Redwood Candle Company has expanded for the second time in its brief, two-year history, completing a 12,000 square-foot building expansion in December. The company’s 33 employees make soot-free, soy oil-based candles that are sold in about 1,000 retail stores. Owner Jill Anderson says she is continually picking up more stores across the country.

The Lamb Shoppe of rural Hutchinson now offers Jersey beef, chicken, turkeys and eggs, as well as lamb products raised without pesticides, herbicides and antibiotics. Connie Karsten’s on-farm operation includes a USDA meat processing facility and a retail store, which features meat products, wool blankets and gift items.

A 30,000 square-foot hog processing facility under construction in Dawson, Minn. is expected to open in July. Prairie Farmers Cooperative is acquiring equipment for the producer-owned plant and the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership has granted funds for employee training.

Minnesota Certified Pork, a Central Minnesota pork producer cooperative, is the first to receive production certification under the new Minnesota Certified program, managed by the state agriculture department. Co-op producers keep detailed records to verify compliance with quality standards in food safety, farm management and stewardship. Also, MNCEP pork can be traced to the farm where it was produced. The certification was signed by State Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson in late January.

Papa George Meats of Stillwater, Minn. has introduced three new pork products to complement lamb products already on the market. Papa George’s 12-ounce pork patty rolls, in regular, sage and hot flavors, are carried by Cub Foods, Lunds, Byerly’s and Kowalski’s in the Twin Cities metro area. Owner George Ghanem says his pork contains 55 percent less fat than regular pork sausage.