Koegel Meat Company

Last updated
Koegel Meat Company
TypePrivate corporation
IndustryFood production
distribution [1]
Founded1916
FounderAlbert Koegel [1]
Headquarters
Flint Township, Michigan
,
USA
Number of locations
1
Area served
 Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky [2]
Key people
  • Albert Koegel, Jr. (chairman)
  • John C. Koegel (President) [3]
  • Kathryn Koegel (Vice President) [1]
Productswholesale meats products [1]
OwnerKoegel family [4]
Number of employees
85 [3]
Website koegelmeats.com

The Koegel Meat Company is a meat processing, packaging, and distribution company based in Flint, Michigan. Koegel's produces 35 products. [2] Koegel's hot dogs are considered by the authors of "Coney Detroit" as the best hot dog for a Flint-Style Coney Dog along with Abbott's Meat's coney sauce. [5] [6] Koegel is also a supplier of A&W, about 200 Coney restaurants, Walmart, Dairy Queen [7] and Kroger. [2] Distribution of its own products to each store gives Koegel an advantage of being able to give a shorter shelf life, at half its competitors, to ensure a fresh product. [1]

Contents

Koegel's delivery truck, Pittsfield Township, Michigan Koegel Meat Company Delivery Truck Pittsfield Township Michigan.JPG
Koegel's delivery truck, Pittsfield Township, Michigan

History

Albert Koegel learned meat cutting and developed various recipes while in his native Germany. The company was founded in 1916 by Koegel [1] on Kearsley Street, Flint, as a retail market to take part in the expanding population due to the automotive industry starting up. [7] Production was upstairs to the retail area. [8] To keep up with the regional demands, Koegel opened a processing plant in the mid-1930s [7] on Stevens Street at the Flint River. [4] In 1972, the company operations were moved to Bristol Road, Flint Township. [9]

Koegel's made news when the Michigan Jobs Commission awarded an economic development package to one of Koegel's competitors, Boar's Head Provision Company, in 1998. While Boar's Head is a New York company, it was awarded a large incentive, paid with taxpayer money, to open a processing plant in Michigan. Al Koegel, the son of company founder Albert Koegel, claims that Koegel's has never accepted taxpayer money or tax breaks from the state. [10]

In 2007, Michigan locations of Costco started carrying Koegel products. [7] In 2008, Koegel's discontinued two products, a honey-style loaf and ham. President John Koegel told the press that in previous years, a couple of truckloads of the ham product would be sold per annum, but declining sales forced its discontinuation. [9] With the downturn of the Great Recession, Koegel sales increased over first couple of years as people prepared meals at home more. Beef prices rose after that cutting into the profits. [11]

In 2012, Koegel and Meijer agreed to a distribution deal placing Koegel products in Meijer store in other states, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois while keeping direct distribution to Michigan Meijer stores. Keeping Michigan distribution allows their drivers to keep their jobs and retain other customers like A&W, Dairy Queen and Kroger. Previous, the company's products were only available in Michigan and Toledo, Ohio. This deal added 98 new retail outlets for four to six products with two, hot dogs and bologna, being the core products. [2]

A few years before 2016, Koegel was selling nationwide by mail order as far away as Alaska. [4] Keogel Meats was given the 2015 Al Kessel Outstanding Achievement Award by the Michigan Grocers Association. [3] In January 2016, Koegel had to answer multiple inquires, in regards to the Flint water crisis and their water supply, that their plant is not connected to the Flint City water system, but the county run system via Flint Township. [12]

Factory

Built in 1972, the current factory is on Bristol Road in Flint Township. [9] Features of the plant include:

Products and recipes

The Koegel Meat makes 64 products based on 32 different recipes. [4] This including 16 types of sausage and hot dogs: brats, Italian sausage, foot-longs, franks, vienna frankfurters, bologna rings, [13] chicken frank and Polish sausage. [4] Lunch meat products include bolognas, cotto salami, Dutch loafs, olive loafs, pickle loafs, head cheeses and mac & cheese loaf. Also they make coneys and hot dog chili products. [14]

Koegel uses its original 100-year old recipes that the meat products are smoked with damp sawdust with hardwood for flavor and in its own blend of spices [1] [8] Processes have changed over the 100 years moving from hand stuffing to machine based operation. [4]

Related Research Articles

Hot dog Sausage in a bun

A hot dog is a food consisting of a grilled or steamed sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term hot dog can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener or a frankfurter. The names of these sausages also commonly refer to their assembled dish. Some consider a hot dog to technically be a sandwich. Hot dog preparation and condiments vary worldwide. Typical condiments include mustard, ketchup, relish, onions in tomato sauce, and cheese sauce. Common garnishes include sauerkraut, diced onions, jalapeños, chili, grated cheese, coleslaw, bacon, and olives. Hot dog variants include the corn dog and pigs in a blanket. The hot dog's cultural traditions include the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.

Corn dog Deep-fried, corn-battered hot dog on a stick

A corn dog is a sausage on a stick that has been coated in a thick layer of cornmeal batter and deep fried. It originated in the United States and is commonly found in American cuisine.

Chili dog Hot dog with chili

A chili dog is a hot dog served in a bun and topped with a meat sauce, such as chili con carne. Additional toppings may include cheese, onions, and mustard. The style has multiple regional variations in the United States, many calling for specific and unique sauce ingredients, types of hot dogs, or types of buns and referred to regionally under region-specific names.

Coney Island (restaurant) Type of American restaurant

A Coney Island is a type of restaurant that is popular in the northern United States, particularly in Michigan as well as the name for the Coney Island hot dog after which the restaurant style is named.

