Homegrown Charm

Homegrown Charm

Anchored in rich history and thriving, Atlantic delights as a destination

By Ann Foster Thelen

Local legends tell different tales of how the Cass County town of Atlantic got its name. One popular lore is the Founding Fathers estimated the town was about halfway between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, so it led them to flip a coin. The rest is history.

The nearby Rock Island Railroad was critical in deciding the actual location of the town. To this day, the old depot sits at the north end of Chestnut Street. It anchors a thriving downtown, filled with vitality, charm, and nods to both nostalgia and a prosperous future. For nearly 100 years, this community of approximately 6,500 residents has been known for being home to the Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, which bottles and distributes drinks from The Coca-Cola Company to Iowa and parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri.

“Instead of a town square, we have a seven-block long downtown, and the width of our downtown is about twice the standard size of a street,” explains Bailey Smith, executive director of the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce. “There are about 15 to 20 trees per block, which provide a lot of natural beauty and shade.”

Often called quaint, the downtown area is filled with boutiques and locally owned restaurants and coffee shops and is the heartbeat of the community. More than a dozen parks and recreation areas line the outskirts of the community and county, adding an energetic and wholesome vibe, which attracts locals and visitors.

Business Spotlight: Noble Provisions

Beef and Pork, Direct to Consumers

The Muller Family Farm started more than 150 years ago in Noble Township, near Griswold, which is 14 miles south of Atlantic. Kelly and Maggie Muller are sixth-generation farmers raising livestock and producing grain while stewarding the land.

“We value the work ethic, resilience, independence, self-reliance and connection with nature that are instilled through farm life,” explains Maggie, who along with her husband Kelly, are raising four children as the seventh generation on the farm. “We live in the century farmhouse Kelly’s great, great grandfather built. There is an incredible legacy and love for farming here.”

The Muller kids are active helpers on the family farm.

After graduating college, Kelly wanted to return to the place he had always called home. Married to Maggie, who he was friends with in high school and later started dating, the couple has increased their farming operation to 2,700 head of cattle along with growing corn and soybeans. Their cattle come to the farm after they have been weaned, meaning they don’t have a cow-calf operation but rather buy cattle locally from sale barns and raise them to market weight.

“All our animals are started on either corn stocks or pasture because we feel they get more space that way. They get more area to roam and grow,” Maggie explains. “On our farm, we have found it’s best for the animals to be able to grow comfortably and slowly.”

Working with a nutritionist is key to raising healthy livestock, resulting in highquality, delicious meat. Much of the livestock’s nutritional needs are met by the grain raised on the farm, including corn stalks and grass that are baled for feed throughout the year.

“Once the cattle reach a certain weight, we start them on grain,” Maggie says. “This diet creates tasty, tender, marbled meat, which comes from grain-fed cattle.”

Clara, Lucy, Isabelle and Vivian are the seventh generation being raised on the Muller family farm.

The Mullers have grown their direct-to-consumer business in recent years, selling at Atlantic’s Produce in the Park and specialty markets as well as from their state-inspected meat cases and freezers on their farm. In Oct. 2021, the couple launched Noble Provisions, a website where consumers can select meat products online and pick up at area locations or directly on the farm. In addition to beef products, they sell various pork products. For consumers interested in bulk buying, Noble Provisions offers custom sales of a quarter, half or whole beef or a half or whole hog.

Noble Provisions is Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certified. The rigorous BQA-certified designation means cattle are raised to the best quality standards and demonstrates farmers’ unwavering commitment to food safety and quality.

“We put an enormous amount of care into the comfort and health of our cattle and pigs,” Maggie explains. “There’s significant science that goes into how you want to raise an animal so their body can grow efficiently along with their weight.”

An enormous amount of care goes into raising healthy livestock.

For more information, visit nobleprovisionsiowa.com.

Business Spotlight: Miss NiNi’s

Masterfully Created Desserts, Deliciously Defined

Janine Knop – aka “Miss NiNi” – developed a passion for baking in her youth. Through her education and award-winning baking, her passion grew, leading to the establishment of Miss NiNi’s Fine Desserts. Over the years, she’s gained a loyal following of customers from coast to coast, selling her delicacies across the lower 48 states.

Janine Knop’s husband Fred is the ultimate taste-tester for Miss NiNi’s delicious desserts.

While Miss NiNi’s legend has flourished, her biggest fan resides under her roof. Husband Fred, a farmer who tended to soybeans, corn, small grains, hay and prized lambs for decades before recently retiring, has been Miss NiNi's most willing taste-tester since the 1970s.Together, they grew their farming operation, raised two daughters and created a recipe for a successful dessert business. Today, Janine operates from a licensed kitchen built on the same Atlantic area farm the Knops have lived on for decades.

