Our History
FROM MODEST BEGINNINGS.
On Oct. 20, 1946, a young Jerome Green and Jerry Beran leased the general mercantile (located just across Hwy 53 from Green’s Sausage House’s current location) for Green and Berans Grocery, a modern-day dry-goods store. The shelves were lined with everything from wash tubs and kerosene lamps to canned goods, flour and sugar. In addition to the various dry goods, there was a meat market where the locals could purchase fresh-cut meats and sausages. The “locals” were able to trade their fresh farm eggs and cream in exchange for merchandise or cash value.
ORIGINAL RECIPE
The link pork sausage and liver sausage sold in Green and Berans Grocery was made by Jerome using a recipe that was passed down. In a 1982 Waco Tribune article, Jerome was quoted as saying, “I got the recipe for the pork sausage and liver sausage from an old uncle of mine. He got the recipe from his daddy, so these recipes go back for generations.” These recipes are still in use today. To make the sausage he used a small electric grinder and a 15-pound hand-cranked stuffer.
Building a Legacy
1949
In 1949, Jerome and his wife Della purchased a saloon/café from Frank Zabcik and named it Green’s Cafe. In the early years of the saloon/café, a pool hall and domino room were added. In the mid 50s a dance hall was added, as well as the first indoor toilets. The café menu was limited to hamburgers, cheese burgers, boiled ham sandwiches and BBQ sandwiches. In 1960 Green’s Café underwent another addition/remodel which ultimately led to combining the two names, Green’s Grocery and Green’s Café to Green’s Sausage House. This is when the dance hall was transformed into a grocery store with a meat counter. The pool hall was replaced with a processing plant.
During this time the first smoker was installed. This smoker was constructed of wood and had a brick fire pit that produced natural smoke. The sausage stuffer was upgraded to a used 1950s model Buffalo manufactured air driven piston stuffer. In 1967 Green’s added a bakery that sold kolaches, cookies and breads. Our first baker was Clara Krupka (wife of the late Jerry Beran). Some of Clara’s recipes are still used today as the base of our current recipes. During this same time, we introduced what would become a staple, our oh-so-famous Sausage Burger to the menu.
Streamlined Operations
1969
In 1969, Jerome began to focus narrowed the focus to producing sausages and smoked meats, as well the café and bakery side of the operation. As a result, less attention was placed on custom processing of hogs and cattle. In 1969, we purchased the first of several commercial smokers. The addition of this particular smoker allowed Green’s to produce heat treated products like the smoked turkeys, jerky, pork tenderloin and bacon that so many of our customers have come to love.
SECOND GENERATION
During the 70s, Jerome and Della’s two sons, Marvin and Charles, became active in the business. At this point the meat market sold eight varieties of sausage, as well as various cheeses and relishes. In 1977 a fully-automated smokehouse was added. This smoker enabled us to control smoke, heat and humidity. Ultimately, the addition of this particular smoker allowed us to add more fully-cooked, ready to eat products. In the late 70s, we upped our sausage selection up to 14 varieties. Café menu choices also expanded as Della perfected her homemade chili recipe that we still serve on cold days in the winter. We began serving the sausage and sauerkraut plate, which we still serve on Friday and Saturdays.
The End of an Era
1984
On April 28, 1984, Jerome Green passed away. Marvin and wife Billye, and Charles and wife Jackie, continued to run the family business. In 1985, the son’s added a vacuum sausage stuffer. The stuffer allowed us to increase production and produce a more consistent product. Other ingredients like cheese and jalapenos were added to the sausage and customers now had their choice of 17 varieties of sausages.
Growth & Expansion
1980s & 1990s
Operations remained steady through the 80s and early 90s. Due to customer demand, expansion was inevitable. So in 1993, a new 4,000 sq. ft. processing facility was added to meet this demand. Since 1993, we’ve undergone several smaller expansions. These expansions included additional processing, a dining room expansion and additional walk-in coolers. The total processing and storage facility currently takes up 8,000+ sq. ft. and consists of six walk-in coolers, three walk-in freezers, four fully-automated smokers and two sausage stuffers. The café and store together take up 4,000+ sq. ft. For a building total of just over 12,000+ sq. ft.
CURRENT OFFERINGS
Today, Green’s offers 28 varieties of sausage, six types of bacon and various other meats and cheeses. The store offers over 100 varieties of Green’s jarred relishes, salsas, pickles, jams and jellies. The café serves up over 40 menu options for lunch and dinner, in addition to a breakfast menu. The bakery offers a daily variety of fresh baked fruit and meat kolaches, cookies, breads, cakes and pies.
Third Generation
And Gratitude
Most businesses don’t survive long enough to welcome a third generation. But Green’s Sausage House has been lucky enough to do just that. One of Marvin and Billye’s sons, Chad Green, joined in 2013. Charles and Jackie’s son-in-law Nick Lambert joined in 2015.
Lastly and most important, we would like to express our gratitude to our loyal customers, our employees, our families and our many friends. It has been our pleasure to serve the community for more than 70 years, and we look forward to many more.
