Smokin’ success Holmes Smokehouse is taking its regional Texas brand beyond the borders BY KIMBERLIE CLYMA kclyma@sosland.com A sk Rodney Roth how business is going and he’ll most likely re- ness. My grandfather was a German immigrant, a butcher by trade, who taught sausage making to his family,” Roth explains. “When he came to the US, he passed the baton on to my parents and then they passed it on to me. I grew up in the business… I love this business.” His love and excitement for the sausage business is what drove him to work for his family’s sausage company – Blue Ribbon Sausage – for five years. But it was his entrepreneurial spirit that drove him to purchase Holmes Smokehouse in 2000. And in just over 10 years, Roth has taken the Holmes brand, which had $600,000 Above: Rodney Roth purchased Holmes Smokehouse in 2000. (Photo courtesy of Holmes Smokehouse) spond, “Smokin!” That’s because he “I grew up in the business…I love this business.” lives and breathes smoked sausage, and has done so for most of his 45 years. “I was born into the sausage busi- 32 • Meat&Poultry • February 2012 • www.MeatPoultry.comhttp://www.MeatPoultry.com