In 1965, Queen City Sausage was a fledglingsausage company in Cincinnati, a city full of established, well-known processors. The founder of Queen City was a 35-year-old Cincinnati native who had spent the majority of his life to that point in the city’s slaughterhouses. Almost 50 years later, Queen City Sausage has become one of the most iconic brands in a city that takes its local foods very seriously. Its founder, Elmer Hensler, can still be found in the office every day, making sure the company is adhering to his strict quality standards.
“I believe in making a quality product, I believe in using quality meat, I don’t deviate, I don’t use any mechanically separated chicken or turkey like some of the other fellas do,” he says. “I believe in giving quality and keeping the quality up. That’s why I think I’m still here for 49 years, going on 50. If you give the public quality product, they’ll buy it and be grateful that you have it.”