$50,000 in the Dumpster, Tessa-isms, & the McBee Origin Story

So Cole pretty much had free reign of the lodge by himself at 16 years old.
Pretty much.

There were a few nights that I got a little out of control. I was like, “Okay, this is probably a little—”
“You didn’t even know half the people there.”
Yeah. I was like, they were like, “People would tell me they drove an hour and a half, two hours to come.” I was like,

“On social media?”
Well, it would get posted on Snapchat stories. I’d be like, people would show up, start posting, and next thing you know, like random people show up.
Yeah.

The worst was when it—I mean, when it was really bad—was that big party you had. And do you remember what all happened? It all got tore up. Bad night.
You mean the kid that drove the golf cart into the pond, then hopped in one of our tractors to try and pull the golf cart out of the pond, but by getting in one of our tractors, wrecked it into a grain trailer, totaled the grain trailer, and then wrecked the tractor after that.
Yeah, it was very bad.

Hey y’all, welcome to Meet the MC Bees. Today we’re going to be recapping the last episode of the McB Dynasty. Really, the entire season of the McB Dynasty because we have Mrs. Tessa Lawler in the studio today. We’re so excited to have Tessa, who we consider our second mom. Y’all have seen Tessa all over the episodes, a lot more this season. And fingers crossed she’ll be on a lot more of each episode in future seasons to come. Saddle up, y’all. Let’s get down and dirty.

All right, before we dive into the episodes, I have to be honest. Today’s a rough one for me, Tess.
I’m sorry, honey.
I think I need a little bit of a pick-me-up. And you’re probably the best person I know at pick-me-ups.
I’ll try.

Positive attitudes.

Hey, we have called you the full-time farm therapist for years now. You have always helped people whenever you were running fuel to everyone in the tractors. You knew about all the problems they were having and you would be there to pick them up, give them advice.
Yep.
Slap them on the back and leave them with a smile on their face every day just like your daddy.
That’s right. I need that today.

Hey, Cole being over here.
And Cole, I bet Cole has some mood swings in the tractor. Do you ever have to help Cole out?
Yes, we’ve had a lot of tractor dogs.
We had too many.
Yeah, too many.

So, we make a lot of snack sticks at the meat facility. Obviously, Tessa knows this. Tessa works there for those of you that don’t know. As we worked to downsize our row crop operation, we no longer need a full-time fuel gal. Tessa has hung up the fuel gal vest. Yep. And her spurs. I know she’s a little disappointed about that. She loved running fuel out to the guys, but we’ve downsized so we don’t have as much acreage and we’re not spread across the entire state of North Missouri or the entire region of North Missouri and Iowa.

Yeah. So now the guys are able to take their own fuel. So Tessa moved to the meat facility. So, if you stop in to Lemonai, Iowa at McBe Meat Company, right off exit 40 on I-35, and you stop into the front retail store, you’re going to be helped out by the wonderful Miss Tessa Lawler.

So, Tessa’s up at the meat facility Friday. We’re making meat sticks in the back. Like, we slang some meat sticks.
Oh, yeah.
We make a lot.
A lot.
Um, to the tune of like 40–50,000 meat sticks a day.
Yes.

And we had a piece—and this is to no fault of anyone in the facility. I could not have foreseen this coming. There’s a piece in the grinder that had a metal wear plate and just over time metal degrades.
Yeah.
And this stainless steel part broke off.
Mhm.

And we don’t know when.
No, we have no idea when. We know it was Friday, but we have no idea when it happened. In a normal situation like that, there are a few different possibilities you could go through. I mean, there’s a lot of meat facilities. We have a metal detector. Like this is a fairly common occurrence in meat facilities.

So everyone has a metal detector in the facility. All of the product you wand over the metal detector or you have it built onto your packaging machine so you can see if there’s any metal fragments like this. I know it sounds weird, but this is actually a very common occurrence in production facilities.

So you have a couple options here. You can wand over everything, look for the piece of metal. Obviously, you have to notify the USDA. You have to say, “Hey, we found the piece of metal,” like here’s how it fit back into the plate. We found 100% of all fragments, everything like that.

To me, that is not a game I want to play. That is not a product I want to put out to the world.

So the only option we really had was to recall everything made that day.
Yes.
So, recall everything made Friday. And it was a lot of meat sticks.
Yes, a lot.
And that’s not fun.

I mean, we literally, Tessa, had every single person that was in the facility that day helping go through boxes and boxes and boxes of meat sticks.
Yes.
Pull them off the shelves. Check them, make sure they were good, figure out if we needed to dispose of any.
Dispose of a few, yes.

Yeah, just crazy. It’s just one of those things, right? It happens. And this is why we have safety procedures.
Exactly.
It’s just unfortunate. It’s part of the business, but it’s not fun.

So, we got everything straightened out.
Yes.
We’re good to go. But it did give us some laughs along the way, didn’t it?
Yes.
Because everyone was stressed, everyone was trying to figure out, “How are we gonna do this?” But at the end of the day, you get it done.

Yes.
And that’s what’s important.
Exactly.

So that’s the story of the meat stick recall.
Yeah.
It’s a good lesson in patience, teamwork, and staying calm under pressure.
Yes.

And having someone like Tessa around helps.
Absolutely.
Because she keeps everyone positive, keeps everyone moving forward.
Exactly.

So that’s the McBe Meat Company recap.
Yep.
Thanks for tuning in, everyone.
Yes.

And don’t worry, we learned from this and our metal detectors are now working perfectly.
Yes, perfectly.
No more surprises like that.
Hopefully.

Alright, that wraps it up for today.
Yes.
Thanks again, Tessa.
Thank you.

products, to explain everything.
Yes.
So, that’s what you’ll see if you go to the meat facility.
Exactly.
Tessa is always there, helping people, sharing stories, making sure everyone has a good experience.
Yes.
And it’s so fun to see the interactions she has with customers.
Absolutely.

She’s been around for over 20 years, and people really respond to her personality.
Yes.
It’s genuine. She cares.
Definitely.
And that’s why we wanted to make sure she’s showcased in the show as much as possible.
Yes.
Because people need to see her energy and her heart.

So, yeah, that’s pretty much it for the behind-the-scenes of the McB Meat Company.
Yep.
Tessa has always been a huge part of the family, part of the business, part of the community.
Absolutely.
She’s our second mom, our cheerleader, and the glue that holds a lot of things together.
Yes.

And if you ever want to visit, stop by Lemonai, Iowa, check out the meat facility, meet Tessa in person,
Yes.
She’ll show you around, help you pick out meat, maybe tell you a story or two.
Definitely.
It’s always a good time.

So that’s the McBe family, the meat company, Tessa’s role, and a little behind-the-scenes action from our life.
Yes.
Thanks again for following along.
Absolutely.
We’re grateful for everyone who tunes in, watches, supports, and enjoys seeing what goes on.
Yes.

And Tessa, we can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for the family, the farm, the business, and the show.
Thank you.
You really are one of a kind.
Yes.
And we hope everyone continues to see your impact on all of us.
Absolutely.

Alright, y’all, that’s a wrap for today’s recap and behind-the-scenes stories.
Yes.
Thanks again, Tessa, for being here and sharing your memories and experiences.
Thank you.
We love you.
We love you.

And to the audience, make sure to follow Tessa on Instagram, check out the McBe Meat Company,
Yes.
And continue supporting the show.
Exactly.
We’ll see you next time.