WNEM-TV CBS affiliate in Bay City, Michigan

WNEM-TV is a television station licensed to Bay City, Michigan, United States, serving northeastern Michigan as an affiliate of CBS and MyNetworkTV. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios on North Franklin Street in downtown Saginaw, with a second newsroom in downtown Flint. Its transmitter is located on Becker Road in Robin Glen-Indiantown, in Buena Vista Township, east of Saginaw.

Booth Newspapers, or Booth Michigan, was a media company based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Booth owned eight newspapers in the state of Michigan. Founded by George Gough Booth with his two brothers, Booth Newspapers was sold to Advance Publications, which purchased it in 1976 for $305 million, a record at the time.

Hebrew National

Hebrew National is a brand of kosher hot dogs and sausages made by ConAgra Foods. In 1982, Hebrew National opened a non-kosher division under the name National Deli; it was sold off in 2001, and is now based in Florida.

Michigan hot dog Style of hot dog

A michigan hot dog, michigan red hot, or simply "michigan", is a steamed all-beef hot dog on a steamed bun topped with a meaty sauce, generally referred to as "michigan sauce", and is a specialty in and around Plattsburgh, New York.

Coney Island hot dog American fast food item

A Coney Island hot dog is a hot dog in a bun topped with a savory meat sauce and sometimes other toppings. It is often offered as part of a menu of classic American "diner" dishes and often at Coney Island restaurants. It is largely a phenomenon related to immigration from Greece and the region of Macedonia to the United States in the early 20th century.

Hot dog stand

A hot dog stand is a business that sells hot dogs, usually from an external counter. Hot dog stands can be located on a public thoroughfare, near a sports stadium, in a shopping mall, or at a fair. They are often found on the streets of major American cities. According to one report, some hot dog stands are paying up to $80,000 in rent for prime locations in Manhattan.

Hot dog variations Ways to serve the "hot dog" style of sausage from around the world

This is a listing of variations on the hot dog. Different areas of the world have local variations on the type of meat used, condiments, and means of preparation.

Cheese dog Hot dog with cheese filling

A cheese dog is a hot dog served with cheese or processed cheese on it or stuffed within it, as a filling.

Vegetarian hot dog Hot dog made with plant-based ingredients

A vegetarian hot dog is a hot dog produced completely from non-meat products. Unlike traditional home-made meat sausages, the casing is not made of intestine, but of cellulose or other plant based ingredients. The filling is usually based on some sort of soy protein, wheat gluten, or pea protein. Some may contain egg whites, which would make them unsuitable for a lacto-vegetarian or vegan diet.

Pimento loaf Luncheon meat

Pimiento loaf, more commonly pimento loaf, also called pickle and pimiento loaf, pickle and pimento loaf, or P&P loaf, is a loaf-type luncheon meat containing finely chopped beef and pork, as well as chopped pickles and pimientos. After being formed into a loaf and cooked, the loaf is kept whole so it can be sliced and served cold as deli meat. Pimento loaf is closely related to olive loaf and spiced luncheon loaf. It is distantly related to ham and cheese loaf.

Halo Burger Fast food chain based in Flint, Michigan, United States

Halo Burger, formerly known by its full name Bill Thomas' Halo Burger, is an American fast-food restaurant chain based in Genesee County, Michigan. Begun in 1923 as the original Kewpee location and separating from the Kewpee chain in 1967 with two locations, the chain has maintained a number of locations in and around Genesee County.

Mass Transportation Authority (Flint)

The Mass Transportation Authority is the government operator of public mass transportation based in Flint, Michigan that provides local bus services in Genesee County and commuter bus services to Oakland, Livingston, Lapeer, Ingham and Saginaw counties.

Abbott's Meat is a meat packing company located in Flint, Michigan. Koegel's hot dogs are considered by the authors of "Coney Detroit" as only acceptable hot dog for a Flint-Style Coney Dog along with Abbott's coney sauce. Abbott's chili sauce's primary ingredient is ground beef heart.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Adams, Dominic (February 11, 2016). "Koegel Meats still using original recipe after 100 years". Flint Journal. Mlive Media Group. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Allen, Jeremy (October 19, 2012). "Flint-based Koegel's products headed for 199 Meijer stores across five states". Flint Journal. MLive Media Group. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "Longtime Northern Michigan grocer, Flint sausage-maker win top awards". Flint Journal. MLive Media Group. August 5, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Jacobson, Marc (February 10, 2016). "Made in Michigan: Koegel's Meats celebrates 100 years". ABC12.com. WJRT. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  5. ↑ Atkinson, Scott (March 27, 2012). "Michigan Coney Dog Project: Koegel's and sauce key to a Flint coney". Flint Journal . Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  6. ↑ Atkinson, Scott (March 22, 2012). "Flint-style coneys researched and defined in new book, "Coney Detroit"". The Flint Journal. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Dybis, Karen (June 20, 2007). "Meat company sizzles during grilling season" (PDF). Detroit News. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 30, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Adams, Dominic (February 11, 2016). "Five things to know about 100-year-old Koegel Meats". The Flint Journal. Mlive Media Group. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 Burden, Melissa (February 6, 2008). "Koegel Meats cuts two products". Flint Journal. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  10. ↑ "The Real Cost of Corporate Welfare". Institute for Humane Studies. Archived from the original on December 2, 2005. Retrieved November 1, 2005.
  11. ↑ Profitt, Jennifer. "Profitt Report: Secrets to success, the Koegel story". .wsmh.com. WSMH-TV. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Koegel's meats say they are not connected to Flint water system". ABC12.com. WJRT. January 22, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  13. ↑ Krueger, Ron (July 10, 2007). "Cover up: Top dogs slip under a blanket of mustard, kraut, salsa, bacon ..." The Flint Journal. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2012. Alt URL
  14. ↑ "Company Overview of Koegel Meats, Inc". Businessweek Company profiles. Bloomberg. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.