EAGLE GROVE — Ten months after a devastating fire ripped through Lewright Meats of Eagle Grove, destroying two smokehouses and causing extensive damage throughout the rest of the facility, the business is closing its doors for good.

Ethan Bubeck, owner and plant manager of Lewright Meats, shared a post on the business’s Facebook page on Friday announcing the permanent closure.

“This was not a decision which was made lightly,” Bubeck wrote. “After months of design work, meetings, and planning, I made the ultimate decision to shut down Lewright Meats and start a new path. Between inflation, supply chain and interest rates rising, the climate for building has become volatile and is not in the best interest for myself and my family.”

He went on to thank an array of individuals and organizations he’s worked with throughout the process of trying to rebuild. He also thanked the business’s loyal customers.

“Whether you brought us your livestock or simply bought meat, salads, sandwiches or gift boxes from us, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Bubeck wrote. “Lewright Meats would not have been the company it was without your loyal support throughout the years.”

Lewright Meats was a family-owned business started by Bubeck’s grandfather, H.L. Lewright Sr. in Eagle Grove in 1936. The business offered meat processing and sold various meat products, as well as operated a deli. Bubeck’s father, Paul Bubeck, is also a former owner of Lewright Meats.

“I have had the honor of working with customers whose grandfather did business with my Grandfather, (whose) dad did business with my dad, and who then did business with myself,” Ethan Bubeck wrote. “I have had the honor of purchasing livestock from, in my opinion, some of the best livestock producers in the country.”