have a nice balance between tradition and progress, especially when it comes to their newest product: Apple Butter BBQ Sauce. Cooper’s Mill Spring Celebration, which will be held today and Saturday, is the kicking off of its Apple Butter BBQ Sauce for the summer season.
The idea for a Cooper’s Mill BBQ sauce came after a customer expressed a desire for the condiment made by the business. The company kicked around the idea for about a year before gaining traction with it in the last few months.
“It’s just a popular category and we’ve had a lot of customers both on the wholesale and retail side that have been asking for BBQ sauce made by Cooper’s Mill,” McMullen said.
“We just thought what better fit because apple butter is our signature project,” McMullen explained. “That was what Dave and Miriam Cooper kind of started the business with and it’s kind of what we’ve been known for because of the uniqueness of the product and the uniqueness of the process we use to cook it. Being able to incorporate apple butter into the BBQ sauce was something that was pretty cool and exciting for us.”
The undertaking of creating a signature BBQ sauce fell to Dan Cooper, son of Cooper’s Mill founders Dave and Miriam Cooper.
“The first time I thought: ‘wow, apple butter BBQ sauce?’” Cooper said. “But then I started coming to my senses.” Cooper said he saw all the ways that that particular taste would pair with meats like pulled pork and roast.
“Of all the new products we’ve come out with this was one of the tougher ones because, you know, traditionally, you can make a BBQ sauce at home with ketchup, brown sugar, and everything,” Cooper said. “We wanted to kind of take that and start from scratch.”
Cooper said the new product is similar to a Kansas City-style BBQ sauce with tomato and the tang of vinegar, a little bit of spice and sweetness.
“I like so many types of BBQ sauce so coming up with the right ratio of apple butter to the other component, it’s like what’s the ratio?” Cooper said in describing the creation process. “It all tastes good in the different ratios. I had some that were vastly different.”
Cooper laughingly confirmed that his father likes the BBQ sauce.
It was even Crossroads Original Designs customers that helped select the final version of the BBQ sauce.
“Quite honestly, that’s probably how we will introduce products in the future is by listening to customers. What are they looking for? And do we have the capabilities to produce those things,” McMullen said.
Though the Apple Butter BBQ sauce is the first of its kind at Cooper’s Mill, McMullen said he wouldn’t be surprised if they expanded the line in the future.
“We’ve got a lot of things that taste good on toast, biscuits and stuff but we need something that’s going to taste good on meat,” Cooper added.
“This is kind of our launch to the public on the retail side of things,” McMullen said. He added that they have aspirations of seeing their BBQ sauce in local restaurants and similar stores. “There’s a few local companies I’d love to talk to. Definitely the restaurant market is something that we are interested in trying to serve.
“The reputation that Dave and Miriam have in the community is amazing and it is a staple in the community,” McMullen said. “That’s one of the things that intrigued Jason and I about the opportunity to purchase the business. It’s such a well-known business in the community, well-respected and I think customers do have that trust factor associated with the Cooper name.
“They’ve done such a great job with maintaining the original recipes, quality of the product and the service they provided to the customers,” McMullen said. “We, as taking over ownership, just want to build on that foundation and those principles that laid the groundwork. We need to continue to introduce new products, of course, but there’s nothing revolutionary we need to do. We just need to build on what they started.”
The new product line will launch today during the Spring Celebration event from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Grilled hotdogs, chips, and lemonade will be served between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. All money collected will be donated to Crawford County 4-H.
Other new products include: Bratworks Bratwurst, Roots Shredded Chicken, Willas Shortbread, Verdant Kitchen Ginger Honey, Sheila’s Brownie Brittle, sandwich wraps for box lunches, pizza patties, chocolate/natural ground peanut butter, Troyer’s Cinnamon Twist, Troyer’s Onyums, Troyer’s Veggie Chips, Cooper’s Peach Habanero Jam, Homer Vintage Soda, Jody’s Popcorn, Progressive Kitchenery, and Burpee Seeds.
Cooper’s Mill first opened in 1969 when Dave and Miriam sold apple butter from a picnic table as a farm project. The business was moved to its current location at 1414 North Sandusky Avenue, Bucyrus in 1989. For more information about Cooper’s Mill visit www.coopers-mill.com or www.facebook.com/coopersmillohio.