Our Story

When cattle trader Edward Frick opened a meat shop in 1896, he couldn’t have known what would eventually become of the business. He had a strong successor in Malvin Frick, an entrepreneur who took ownership of his father’s meat shop in 1925 and later opened two independent grocery stores in Washington and a neighboring town. He was a strong man and a World War I veteran. It wasn’t until 1957 that Frick’s Quality Meats officially became incorporated, and in 1960, Malvin’s son Jan brought Frick’s into meat manufacturing, making hams and sausages for retail trade with only three employees.

Malvin retired in 1969, and the Frick family’s grocery venture ended with him. The stores were sold off, and Jan concentrated on making good meats for good eats. By 1980, Frick’s was distributing outside of Missouri. Among a crew of 35 employees was 4th generation family member Dave Frick, fresh out of college. Dave became president in 1996 and by 2006 he had pioneered the design & construction of Frick’s best-in-class food processing facility. Shortly after, Frick’s facility became allergen-free and achieved the highest food safety rating possible.

During his 30 years as president before retiring to a board member role, Dave drove production expansion and innovation at the now state-of-the-art Washington plant. Today, the plant spans 240,000 square feet. He was dedicated to delivering the highest quality and flavor at every stage of the process, from line to plate. In 2026, he decided it was time to hand the reins to his daughter, Ellory Brunkhorst. In addition to his role on the board, Dave advises Ellory, sharing his deep technical knowledge and decades of leadership experience. Dave remains closely connected to the family recipes and employees and continues to advise on facility design and construction.

As the fifth generation to lead Frick’s, Ellory became president following 25 years working in nearly every role at the company, starting on the production line as a teenager. Throughout her career, she has held leadership roles in sales, marketing, human resources, and strategic planning, helping drive growth with key retail partners across the country while leading major initiatives in branding, clean-label, employee engagement, and organizational development.

Today, Ellory is focused on building on the family’s 130-year legacy by investing in people, strengthening customer partnerships, and delivering products that meet consumers’ evolving lifestyles and preferences in the 48 states where Frick’s products are sold. Even as the company grows, Frick’s remains committed to the smokehouse traditions, quality, transparency, teamwork, and service that have defined the family business for generations.