In only a year since Len Caric became president of Pittsburgh-based Uncle Charley’s Sausage, his leadership led to increased sales in the double digits and nearly 20 percent more local jobs. Now, with a newly acquired Safe Quality Food (SQF) Certification by the Global Food Safety Initiative – Caric’s efforts to bring founder Charles Armitage’s famously fresh, never frozen sausage to more customers is well within reach. The SQF Certification goes beyond standard USDA certifications providing global accreditation that certifies the efficacy of robust food safety control systems and continuous food quality monitoring procedures. In recent years, most large grocery chains require that food producers obtain this certification in order to sell in their stores, resulting in many local brands being positioned out of major markets.
“Our company philosophy to embrace all of the positive attributes of this local, fresh, honest-to-goodness sausage maker, while proactively seeking out the right kind of change is proving a true recipe for growth,” said Caric. “Many outside investors would have shuttered the plant, but we saw a real opportunity in providing more families with this higher protein, fresh, never frozen sausage product. We not only invested in the local plant, we added five new positions and have immediate job openings today.”