He was BROKE in 2008... now he OWNS a USDA plant
Haig Berberian didn’t just sell other people’s products, he built the capability to make his own. We dig into how he went from brokering food to taking possession, then launching a USDA plant to control quality, safety, and margins. We talk 2008 survival, credit when you’re broke, why phone calls still win, and what it really takes to scale premium sausage and meats.
We also get honest about leadership and life: EO as a founder’s tribe, stepping back so your team can step up, lessons from caring for a parent, and why e-commerce isn’t always the move when you’re crushing B2B. Unfiltered, practical, and very real.
Read the full transcript
Auto-generated from the episode audio and lightly cleaned up. Expect the odd misheard word.
- 0:00 Wes Mathews
Haig Berberian. also referred to as the sausage King of the Carolinas.
- 0:04 Haig Berberian
I was with the company prior to that in Boston, worked for them. I was a sales guy. I started my meat industry career when I was 19 years old, I went to Florida, started the food brokerage company. Company wanted me back, merged my company with them. I became president of that. Unfortunately, didn't work out real well. that's why I started Specialty Food Solutions. while that was going on I started working on developing Cooper River Farm and Seven Springs Pastures and Epical Foods, and we were trading other products, and we went from being a broker previously in the 90s to taking possession of product.
then in 2021, we decided to make our own product in our own plant. it's 100% tantamount that our people are safe and then that what we're putting out is safe.
- 1:27 Wes Mathews
I'm super excited. For our guest today. So, couple of cool things I want introduce you first. Haig Berberian. I love your name. It's probably the best name I've had on the podcast, but that's not even what excites me. You are also referred to as the sausage King of the Carolinas. And I think something interesting. Are we in the podcast? No, I was like, I'm a big fan. I've been part of EOE for many, many years, over a decade. But you were the original founding president of the Charleston, South Carolina chapter in 2018, so that's super cool.
I want to touch on that. But, but I want to get started. So as an entrepreneur, the first company I want to talk about you started in 2008, which is specialty Food Solutions. And one thing on that, before we going to get going, like you gave me some interesting, years one is 2008. You started a company in 21. The first thing that comes to mind in 2008, it's the like there was a big crash in 2008 and 21. Obviously we have Covid. So take me back to 2008.
And what drove you to create a specialty food solution company?
- 2:32 Haig Berberian
so I started my entrepreneurial, journey. Before that, I was I was with a company going back to 2008, prior to that, I was in my own, food brokerage business in Florida. I was with the company prior to that in Boston, worked for them. I was a sales guy. I started my meat industry career when I was 19 years old, working in New England and New York and New Jersey and all that. And I was there for about nine years. I left, I went to Florida, started the food brokerage company.
Company wanted me back, I went, I merged my company with them. I became president of that. Unfortunately, didn't work out real well. I was there through the summer of 2008, and we just had a not great parting of the ways. And, that's why I started Specialty Food Solutions. So I kind of knew I needed to get back into doing my own thing. So I launched the company. Originally, I knew that we were going to develop our own brands of products, meat products. But, quite frankly, I had a kid about ready to go to college, and I started just trading, as we call it.
Closeout, short coated, you know, good quality, you know, healthy, edible, safe product. But still things that were excess inventory from major suppliers in the industry, everything from desserts to meat. And then, that's how I started, especially food solutions. And while that was going on and I was, you know, creating some income and being able to survive, that's when I started working on developing Cooper River Farm and Seven Springs Pastures and Epical Foods, and we were trading other products, and we went from being a broker previously in the 90s to taking possession of product.
And then in 2012, I got involved in a company that was, needed to be taken over myself. And another gentleman took over. It was we were harvesting, roasting pigs. So in 2012, we did that. All the while, specialty Food Solutions had been in business, you know, since 2008. That didn't change.
- 4:58 Wes Mathews
So when you first started, right, you mentioned you like you worked for a company, like, did you know you were an entrepreneur? And like, was that falling out that you wanted to do things your own way and you saw the world differently, or did you like was it a forcing mechanism for you to become an entrepreneur?
- 5:13 Haig Berberian
A little of both. You know, it was it was a, decisions, decisions that I knew were wrong, that that wouldn't that would not, launch us to a better place. And, you know, it was it was just one of those things that, it was really a mutual, parting of the ways. It was just unfortunate the way it went. So. So do you feel like.
- 5:40 Wes Mathews
I feel like a lot of people are maybe sometimes in that position, like they have a job and some of them might just put their head down and be like, yeah, it is what it is like, why do I get involved? But you kind of had a different vision. So leaving that company and starting Specialty Foods in 2008, like I started my company in 2009. And a lot of people told me they're like, you're crazy. The market's this and that. I'm like, nobody knew I didn't have anything to lose.
