A former meat production facility in St. Clair Shores that closed more than two years ago has changed ownership and is officially opening on Friday, May 15.
EW Grobbel, a more than 140-year-old Detroit food company widely known for its corned beef and other products, acquired the building in late 2023 from Perdue Premium Meat Co.
The nearly 90,000-square-foot facility on Stephens Road near Little Mack once produced several products under the Alexander & Hornung brand and others. It was August 2023 when Perdue announced the facility would permanently close that fall. After extensive renovations, the grand opening of the facility marks EW Grobbel’s overall plan to meet demand for its range of products, locally and nationally, the company said in a news release.
“This facility positions us for long-term growth while allowing us to continue investing in people, products, and innovation,” said Jason Grobbel, EW Grobbel company president, in a news release.
Grobbel also said that the facility is an example of the company’s commitment to “growth, quality and excellence.”
Between the acquisition and renovations, the company invested $15 million, plus the equipment, Grobbel told the Free Press on Thursday, May 14.
“It’s a significant investment in the future of our team there and also in the city of St. Clair Shores,” Grobbel said.
Grobbel said they expect initially to employ about 40 people in St. Clair Shores. As the facility ramps up and production begins over the next 12 months or so, Grobbel expects staffing to grow to the hundreds.
“We’ll begin moving people in next week in the offices, and then starting the week after that, we start ramping up, we start production testing and validation of the different products that we’ll be doing there,” he said.
Grobbel stressed that the new facility is focused on production, it’s not a warehouse.
“We buy beef and other proteins from major packers around the country,” he said. “We make them into deli products and various other great meat products and ship them out all over the country.”
At the new facility, Grobbel said they will process proteins, from beef to poultry and other items, into a wide range of products, including deli meats and prepared meals.
“In the marketplace, there’s a great need for pre-cooked products,” Grobbel said. “We’re maxed out at that currently, and that’s what this delivers. Many people are, whether it’s restaurants or consumers, looking for more convenience and more further prepared items.”
Once production begins, among the items will be the company’s 1883 brand (named for the year the business started) of smoked meat products sold at some grocery stores and restaurants. The brand includes brisket burnt ends, thick-sliced smoked brisket, pulled pork and chicken products.
“It’s a world-class meat processing facility,” Grobbel said proudly.
Once the facility is in full production, Grobbel said, plans are to add premium spiral-sliced hams as well as gourmet sausages and hot dogs.
“It massively increases our cooking so that our cooking will be as large or bigger than our raw base capacity, which then initially doubles our capacity, but ultimately will end up tripling our overall product,” Grobbel said.
This marks EW Grobbel’s second expansion in recent years. In 2018, they acquired a facility in Taylor, providing manufacturing and distribution capabilities. Adjacent to its Eastern Market facility and across from the new iHeart Radio building, the company operates Grobbel’s Garage on Adelaide Street. Inside the space, which Grobbel’s once earmarked to be a deli and grocery store, is Grobbel’s food truck. There, the company’s products, from corned beef to pastrami, are available in a variety of deli sandwiches and sides.
EW Grobbel is widely known for its corned beef brand as well as the Sy Ginsberg corned beef, which the company acquired nearly 10 years ago. Founded in 1883 by Grobbel’s great-grandfather Emil Wilhelm Grobbel, the company’s portfolio also includes Topor’s Pickles, Corridor Sausage and Ba-Tampte pickles. Its founding, Grobbel likes to point out, “was the same year the Brooklyn Bridge was open to traffic.”
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SusanMariecooks. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: EW Grobbel opens new St. Clair Shores facility, creating jobs
Reporting by Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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