Koegel Meat Company facts for kids

The Koegel Meat Company is a family-owned business that makes and sells meat products. It's based in Flint Township, Michigan. Koegel's is famous for its hot dogs, especially for making a special kind of hot dog called a Flint-Style Coney Dog. They also supply their products to many places like A&W, Walmart, Dairy Queen, and Kroger. Koegel's delivers its products directly to stores, which helps keep them super fresh!

Koegel's Story: A Look Back

Albert Koegel, the company's founder, learned how to cut meat and create tasty recipes in his home country, Germany. He started the Koegel Meat Company in 1916 in Flint, Michigan. At first, it was a small shop on Kearsley Street. He opened it because many people were moving to Flint for jobs in the growing car industry.

Growing the Business

To keep up with the demand, Koegel opened a bigger factory in the mid-1930s. This plant was on Stevens Street, near the Flint River. In 1972, the company moved its main operations to its current location on Bristol Road in Flint Township, Michigan.

Staying Independent

In 1998, another meat company received money from the state of Michigan to open a plant there. Albert Koegel's son, also named Albert Koegel, said that Koegel's has never taken money or tax breaks from the state. They have always grown their business on their own.

Changes Over Time

In 2007, Costco stores in Michigan started selling Koegel products. A year later, in 2008, Koegel's stopped making two products: a honey-style loaf and a type of ham. The company president, John Koegel, explained that sales for the ham had dropped too low.

During the Great Recession, which was a tough economic time, more people started cooking at home. This caused Koegel's sales to go up for a few years. However, after that, beef prices rose, which made it harder for the company to make as much profit.

Expanding to New States

In 2012, Koegel's made a deal with Meijer stores. This agreement meant that Koegel products would be sold in Meijer stores in other states like Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Koegel's still delivers directly to Meijer stores in Michigan. This helped their drivers keep their jobs and allowed them to continue serving other customers like A&W and Kroger. Before this deal, Koegel's products were mostly sold only in Michigan and Toledo, Ohio. The deal added 98 new stores for some of their main products, especially hot dogs and bologna.

A few years before 2016, Koegel's even started selling its products nationwide through mail order. People as far away as Alaska could order their meats! In 2015, Koegel Meats received a special award called the Al Kessel Outstanding Achievement Award.

Water Supply Clarification

In January 2016, during the Flint water crisis, many people asked Koegel's about their water supply. The company quickly let everyone know that their factory does not use water from the Flint City system. Instead, they use water from the county system, which comes through Flint Township.

Koegel's delivery truck, Pittsfield Township, Michigan

The Koegel Factory

The current Koegel factory was built in 1972. It is located on Bristol Road in Flint Township. Here are some interesting facts about the plant:

• The production line moves from east to west. This design helps prevent contamination by keeping things moving forward.
• The floor in the production area is made of bricks. This is because the acids from meat can damage concrete floors over many years.
• The factory is very large, covering 100,000 square feet.
• The ceilings, equipment, and walls in the factory are all made of stainless steel. This makes them easy to clean and very hygienic.

What Koegel Makes

The Koegel Meat Company makes 64 different products using 32 unique recipes. This includes 16 types of sausage and hot dogs. Some of these are:

• Brats
• Italian sausage
• Foot-long hot dogs
• Franks
• Vienna frankfurters
• Bologna rings
• Chicken frankfurters
• Polish sausage

They also make various lunch meats like bolognas, cotto salami, Dutch loafs, olive loafs, pickle loafs, head cheeses, and mac & cheese loaf. Koegel's also produces special coneys and hot dog chili products.

Koegel's still uses its original recipes, which are over 100 years old! Their meat products are smoked using damp sawdust from hardwood trees to give them a special flavor. They also use their own unique blend of spices. While the recipes are old, the way they make the products has changed. They used to stuff sausages by hand, but now they use modern machines.