Meat&Poultry - August 2012 - 37

WEEPING RADISH

Praxair Technology
The owner continues his joint venture with Kuhle, who serves as a consultant and was instrumental in bringing another master butcher to the operation in Grandy. Frank Meusel, a 34-year meat craftsman from Kassel, Germany, now makes the specialty products and assures customers that all meat offerings are nitrite- and hormone-free. along with Bavarian and other German signage, artwork and collectibles. The location is key for Weeping Radish. When those vacationers heading to the beach get backed up in traffic, the inviting pub and restaurant, and even brewery tours, provide a delightful respite from the turmoil of travel. Not long ago, Bennewitz teamed up with a local resort to have dinner and a sausage-making class for a small party. Those attending were able to sample the products they were making as part of their dinner fare. Among the products flowing off the butchery’s production lines are bacon, uncured pork, brats in regular, apple and beer versions, hot dogs, kielbasa, salami, pastrami, corned beef, bolognas, the sweet potato liverwurst, andouille, a chicken curry sausage and many German-style sausages. And, yes, they do make their own sauerkraut, cooked in white wine, with spices and pastrami pieces. One of those attending was a reporter from The Washington Post and, as they say, the rest is history. Although most of the fi rm’s meat products are sold in North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia, their reputation has rapidly spanned the nation. The company was invited to enter its sweet potato liverwurst at the first Good Foods Awards competition in San Francisco, where it won the in charcuterie category. Being such a stickler for purity, Bennewitz has labored endlessly to build his dream around uncompromised quality beer and meats. The butchery has only Meusel and three part-time workers, while the brewery has two full-timers and one part-timer. The restaurant employs eight people. It’s certainly been a complicated puzzle for the Bennewitz family to put together, but now that it’s assembled, it has to rank as one of the most remarkable small businesses ever undertaken on a friend’s suggestion. ■
Steve Krut, an industry veteran, is a contributing editor writing exclusively for Meat&Poultry, specializing in small business issues. He resides in Marietta, Pa. We would like to hear from you – to comment on this story or to request reprints, contact us by email at meatpoultry@sosland.com.
P-10416-10 www.MeatPoultry.com • August 2012 • Meat&Poultry •

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Weeping radish is a German bar snack.

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What’s in a name?
When asked where the Weeping Radish name originated, Sophie explains that it is a German bar snack. A large radish is sliced and salt is added to the slices before it is reassembled. The salt draws all the moisture out of the radish so it looks like the radish is weeping. It is not something that the fi rm serves in their pub or restaurant. “Much too salty,” Sophie says. From the firm’s website, www. weepingradish.com, customers can check out the company’s history and diversified choices at the brewery (six beer styles), the butchery, the restaurant and the pub. The facility is decorated with a 5-ft. Weeping Radish mannequin that greets customers upon entering,

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Meat&Poultry - August 2012

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