“I’m usually in the kitchen baking by 4 a.m.,” says Janine, who bakes, ships and delivers her homemade goodies to local businesses and Friedrichs Coffee locations and Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure in Des Moines. Cookies, coffeecakes, cheesecakes and Chunky Chocolate Pumpkin, Almond Poppy Seed and Cranberry Orange dessert breads are fan favorites. The No. 1 seller is always the Chunky Chocolate Pumpkin, which is no coincidence since it’s an Iowa State Fair blue ribbon-winning recipe.

Dessert breads, including Chunky Chocolate Pumpkin, are fan favorites.

“Our cheesecakes are shipped frozen solid. In the middle of summer, I can ship via FedEx to California, and the product will arrive perfectly frozen,” she explains. “My crumb pies –Cherry and Dutch Apple – and the dessert breads and cakes also ship extremely well.”

Known for her energetic spirit, Miss NiNi also sells her homemade creations during local events, such as Produce in the Park or Atlantic’s holiday markets.

“The people and community atmosphere make Atlantic a wonderful place to live,” Janine says. “Everyone enthusiastically supports local businesses and thrives on the local talent in the area.”

A selection of Miss NiNi’s baked goods are shipped across the U.S. to 48 states.

For more information, visit missnini.com.

Eat, Explore and Enjoy

Delicious Food and Beverages

Sweet Joy Shoppe specializes in paninis, homemade soup, salads with fresh ingredients and uses locally grown vegetables when available. Daily lunch specials range from pasta with homemade sauces to meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Wake up with breakfast burritos, croissants and pastries.

Sweet Joy Shoppe specializes in homemade breakfast and lunch specials using fresh and local ingredients.

Wiota Steakhouse is a family-owned icon. With years of local heritage, therestaurant features certified Angus beef and seafood.

Henningsen’s Meat Processing features beef and pork products, homemade beef jerky and beef sticks, Danish lunchmeats and sausage, along with a wide variety of cheeses, seafood and soup. Visitors from Des Moines, Sioux City, Council Bluffs and other locations arrive with large coolers to fill with locally raised meat products.

Outdoor Exploration

Outdoor recreation opportunities abound in Cass County.

Schildberg Recreation Area has three beautiful lakes perfect for fishing, and 6 miles of trails are accessible from Schildberg. The area is full of native grasses and flowers with various wildlife, plus a modern campground.

The longest highway ever created, Historic U.S. Route 6, stretching 3,652 miles from Massachusetts to California, runs through Atlantic. T-Bone Trail, a popular bike trail, runs through farmland and timber in the Nishnabotna River Valley. The trail begins in Audubon’s Albert City Park, home of Albert the Bull, and ends on Dunbar Road, 5 miles northeast of Atlantic.

A stone’s throw from Atlantic in Cass County, the Outdoor Classroom in Massena delights nature lovers. The diverse 76-acre recreation area boasts fishing, hiking, nature study, native prairie grasses and flowers.

Atlantic’s seven block downtown is filled with charm.

Events and Activities

In mid-August, downtown Atlantic is filled with fun activities for all ages during AtlanticFest! The day includes an annual Road Race, craft and food vendors, carnival games and free entertainment.

Atlantic is the Coca-Cola Capital of Iowa and will host its 30th annual Coca-Cola Days Celebration, Sept. 23-24. The celebration is the second largest miniconvention of Coca-Cola collectors in the U.S., second only to Atlanta, Georgia.

Atlantic is the Coca-Cola Capital of Iowa and annually hosts the U.S.’ second largest mini-convention of Coca-Cola collectors.

Produce in the Park is a weekly community gathering and farmers market (June through October). In addition to fresh fruits and vegetables, patrons will find local meats, baked goods, desserts, jams and jellies. During the off-season (November, December, February and April), several vendors offer products at Atlantic’s wildly popular Holiday Markets.

The Rock Island Railroad was critical in deciding the location of Atlantic. The old depot anchors Chestnut Street.

From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, Atlantic is Iowa’s City of Lights! Listed as Travel Iowa’s No. 1 Christmas destination, more than 200,000 LED lights along Chestnut Street dazzle visitors. Santa’s Cabin is located in the middle of the city park, with horse-drawn carriage rides adding to the festive vibe.

Atlantic is Travel Iowa’s No. 1 Christmas destination.

Win a “Fuel and Shine” gift package to fill your gas tankand get a car wash for a summer road trip($100 value). Visit iowafoodandfamily.com/magazine/fuelandshine and enter to win.