MARBIDCO 2020 Annual Report Feature
Pandemic Adjustment Equipment Grant Fund Recipient: Galvinell Meat Company Inc.
Located in Cecil County, the Galvinell Meat Company Inc. is a USDA-inspected “old school” butcher shop that has served local farmers and the community since 1968. Today the shop is operated by Jen and Dan McGrath. Jen’s father initially operated the business, and in 2013, Jen and her husband Dan took over the operation.
The COVID-19 Pandemic caused a dramatic increase in demand for their services from local farmers, with appointments now booked through August 2021. Hoping to improve their business’s efficiency, Dan reached out to the Cecil County Department of Economic Development and learned about MARBIDCO’s Pandemic Adjustment Equipment Grant Fund (PAEGF) Program.
“The pandemic hurt bad in the beginning, everything was shut down and no one knew what to do,” said Dan. “Once the meat shortage happened at the grocery stores, people started looking at butcher shops thinking they may able to get it [meat] here. Well that has spurred a whole new generation of [customers]. And they don’t seem to be going away, they keep coming back.”
With PAEGF grant funds, the business was able to acquire two new meat grinders, a band saw, a hydraulic stuffer for sausage casings, and a bacon slicing machine. According to Dan, the new pieces of equipment have increased the business’s operational efficiency by approximately 12 percent. The increase in efficiency has allowed the butcher shop to start working through the wait list of customers they have for appointments.
Galvinell Meat Company processes beef and pork, with the beef being dry-aged for 10 to 14 days. According to Dan, this contributes to the flavor of the cuts the butcher shop makes.
In the beginning of the pandemic, the business had to make the decision to increase its efficiency, produce an inferior product, or turn away customers. The business made the conscientious decision to stick with their quality products, and according to Dan, it has paid off with the consistent return of their customers. In the future, the company hopes to sell some of its specialty products in retail stores, such as their crab cake sausage and their “Mama Galvinelli” products.
“Right now we are working on increasing the slaughtering for the local farmers, that’s our immediate goal,” said Dan. “With this new equipment the goal is to speed up efficiency, and to make better products with the newer equipment. We are very thankful for what we got.”
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