Case Study: Hazekamp’s Premier Foods
Who We Are
Hazekamp’s Premier Foods is a meat and fresh food processing and distribution facility with a unique line of consumer-ready products. A family-owned business started in 1905, it is currently operated by the 4th generation of the Hazekamp family.
How We Started
For 85 years we harvested animals at our facility. We then delivered primal beef cuts to local retail merchants in the West Michigan area.
Change Was Needed
In the early 1990’s due to a shrinking customer base in the area we began making the transition from a harvesting facility to fresh meat processor producing private label products in retail ready packaging. In 1994 we ceased harvesting animals at our facility.
Business Growth
We were fortunate to partner with aggressive thinking, small to mid-size retail chains in the state of Michigan producing private label items that were challenging to make consistently at the retail level. This concept showed great growth then expanded to virtually all products produced in today’s meat department.
These programs were uniquely different in the industry than what was available at that time. We used our customers’ specifications as our own. We used all aspects of their inhouse programs including raw material suppliers, tray sizes and colors to replicate their in-house programs. With significant investment and improved technology, we were able to continue to expand our customer base with extended shelf life on all products.
This growth in our customer base allowed us to expand our facility drastically. From 1994-2020, we have gone from a 7000 square foot facility to a 90000 square foot facility. This included new shipping and receiving docks, 4 new production rooms to handle a variety of proteins and items and more storage space for supplies.
Expanded Customer Growth
Our investments in our building and private label program allowed us to expand business with current customers and attract business from new customers. In the 2000’s we were able to expand throughout the Midwest. Then in 2010 -2015, we expanded to all states east of the Mississippi River. Today, we service 2950 retail stores from Michigan to Florida. Every year, we produce over 400 unique items and make over 11 million pounds of consumer-ready product.
Environmentally Friendly
Today’s consumers prefer the use of 100% recyclable materials in their food products. All packaging material used in our production processes are recyclable. We currently are working towards a compostable solution for all tray pack products as they become more mainstream. This coupled with the fact that we recycle 1.4 million pounds a year of cardboard and byproducts that previously all went to landfills helps reduce our environmental footprint for future generations.
Community We Live In
As with many business’s in West Michigan we believe its important to give back to the community. Our company partners with several charities, missions and non-profit organizations in our area to help those in a time of need.
Hazekamp’s Premier Foods
3933 S Brooks Rd
Muskegon, MI 49444