Well, yeah, I mean, look, I can tell you this.
- 6:09 Haig Berberian
My, my daughter started at University of South Carolina, I think in, 2009, and she got a Pell Grant her first year. I was broke. that's kind of how it started. I mean, 2008. Think about it. Right? We had the housing crisis. Yeah. It was it was a rough. It was a rough time to be out of work. And, I didn't really waste any time. And it's not like I hadn't already been in my own business before, and I had already been in the industry for. Well, at that point, you know, 16, 18 years, whatever it was.
So I had a lot of contacts and connections. And, most importantly, I had a really good reputation. And, quite frankly, when I, when I got this going and I had a call on a lot of people to say, hey, I'm going out on my own, it was amazing to me was and, and, you know, maybe, maybe brought tears to my eyes. Right. In a good way. So many people said, hey, whatever you need. Just. Yeah, just, you know, like people I had. No, I was broke.
I had no credit. People gave me credit that knew me. So it was it was a blessing.
- 7:31 Wes Mathews
So, like, what gave you that? Right? I mean, so couple, couple questions on that one. Like why food. Like why to me as a general like very complicated. There's a shelf life. The stuff that is not really quick pricing. I can't even explain that. Like my first job, I was a dishwasher, I was a line cook, I was a prep cook. I mean, I messed up a lot of steaks, like, I, I've been in that world, but man, it seems like there's a lot of moving parts in that, in that business.
Why did you choose that?
- 8:00 Haig Berberian
I think it shows me, because I started that, my, my family was my father was in the meat industry. He was a wholesaler. He was a processor at one point in the, in New York, new Jersey, you know, Connecticut, tri state area, before the advent of McDonald's and Burger King. You know, this is this is when I was, you know, I mean, I was born in 1963. So when I was very young or an infant, he was he had a, an automated, you know, beef patty line.
He was selling, to, you know, burger places all over the place, you know, and so, being from the family I was from, he also had, some stores when I was nine years old. It's like, all right, you know, you work a half a day, every Saturday, and you come in and I, you know, go in. And my first job was to make boxes because he also had a wholesale side, and that's what I did. I made boxes and give me five bucks, and I go meet my friends at the bowling alley and, you know, and then, you know, my mother would take me and somebody's mother would bring me up.
And that was that was every Saturday from the time I was nine. And then when I was 12, it's like, all right, you work. And every Saturday and Sunday. So it's just it's just been in my, it's it's been in my blood. It's been in my family.
- 9:29 Wes Mathews
So it's so in 2008 when you spin up specialty foods like what were you up. You talked about a couple different things. I just want to make sure I have a clear were you a broker or you had started like actually processing your own meat at that time?
- 9:43 Haig Berberian
So in 2008, no, I stopped being a broker, which, you know, for, for purposes of, you know, explaining, brokers working on commission. Right? So you're not taking possession of anything. You're, you're representing someone, you're representing a brand, you might be representing multiple brands. And you're, you know, you're you're putting deals together and you're getting a commission usually based on the, the volume, the tonnage, the poundage, whatever you want to call it. When I started Specialty Food Solutions, I decided that I did not want to be a broker.
I wanted to take possession of product, which was why I needed to call all these people and ask for credit terms, which they gave me. And, I started buying product. I contracted out carriers. And at the in the beginning, I sold whatever their brands of products were, whether it was closeouts, short coated, premium primary product, you know, first run product, whatever it was. I just started making deals. And so on the phone. Right. You can't be afraid to pick up the phone, which I think a lot of the younger generation doesn't get.
And help me to sound like an old geezer, like, you know, most kids. But I do think that there's a lot to be said about picking up the phone. And so that's what I did. And I just started moving product and, you know, bought it, sold it, made a profit a little by little. I, you know, just kept working towards, with, with, with the knowledge in the back of my mind that we need to align at that time with suppliers that could make product for us.
So initially, to answer your question, we had product made for us. That was what we did once we got some traction, maybe, maybe around 2010, we were we were having product co-packer for us. We had our own brands and we had product made, whether it could be anything, any kind of meat product, process, product. And then again, I in 2012, I got into that other plant and then in 2014, myself and those two guys, two partners, we did open up a small meat processing plant. We just had different visions.
In fact, unfortunately, one of my partners, passed it as a guy. And the other guy I, you know, he still owns that, slaughterhouse, where we harvested pigs. And I still do business with him. It was just it was time for me to exit, that's all. Because I really needed to focus on specialty food solutions. And then in 2021, we decided to make our own product in our own plant.
