ANNVILLE, Pa. — Laudermilch Meats has new owners, but its name and dedication to selling fresh meats and prepared foods remains the same.
It’s been a well-known name in Lebanon County for more than a century, since Laudermilch brothers Edwin, Clayton, and John opened a small butcher shop in Cleona in 1919.
Third-generation owners Dennis and his cousin Dave, both grandsons of John, sold the business in October to local entrepreneurs Josh Shope and Justin Smith.
The new owners bring a combination of business and food industry experience, with Shope having worked as a real estate agent and Smith with food manufacturers over the past two decades.
“We’re both local guys and both have families,” Smith said. “This fit our desire to serve the community.”
The original business involved butchering, taking meat to market and selling door-to-door in "peddle" trucks, Dave said.
In 1969, the family established the retail store at its current location. The store expanded twice, in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Having stopped butchering about 50 years ago, the Laudermilchs grew their line of smoked meat products, cheeses and prepared foods featured in the wing of the store called Grandma’s Kitch...