Koegel Meat Company
{{Short description|US meat company based in Flint, Michigan}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Koegel Meat Company
| logo = Koegel Meat Company logo.png
| caption =
| type = Private
| traded_as =
| genre =
| fate =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| foundation = {{sda|1916}}
| defunct =
| location_city = Flint Township, Michigan
| location_country = U.S.
| location =
| locations = 1
| area_served = Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky
| key_people = {{ubl|Albert Koegel, Jr. (chairman) |John C. Koegel (president)|Kathryn Koegel (vice president)}}
| industry = Food production
distribution
| products = wholesale meats products
| services =
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| assets =
| equity =
| divisions =
| subsid =
| homepage = {{URL|koegelmeats.com}}
| footnotes =
| intl =
}}
The Koegel Meat Company is a meat processing, packaging, and distribution company based in Flint, Michigan. Koegel's produces 35 products. 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.{{cite news|last=Atkinson|first=Scott |title=Michigan Coney Dog Project: Koegel's and sauce key to a Flint coney |url=http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/flint/index.ssf/2012/03/michigan_coney_dog_project_fli.html |accessdate=19 April 2012 |newspaper=Flint Journal|date=March 27, 2012}}{{cite news|last=Atkinson|first=Scott|title=Flint-style coneys researched and defined in new book, "Coney Detroit" |url=http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/flint/index.ssf/2012/03/flint-style_coneys_researched.html |accessdate=19 April 2012 |newspaper=The Flint Journal|date=March 22, 2012}} Koegel is also a supplier of A&W, about 200 Coney restaurants, Walmart, Dairy Queen{{cite news|last=Dybis|first=Karen|title=Meat company sizzles during grilling season|url=http://www.koegelmeats.com/mediaroom/Detroit_News_062007.pdf|accessdate=April 20, 2012|newspaper=Detroit News|date=June 20, 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230152842/http://www.koegelmeats.com/mediaroom/Detroit_News_062007.pdf|archivedate=December 30, 2010}} and Kroger. 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.{{cite news|last1=Adams|first1=Dominic|title=Koegel Meats still using original recipe after 100 years|url=http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/02/koegel_meats_still_using_origi.html|accessdate=February 11, 2016|work=Flint Journal|publisher=Mlive Media Group|date=February 11, 2016}}
File:Koegel Meat Company Delivery Truck Pittsfield Township Michigan.JPG]]
History
Albert Koegel learned meat cutting and developed various recipes while in his native Germany. The company was founded in 1916 by Koegel on Kearsley Street, Flint, as a retail market to take part in the expanding population due to the automotive industry starting up. Production was upstairs to the retail area.{{cite news|last1=Adams|first1=Dominic|title=Five things to know about 100-year-old Koegel Meats|url=http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/02/five_things_to_know_about_100-.html#incart_article_small |accessdate=February 11, 2016|work=The Flint Journal|publisher=Mlive Media Group|date=February 11, 2016}} To keep up with the regional demands, Koegel opened a processing plant in the mid-1930s on Stevens Street at the Flint River. In 1972, the company operations were moved to Bristol Road, Flint Township.{{cite news |last=Burden |first=Melissa |title=Koegel Meats cuts two products|url=http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/business/2008/02/koegel_meats_cuts_two_products.html |accessdate=19 April 2012 |newspaper=Flint Journal |date=February 6, 2008}}
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.{{cite web | title= The Real Cost of Corporate Welfare | work= Institute for Humane Studies | url= http://www.theihs.org/article.php/304.html | accessdate=November 1, 2005 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20051202140232/http://www.theihs.org/article.php/304.html |archivedate = December 2, 2005}}
In 2007, Michigan locations of Costco started carrying Koegel products. 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. 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.{{cite news|last1=Profitt|first1=Jennifer|title=Profitt Report: Secrets to success, the Koegel story|url=http://www.wsmh.com/sections/newsroom/features/top-stories/stories/Profitt-Report-Secrets-to-success-the-Koegel-story-230450.shtml|accessdate=February 11, 2016|work=.wsmh.com|publisher=WSMH-TV}}
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.{{cite news|last1=Allen|first1=Jeremy|title=Flint-based Koegel's products headed for 199 Meijer stores across five states|url=http://www.mlive.com/business/mid-michigan/index.ssf/2012/10/koegels_meats_expands_to_provi.html|accessdate=February 9, 2016|work=Flint Journal|publisher=MLive Media Group|date=October 19, 2012}}
A few years before 2016, Koegel was selling nationwide by mail order as far away as Alaska. Koegel Meats was given the 2015 Al Kessel Outstanding Achievement Award by the Michigan Grocers Association.{{cite news|title=Longtime Northern Michigan grocer, Flint sausage-maker win top awards|url=http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2015/08/longtime_beaver_island_flint_g.html|accessdate=February 11, 2016|work=Flint Journal|publisher=MLive Media Group|date=August 5, 2015}} 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.{{cite news|title=Koegel's meats say they are not connected to Flint water system|url=http://www.abc12.com/home/headlines/Koegls-meats-say-they-are-not-connected-to-Flint-water-system-366240001.html|accessdate=February 10, 2016|work=ABC12.com|publisher=WJRT|date=January 22, 2016|archive-date=February 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215152051/http://www.abc12.com/home/headlines/Koegls-meats-say-they-are-not-connected-to-Flint-water-system-366240001.html|url-status=dead}}
Factory
Built in 1972, the current factory is on Bristol Road in Flint Township. Features of the plant include:
Products and recipes
The Koegel Meat makes 64 products based on 32 different recipes. This including 16 types of sausage and hot dogs: brats, foot-longs, franks, vienna frankfurters, bologna rings,{{cite news |last=Krueger |first=Ron |title=Cover up: Top dogs slip under a blanket of mustard, kraut, salsa, bacon ... |url=http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/onthetable/2008/02/cover_up_top_dogs_slip_under_a_blanket_of_mustard.html |accessdate=20 April 2012 |newspaper=The Flint Journal |date=July 10, 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007154101/http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/onthetable/2008/02/cover_up_top_dogs_slip_under_a_blanket_of_mustard.html |archivedate=October 7, 2008 }} [http://www.koegelmeats.com/mediaroom/flint_journal.pdf Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230151401/http://www.koegelmeats.com/mediaroom/flint_journal.pdf |date=2010-12-30 }} chicken frank and Polish sausage. Lunch meat products include bolognas, cotto salami, olive loafs, pickle loafs, head cheeses and mac & cheese loaf. Also they make coneys and hot dog chili products.{{cite web|title=Company Overview of Koegel Meats, Inc.|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=4478163 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118214206/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=4478163 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 18, 2013 |work=Businessweek Company profiles|publisher=Bloomberg|accessdate=19 April 2012}}
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 Processes have changed over the 100 years moving from hand stuffing to machine based operation.{{cite news|last1=Jacobson|first1=Marc|title=Made in Michigan: Koegel's Meats celebrates 100 years|url=http://www.abc12.com/home/headlines/Made-In-Michigan---Koegels-100th-Anniversary-368305491.html|accessdate=February 10, 2016|work=ABC12.com|publisher=WJRT|date=February 10, 2016|archive-date=February 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160211090622/http://www.abc12.com/home/headlines/Made-In-Michigan---Koegels-100th-Anniversary-368305491.html|url-status=dead}}
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://koegelmeats.com}}
{{Hot dog variations}}
{{Central Michigan}}
Category:Companies based in Genesee County, Michigan
Category:Food and drink companies based in Michigan
Category:German-American cuisine
Category:German-American culture in Michigan
Category:Cuisine of the Midwestern United States
Category:Sausage companies of the United States