LIVERMORE – Donald Castonguay is the owner of Castonguay Meats, a family business turning 43 next year. Castonguay told the Livermore Falls Advertiser that he started working for the business with his father when he was a teenager. He is now 68 years old.

Castonguay Meats is a slaughterhouse and retail meat market located on Gibbs Mills Road. Castonguay said that people come from all over Maine to get their livestock cut and wrapped for cooking. A couple of regular customers come from Lewiston/Auburn to get their meats. The retail store has also been open for ten years now, selling local products such as eggs, butter, honey, and maple syrup as well as many other products sourced in the U.S. and Canada.

The business underwent construction in 2019 to expand the retail area. Castonguay did most of the construction work himself. He said that since then, they have added another cooler and storage space.

Castonguay said that business has been good since COVID-19, that they are most busy with slaughters in the fall. The biggest challenges that he faces are labor and expenses, he said, power being one of the bigger expenses as it takes a lot of electricity to keep the refrigerators running.

Aside from Castonguay, he has two full time workers and six part timers. Office Manager Anne Gray has worked for the company for 20 years. She preps and wraps meat, works the register, and much, much more. “The only thing I don’t do is kill,” said Gray.

Castonguay shared that within the next two to three years he is going to step out and hand the business down to his nephew. He will probably help with paperwork during the transition, he said.