Chugwater Butcher Turns School Bus Into Mobile Meat Wagon To Serve Small Towns

A creative solution to bring local Wyoming beef to rural communities facing food deserts.

Apr. 11, 2026 at 5:26pm

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A high-end, photorealistic studio still-life photograph featuring a selection of premium raw beef cuts and specialty meat products arranged elegantly on a clean, monochromatic seamless background, conceptually representing the Chug Springs Meat Wagon's commitment to quality, local Wyoming beef.The Chug Springs Meat Wagon brings the quality and craftsmanship of a local butcher shop to rural Wyoming communities facing food deserts.Chugwater Today

Alex Springs, the owner of Chug Springs Butchery in Chugwater, Wyoming, has converted an old school bus into a mobile meat shop to bring high-quality, locally-sourced beef to small towns across the state. Faced with a lack of foot traffic at his brick-and-mortar shop, Springs came up with the idea to take his meat counter on the road after his wife suggested a delivery trailer. The result is the 'Chug Springs Meat Wagon', a retrofitted school bus with a rustic, old-fashioned butcher shop interior that Springs now takes to communities too small to support a full-time meat counter.

Why it matters

This innovative business model addresses the challenge of food deserts in rural Wyoming, where grocery store options are limited and transportation to larger cities can be a barrier. The mobile meat wagon provides fresh, local beef to underserved communities, while also supporting the local economy by sourcing from nearby ranchers. It's a creative 'Wyoming solution' to a persistent problem facing the state's frontier towns.

The details

After finding an old school bus to convert, Springs and his wife spent weeks stripping it down, insulating it, and building out the interior using handmade rough-cut lumber to create an authentic butcher shop aesthetic. The Chug Springs Meat Wagon now carries a selection of popular beef cuts as well as specialty items like beef bacon. Springs plans to make weekly stops in towns like Wheatland, Douglas, Torrington, and Cheyenne, in addition to his home base of Chugwater.

  • In April 2026, Alex Springs converted an old school bus into the Chug Springs Meat Wagon.
  • The meat wagon's first test run was in Wheatland, where it saw triple the expected sales.
  • Springs plans to make the Chug Springs Meat Wagon a weekly fixture in several small Wyoming towns.

The players

Alex Springs

The owner of Chug Springs Butchery in Chugwater, Wyoming, who converted an old school bus into a mobile meat shop called the 'Chug Springs Meat Wagon'.

Danette Springs

Alex Springs' wife, who came up with the initial idea to use a trailer to deliver meat to other towns.

Chug Springs Butchery

The brick-and-mortar butcher shop owned by Alex Springs in Chugwater, Wyoming, which serves as the home base for the Chug Springs Meat Wagon.

Danica Sveda

The executive director of the Food Bank of Wyoming, who praised the Chug Springs Meat Wagon as a 'brilliant idea' and a 'great Wyoming solution' to the state's food desert challenges.

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What they’re saying

“People didn't want to get off at Chugwater to drive to our shop. And even the Chugwater people who bought from us when we had meat at The Mercantile wouldn't come out to the shop to buy. Two miles was too far.”

— Alex Springs, Owner, Chug Springs Butchery

“This is a brilliant idea. I love the creativity of it. I love the Wyoming approach. And I especially appreciate identifying and procuring local food, because if we can keep what we grow here in Wyoming, it's just money back into the economy. It's money in the pocket of the processor and the rancher.”

— Danica Sveda, Executive Director, Food Bank of Wyoming

What’s next

With the success of the Wheatland test run, Springs plans to make that community a stop each Monday and foresees adding other communities to the meat wagon's itinerary soon, such as Douglas, Torrington, Cheyenne and possibly Guernsey. Chugwater, too, will likely become one of the meat wagon's stops once or twice a month.

The takeaway

The Chug Springs Meat Wagon is a creative 'Wyoming solution' to the challenge of food deserts in the state's rural communities. By bringing high-quality, locally-sourced beef directly to underserved towns, it not only provides greater food access but also supports the local economy and ranching industry. This innovative business model demonstrates how entrepreneurial thinking can address persistent community needs.