When Rufus and Juanita Kiolbassa opened their small meatpacking company in 1949, they probably could not have imagined that 58 years later, it would produce the top-selling premium sausage in Texas: Kiolbassa Sausage.
They could not have dreamed that consumer demand would lead to their namesake sausage being sold in grocery stores throughout Texas and Mexico, resulting in $14 million in annual revenue.
Also unknown to them was that the man behind it all would be their grandson, Michael R. Kiolbassa.
After all, the San Antonio native was content working as an analyst for a local bank, which he joined straight after graduation from Southern Methodist University in 1984. However, the Texas banking crisis of the mid-‘80s forced him to jump ship.
“They said, ‘Michael, you’re doing a great job, but we have to freeze your salary,’” Kiolbassa said. “I decided that would be a good excuse to come knocking on the door over here. It’s what I always wanted to do, anyway.”
When Kiolbassa began working for Kiolbassa Provision Co. as plant manager in 1987, he brought with him a wealth of knowledge he had acquired during his banking days. This gave him a first-hand look at how both successful and struggling companies operate; it also helped him identify weaknesses, strengths and opportunities, as well as figure out how he could best position the company for future growth.
In 1989, Kiolbassa moved into sales, which provided him with the perfect opportunity to market Kiolbassa Sausage on a grander scale even though the sausage already was available at both Handy-Andy and Albertson’s.
“As I looked at the landscape, I didn’t see a dominant brand of sausage,” he said. “So I went to work on that. We always had a high-quality product, so that was going to be the foundation of building the company and the brand. From there, it would be a matter of distribution and getting the product onto people’s dinner tables.”
That same year, Kiolbassa Sausage was placed in five local HE- B stores after a loyal customer introduced Kiolbassa to an H-E-B store manager. Within a year-and-a-half, customers were asking for it by name even at stores where it wasn’t sold.
Although Kiolbassa credits the distribution of the product in H-E-B stores as vital to the company’s current success, the 45-year-old president of Kiolbassa Provision Co. still sees room for improvement.
“We’ve been blessed with tremendous growth over the past 15 years and have moved into northern Mexico,” he said. “We are now the number-one selling premium sausage brand in Texas, but we’re far from being the dominant premium brand, which is our goal. And there are distribution opportunities within Texas that we still need to take advantage of.”
Kiolbassa also is the driving force behind the recent creation of Kiolbassa Kolaches, a skinless sausage that is wrapped in sweet dough and produced in a variety of flavors, including Polish Style, All Beef, Beef and Cheddar, Jalapeno and Cheddar Beef.
“It’s something I’ve been dreaming about for years,” he said. “As a boy, my mother and grandmother would make sausage rolls wrapped in bread dough. They were a treat because we didn’t have them very often. As the sausage business grew, and I saw the trend toward more hand-held food, I thought it was natural to come out with a product like that.”
As president, the 1980 Alamo Heights graduate is responsible for implementing strategic goals, as well as setting and communicating the company vision to employees; he is also the face of the Kiolbassa brand.
When needing to discuss personal business matters or seek occasional advice, his family is literally at his side. His father, Robert “Bobby” Kiolbassa is chief executive officer and oversees the financial aspect of the company. Bobby’s sister (and Michael’s aunt), Sandi Kiolbassa, serves as vice president and handles human resources, accounting and office manager duties. Robert and Sandi’s sister, Barbara Kiolbassa Britton, is secretary/treasurer.
Robert says he’s proud of the leadership role his son has taken over the years in making the company what it is today.
“He’s really taken the company to a whole new level, and it’s his involvement with the community that has allowed this to happen,” Robert said. “He’s gone out into the market and has put us on the map.”
Likewise, the company president credits his father with instilling in him the values and principles to operate a fledgling business, beginning with integrity.
“He’s taught me that your reputation is everything, and giving back to the community is just as important,” Kiolbassa said.
The company’s philosophy of being a good corporate citizen is demonstrated each year in that it generously donates sausage or sells its products at cost to schools, churches and non-profit organizations for fundraisers.
Ask Kiolbassa what he’s most proud of since assuming leadership of the company in 1999 upon the death of his grandmother, and he’s quick to answer.
“It’s the folks here who have taken the vision I set forth and have risen to the occasion,” he said, “and the employees who have been with us for years, taking on new responsibilities. Seeing their personal growth has been gratifying.”
One such employee is Julia Garza, a 77-year-old packer, who has been with the company for 42 years. Today, she only works part-time.
“This is a great place to work, and I have always been treated very well,” Garza said. “Whenever I’ve needed anything, Michael, Robert and Sandi have always helped me.”
More than 75 employees work at the 25,000-square-foot plant at 1325 S. Brazos St., on the city’s west side. They produce more than 125,000 pounds of sausage each week.
“I tell our employees all the time that I’m in charge of the first sale, and they’re in charge of every sale after that,” Kiolbassa said. “Because if people don’t like the product, they’re not going to buy it again, so they have a lot of pressure to make a great product.”
For more information, visit www.kiolbassa.com.
