About Us

Kreuz Market History
The Birthplace of Texas BBQ
Over the past century the ranch and farming community of Lockhart, Texas has steadily earned the reputation as the capital of smoked meat.

Lockhart sits off the beaten path in-between San Antonio and Austin but it’s a favored destination for barbecue fanatics and foodies from all over the world. They are attracted by the city’s storied barbecue restaurants.

Barbecue is haute cuisine in Lockhart. It’s serious business. The city’s pit masters are locked in a daily challenge to get the smoke just right.

Texas BBQ is Born
In 1875 Jesse Swearingen opened Lockhart’s first meat market. The term “meat market” referred to what we would call today a grocery store with a butcher on hand offering fresh meat.

Kreuz Family Era 1900-1948
In 1900 Charles Kreuz Sr. borrowed $200 and bought the market from Jesse.

$200 was a lot of money in rural Texas in 1900. Charles’ family, including his children, picked cotton to earn extra money to pay back the loan and buy new equipment for the market.

The Kreuz family’s sacrifice pad off. Kreuz Market quickly became known as the best grocery store in the area. Shoppers flocked to what was described as a modern, “progressive” grocery store.

old kreuz market
Rear of the Kreuz building in the 1920s.
Charles stocked his market with fresh fruits and vegetables as well as other specialties previously unavailable to local shoppers.