Uncle Henry’s Gourmet Meats drives growth through consistent quality

Product and service quality propel Henry Kolbuch from deer hunter to business owner.

All photos courtesy of Uncle Henry’s Gourmet Meats

Troy, Mich.-based Uncle Henry’s Gourmet Meats prides itself on product quality. In fact, product quality is what propelled Henry Kolbuch from deer hunter to business owner.

Though Henry has always been a hunter, he began to process his deer meat and make venison for his friends and family. Following that personal success, Henry and his wife Carol began Uncle Henry’s Gourmet Meats.

Once Henry and Carol’s customers saw how consistent and high-quality their product and service offerings were, the business grew, pushing Uncle Henry’s to operate during the entire year. At this point, the family-owned business started offerings their own meat snacks, including jerky, smoked sausages, and snack sticks.

Carol noted that since the business first began, customers have rated them with five stars during deer season. The family-owned and –operated processor prides itself on service, quality, and consistency. “We offer a boneless cut and vacuum-sealed product that will last for years,” Carol said. “Additionally, we ensure that each deer brought to us is carefully tagged, processed, and stored in its own separate bin through the entire process.”

Success with customers and at local farmers’ markets drove Henry and Carol to expand their business, leading Henry and Carol to establish a USDA-certified facility. Now, Uncle Henry’s Gourmet Meats products are featured in over 30 local stores in Michigan. The Kolbuchs hope to keep that number growing.

Uncle Henry’s also sells its products through online sales, festivals, and Faire, a national wholesale website. “We also offer private labeling and have partnered with Deer Camp Coffee and Roasting Co. to offer products such as cold brew coffee jerky, venison hotdogs, venison Polish sausage, and venison jerky,” Carol said.

While Uncle Henry’s most popular products include the jalapeno and cheese snack stick and the bacon cheddar flavor, they pride themselves on flavor variety. “We take pride in offering a wide range of flavors to cater to different tastes and preferences, ensuring that there's something for everyone to enjoy,” Carol said.

Though Uncle Henry’s first began as a deer processor and currently processes well over 1,000 deer per year on average, the business has greatly expanded to include a wide variety of meats. “Aside from deer, we also process elk, moose, wild boar, and bear,” Carol said. “Most of our clients are Michigan deer hunters, but we also cater to out-of-state hunters as well.”

Looking forward, Uncle Henry’s hopes to capitalize on new business opportunities. The business has started to sell exotic meats including camel, kangaroo, wild boar, alligator, and pheasant, leading to new customer engagement for shoppers who eat wild game dinners.

As Deer Camp Coffee and Roasting Co. continues to grow its storefronts, Uncle Henry’s hopes to propel its sales growth. The family-owned business also hopes to reach new customers through an upcoming food truck venture, featuring Uncle Henry’s venison hot dogs, venison polish, beef hot dogs, and pulled pork sandwiches.

KEYWORDS: deer processing small meat processors

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Sammy Bredar is Group Editor of The National Provisioner and Dairy Foods. She covers the meat and dairy processing industries while leading editorial coverage of membrane technology across both publications. Bredar serves on the Board of Directors of the Women's Meat Industry Network and earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Ball State University.