By Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register
“I lost everything. My clothes, my bed, everything. I had nothing,” said Jose Lopez, owner of Cerro Grande Meat Market. At the time, he was also caring for a newborn.
In just a few hours last July, an unexpected electrical fire turned the Lopez family’s 15 years of work on their Hispanic market in Ottumwa into charred ash.
The July 6, 2025, fire left the building, which was underinsured, with a 30- by 60-foot hole stretching from the basement to the roof. There was no easy way to rebuild, Lopez said.
Now, the Lopezes are uprooting from Ottumwa to relocate their meat market to Des Moines.
Cerro Grande Meat Market is expected to open on Sunday, July 19, at 2517 Hubbell Ave. on Des Moines’ east side.
Meat market owner says it hurts to leave Ottumwa behind after fire
The market’s story isn’t just about the 42 kinds of sausages you can find in the store. Nor is it just about its specialty meat cuts for immigrants craving a taste of home.
Its story is also about how dedicated the Lopez family is to giving back to their community. In Ottumwa, they donated thousands of pounds of meat to local fundraisers and helped other local businesses get on their feet.
“It does hurt in a way for us to leave because they’ve seen us grow. They’ve seen my niece grow,” Lopez said. “I’ve seen them grow, I’ve seen people marry, get engaged. I’ve seen customers come to us for support.”
Cerro Grande Meat Market made tacos for Ottumwa’s Balloon Races, with proceeds going back to the organization. It did fundraisers with the Kiwanis, a nonprofit that focuses on community service. Lopez helped a CrossFit trainer start his own gym after he saw his business proposal — by selling boxes of chicken.
“When the fire happened, we realized how much of an impact we had in the community because the community showed up for us,” Lopez said.
His family had to turn away people who wanted to help clean out the remains of their market.
Cerro Grande features fourth-generation butcher
Aside from large chains such as Hy-Vee and Fareway, Lopez said there isn’t another store quite like Cerro Grande. He’s trying to bring European-style meat markets to Iowa.
His dad started a Hispanic market in Marshalltown in the 1990s before moving to Ottumwa. Lopez saw an opportunity to convert the store into a meat market. Over five years, Lopez added new inventory to the store and beefed up advertising on social media.
“Since I’m very passionate, I wanna see people try my products because the way I think of my way of butchery is more of like a chef,” Lopez said.
He’s done many video calls with chefs and butchers around the world, who were kind enough to share their recipes. That’s a big deal in the culinary world.
Their conversations resulted in some interesting sausage flavors at Cerro Grande, like its cordial cherry-chocolate mixture.
Word of mouth spread, and Lopez said people from all over the United States, from Alaska to Missouri, have traveled to Iowa specifically to try his food.
Ottumwa seems to think he has talent — Lopez won first place in the symphony orchestra’s 25 Men Who Can Cook contest in 2022, as well as second place in the People’s Choice Awards during the same contest.
Lopez said he tries not to raise prices on his meat just for a better profit margin. He knows how much it means to people when they’re trying to make meals from their home countries, foods that they haven’t had in years.
That’s why he learned how to make Guatemalan sausage from scratch. And it’s also why he tracked down a recipe for longaniza, a Spanish-Filipino sausage that took him months to find.
Now, the Lopez family is ready to bring their expertise, sausages, tamales and other meals to Des Moines.
“The hardest part about a Hispanic meat market … is getting over the barrier of being comfortable enough to walk into the door,” Lopez said. “But once we get somebody to try our products, it’s very likely that they will come back.”
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