Now in its 72nd year, Welch's Stop & Shop has established itself as a staple in the Northwest Indiana community. Voted as The Times Best of the Region for more than 14 years in a row, the full-service meat market was first created by Ed Welch’s grandfather in 1953.

Third-generation owner of Welch’s Stop & Shop Ed Welch grew up in his family’s meat business, getting his first paycheck at 14 years old. When he turned 18, Welch moved behind the meat counter, mostly waiting on customers to start, then pivoting to learn meat cutting from his father and butchers on staff. Welch said he could not have had a better education in meat cutting.

Welch then became the shop’s sausage maker for a long while, conceptualizing and creating the different sausages. Welch’s father was diagnosed with colon cancer around 2008. At this point, Ed began to take over the family business, guided by his father’s direction. For about three years, Welch’s father oversaw Ed’s work, and he was able to learn the business side of the meat market.

Since taking the reins, Welch has not only sustained the business his grandfather and father built, but propelled it into an era of growth and innovation.

Welch’s sons Griffin and Bennett joined the family business from a young age, learning the ins and outs of the meat market. Now, the entire Welch family has dove headfirst into the business, embracing a business-building mentality and a strong drive to support their family’s legacy. Welch’s wife Jen and daughter Jillian man the helm at their local test kitchen, while Welch’s youngest son, Bram, has started working at the shop.

The Welch family has been able to propel their business to new heights. Within the last few years, the business has expanded into the catering sector. Welch’s used to take around 100 catering orders per year, but intentionally slowed that order intake in 2024 to focus on providing the highest quality services and products possible.

Welch’s sets itself apart by focusing on quality. “We’re only going to do what we know we can do the best at,” Ed Welch said. “We’re not going to salvage quality to put quantity out there.” Quality doesn’t stop at the products—for Welch’s, having a high quality meat market means having the best service, too.

Located in the growing community of Saint John, Ind., Welch’s is situated near a hub of bustling grocery stores. A Jewel Osco is slated to open in the building directly next door to Welch’s Stop & Shop, but that does not concern the Welch family. In fact, Welch’s prefers operating near large grocers. When customers stop at both the large grocer and Welch’s, it affirms Welch’s dedication to quality.

“It shows that we’re good enough that they made two stops,” Welch said. “They could have bought everything at a one-stop shop … We were good enough that they would come to our store also.”

Welch’s recently expanded within the Northwest Indiana community, taking over the kitchen at a former local eatery. By adding a test kitchen, Welch’s is able to make more homemade products for its customer base, appealing to the local food movement.

“About 90% of all the salads we make are all from scratch at that kitchen,” Welch said. The meat market also sells various to-go offerings made from its test kitchen, appealing to the increasing consumer demand for convenience foods.

Customer demand has changed greatly since Welch’s was first founded. As recipe innovation becomes more accessible to consumers, Welch’s sees that the market for meat products is changing.

“What people are looking for has changed,” Griffin Welch said. “Ten years ago, when I was waiting on people, they wanted rump roasts and ribeyes, and they still want those cuts, but people want specialty items more from us.”

Demand for innovative, value-added products is propelling the meat side of the Welch’s business at a fast pace. “Our meat business is in such high demand right now,” Welch said. “Even things like TikTok have changed the market.”

Though cooking shows used to drive at-home cooking innovation, social media has taken over, driving both recipe innovation and strong interest in supporting local food production.

“People are looking for local suppliers of meat, and they don’t want to go to the big chain grocers anymore to get their meat,” Welch said. “They’re tired of the packaged stuff. They want to be able to go out and pick out which ribeye looks best to them. They want to see the marbling on all the steaks and be able pick out which one they want.”

Keeping its pulse on the rapidly changing food industry and evolving meat consumer trends, Welch’s is now embarking on their busiest, strongest year yet.