Toledo's Stanley's Markets to sell meat products wholesale

“The focus of this venture is expanding the brand regionally by offering Stanley's kielbasa and other homemade specialty sausages to the food-service business,” said Joseph Zychowicz, who runs the fourth-generation business.

Stanley's homemade sausage products are available at the store's booth at Fifth Third Field, The Blarney Irish Pub in Downtown Toledo and Ralphie's Sports Eatery locations in the Toledo area.

With a plan that was two years in the making, Stanley's began marketing its traditional Polish kielbasa, Irish Banger and Cajun Andouille specialty sausages through wholesale food distributors in March. Stanley's offers fresh and smoked kielbasa in bulk as well as precooked kielbasa and grillers in bulk quantities.

Smith's Family Frosted Foods Company in Tiffin is already delivering Stanley's meats to restaurants in Northwest Ohio, Southeast Michigan and the Cleveland and Columbus areas.

Stanley's Market is making and packaging its meat products in its new federally inspected plant on Enterprise Boulevard in Toledo.

Stanley's currently employs about 18 people at the retail store with plans for five additional jobs at the plant as sales increase, Zychowicz said.

Zychowicz and his son, Andrew, have been working on plans for expanding the business with some help from the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Aggie Dahar, a certified business analyst with the SBDC, worked with the Zychowicz family to help them create the business plan for the expansion. Zychowicz knew Dahar, who was president of the Lagrange Development Corp. when he served on its board of directors.

Dahar was able to direct Zychowicz to the appropriate sources to accomplish his goals, Zychowicz said.

Andrew Zychowicz took a fast-track course through the chamber to develop and implement a business plan for the expansion. With a degree in biology from Marquette University, he said his science background was “paramount” in understanding the federal procedures and writing a food-safety plan.

“We work daily with federal inspectors to control the environment and comply with food safety regulations,” he said.

“You draw up a plan to produce a safe product and prove to them that you follow it,” Joe Zychowicz said.

Stanley's is working with several local caterers to serve its meat products at events and wedding receptions. The family is developing the packaging to market Stanley's kielbasa and sausages over the Internet by late fall for the holiday season at www.stanleysmarket.com.

Zychowicz's grandfather, Joseph, opened the family's original store at Elm and Dexter streets in Toledo. Brothers Eugene and Ralph got involved in the family business and bought Stanley's Market on Stickney in 1955 from its founder, Stanley Goscin, who opened the store in 1935.

The third and fourth generations of the Zychowicz family continue to operate Stanley's Market at its present location.

Other local businesses have sold their food products to consumers in retail stores and through wholesale food distributors.

Tony Packo's has been selling its food products to the public for the past 40 years through its wholesale food division. Today, 22 products are sold through retailers, wholesale food distributors and the company's online catalog, Tony Packo III said.

“We started marketing food products from our restaurants after customers began asking about purchasing pickles and peppers,” he said. “The demand and interest in additional products has grown over the years.

“The following we have is very flattering. We've cultivated a completely different audience, almost like a cult, that is very passionate about our food products they can purchase online and in stores across the country.

“We've had a lot of fun and success with it, but it's all about the customer's pure enjoyment. We're a family business that takes pride in our products.”

Packo's pickles, peppers, hot dog and salsa sauces, and famous Hungarian hot dogs are shipped from a location on Front Street next to the original restaurant and a warehouse in Indiana.

The products are sent directly to retailers such as Kroger and Meijer and to grocery and gourmet food stores through distributors such as Spartan Stores, LiPari Foods in Warren, Mich., and Kehe Foods in Chicago, according to Packo's retail salesman Bob Schmaozried.

The pickles and peppers are packaged at a plant in northeast Indiana; the Hungarian hot dogs are made by Dearborn Sausage Company in Dearborn, Mich., and tomato-based products are made locally at Hirzel Canning Company in Northwood.

Hot Mama Foods Inc. of Toledo has been marketing Rosie's Hot Mama Bread in retail stores since 1992. The company distributes the Italian cheese bread in the original and garlic flavors through wholesale distributors and directly to national chains.

The frozen Hot Mama Bread in 14-ounce size is found in the garlic bread sections of food stores such as The Andersons, Kroger and Meijer stores in Northwest Ohio and nationally. The product is made and packaged in the company's facility in Toledo.

The company is developing small individual sizes of the cheese and garlic frozen bread that can be prepared in conventional or microwave ovens that will be available in the near future, said Michael Barone, president of Hot Mama Foods.

“The business was developed at Rosie's restaurants when customers wanted to purchase Hot Mama Bread for home consumption,” said Barone, whose family operates Rosie's Italian Grille on McCord Road as a separate enterprise. “The original hot mama bread is still available at the restaurant.”