Hess Meats shifted its operational strategy when the pandemic hit
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This week MEAT+POULTRY recorded one of the stories from the August edition of the magazine. Listen to the Small Business Matters feature.
\\nFor most small meat processors who have ventured into off-premises catering, the COVID-19 pandemic hit like a ton of bricks. Cancellations were massive and unceasing across the industry.
\\nFor Hess Meats Inc., a 105-year-old country meat shop in Willow Street, Pa., catering had become the main sail that powered their small family business. Then in mid-March, the ship seemed to have fallen off the edge of the Earth when large gatherings were prohibited.
\\nThird-generation operator Lloyd Hess bought out his brother Paul\\u2019s share of the business in 2016, and last year turned over 51% of the ownership to his own son, Eric.
\\n\\u201cWe were just getting into our booking peak for catering for weddings and I got 19 cancellations in one day,\\u201d Lloyd said. \\u201cWe do about 75 weddings a year and many were able to be rescheduled for later in the year or even into next year, but it almost brought us to our knees.
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