He said he’s never looked back.

“I was in corporate sales through my earlier years, so I traveled extensively,” Muraro said. “I got sick of the rat race and wanted to do my own thing.”

Muraro’s interest in meats came from his grandparents — Italian on his father’s side and Italian and Polish on his mother’s side — so he had some great family recipes to start with.

Later Muraro would make sausage with his friends.

BORDERLAND SPECIALTY MEATS, Foods and Smokehouse is at 1033 Main St. in Norway. (Jim Paul/Daily News photo)

“We started making sausage up at camp in the fall and it got to be people were asking us for 10 or 20 pounds,” Muraro said. “So then I decided to do something on my own.”

When opening Borderland Specialty Meats, Muraro chose to locate in his hometown of Norway, citing its beautiful downtown and supportive city infrastructure that helps businesses succeed. Muraro is mayor pro tem of Norway.

From its beginnings as a sausage shop, Borderland Specialty Meats has grown steadily over the years. The COVID-19 pandemic actually saw sales improve, Muraro said, adding he attributes that to people being forced to stay at home and cook for themselves rather than going out.

Muraro said his customer base has grown far beyond Norway and even Dickinson County. He has people who come from as far away as Escanaba and Crivitz, Wis.

His customers are what he enjoys most about being in business, he said.

“Ten years in, we consider (them) friends and family at this point,” Muraro said.

Muraro features 20 types of sausage, including four types of bratwurst, five types of Italian sausage, chicken sausages, kielbasa, potato sausage and more. Muraro often names his sausages after the people who shared the recipe with him, like Ed’s Fresh Polish, JD’s Potato Sausage and Kaiser’s Summer Sausage.

Over time, Borderland Specialty Meats has morphed from sausage to a full-service butcher shop and more.

Steaks are a big seller at Borderland Specialty Meats. Muraro sources all of his meats from the Midwest and uses all choice and prime grades of beef.

Muraro uses a process called wet aging on his beef. Wet-aged beef is a method in which the meat is vacuum-sealed and stored in a refrigerated environment, typically between 35 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. This process allows the beef’s natural enzymes to break down connective tissues, leading to increased tenderness and enhanced flavor. Wet aging retains the meat’s moisture, resulting in a juicy and flavorful steak.

Keeping prices down amid rising beef costs is a challenge Muraro does his best to deal with.

“The herd is the same size it was in the 1950s and the population is at least 100 million more, so obviously supply and demand dictates that the price is going to go up,” Muraro said.

Borderland Specialty Meats also carries pork, chicken and lamb. Many who walk into the shop are also surprised by the extensive seafood offerings — fish, scallops, crab legs and lobster — most of which is wild caught.

Muraro does his own smoking, too, offering ribs, pulled pork, kielbasa, summer sausage and the popular snack sticks.

Muraro’s porketta is rumored to be a favorite of Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo.

The shop can process wild game as well.

Borderland Specialty Meats also carries some non-meat items, such as local honey and maple syrup, barbecue sauces, seasonings and rubs, imported olive oils, imported Italian pastas and gourmet pretzels.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary, Borderland Specialty Meats is partnering with its next-door neighbor, the Knight Owl Sportsbar, for a customer appreciation event July 26. It will include live music from two bands from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., free food and no cover charge.

Borderland Specialty Meats is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at 1033 Main St. in Norway.