- 12:34 Wes Mathews
That's quite the, you know, trajectory, because at that pivotal time. Right? I mean, I look at that as to really big different options, right? You could just continue to be a broker, not hold inventory, sell other people's stuff and make a commission, which sounds kind of attractive. Right. So you made a different decision to say, well, I want to do it differently. Did you know at the time what you were doing, or was it just you came from that world and saw that world are like, what led you to decide on that?
- 13:00 Haig Berberian
Well, again, so first of all, I will tell you, when I was a broker in the 90s, principals or people that we represent, don't really understand what goes into being a broker. So because I was a broker in a former life, I have the utmost respect for brokers and their relationships because that's what they bring to us, because we now have brokers that work for us, and they, you know, they're the ones that have the relationships. They're the ones that when you have a problem, can help you solve it.
You know, in, in some cases, you know, they quote unquote know where the bodies are buried to help you solve a problem or help you get a product placement or workload, show that you may not have the manpower to do. So we hire brokers now that and but the reason that I didn't want to do it was more probably because of the being the entrepreneurial brain that I have. One thing you don't have as a broker is you don't have a lot of control. You have no control over production, quality, consistency, pricing.
You are at the mercy of the supplier, which is why brokers that work for us really, they, they get a lot of support from us because we really do understand how important it is that those things don't spill over in a negative way to their, to their customer base, which is eventually our customer base.
- 14:36 Wes Mathews
No, that's that's great insight. And you know, the control, right? Being at the mercy of somebody else and quickly having to shuffle. So throughout that in 2021, then you took it a step further and then you started. So did you guys brand under like because before you were co packing, but now you actually have your own product. So in 2021 why did you create a separate entity versus the specialty food solutions. Was that so you could do your own brand of meats.
- 15:06 Haig Berberian
It was so we could control the production. So and it and it just made sense financially to keep the businesses separate. First of all, Specialty Food Solutions is here in Charleston, South Carolina. The USDA plant is United Custom Foods, which is which is in, Blue comma, North Carolina, and it is a USDA plant. And I set that plant up as a co-packer. It is a separate, entity altogether. And in fact, I rented that building and two weeks ago, we just closed on it. We bought the building.
to me to be able to control the inflow of raw material. What we're all material you're using to make what products? And then how you're making them, what the process is, the ingredients, the packaging to be able to be able to control all of that. Now, granted, you know, 100% control. We don't control our costs on boxes or bags or ingredients. You know, I mean, everybody has to answer to somebody on something. But certainly being able to do our own further processing with our own staff and our own equipment and our own building, it's a it's a big deal.
- 16:24 Wes Mathews
So are you guys farming then all of the livestock or is that all part of through farmers?
- 16:29 Haig Berberian
No. And utmost respect for farmers. We need them. No, I am not a farmer now.
- 16:37 Wes Mathews
Okay. So you've you've been in this world for. Okay. You said you're 66. So like 1971. You got a taste of this, right? You said you were nine years old. Yes. You got 1971 to 2025. I had imagined like there's been huge shifts in the industry. You got this big organic push. I mean, is there anything that stands out, like where the future's going or like, you know, there's I there's all these different things. There's so many, like, specialty foods on the I mean, like taco chips now do all kinds of stuff.
Like, I'm super confused when I go to the grocery store. Yeah. Like, where's where's this all headed? I mean, is it or do you embrace and love what's going on? Or is it more like, you know, be better if things were just more traditional or, well, I mean, as far as, as far as, you know, technology, I think it's amazing.
- 17:25 Haig Berberian
And we're embracing AI as far as our marketing and our operations. As far as where the meat industry is going, that's a whole other story, because, you know, you have the beef industry, the pork industry, the chicken industry, the lamb, goat, sheep, you know, you then you have, you know, there's a lot of imported product coming from New Zealand and Australia and Mexico. And now, of course, you have the tariff situation. So, you know, I don't know where it's going and I don't have anybody that tells you they know where it's going.
Is the line. So, I mean, I can, I can speculate. I don't think beef is coming down. I think I'm seeing typical influxes in, in, in pork in certain, you know, cuts of pork, like, we, you know, we make a premium sausage product and it's mostly all boneless butts and, you know, we add fat if we need to because, you know, you don't want to lean of a sausage, but, you know, we also buy chicken because we make we have we make chicken sausage and we make very good chicken sausage.
It's not dry. It's not junk. It's it's everything we make is premium. I'm assuming that's a little bit of how you. How did you get the name the Sausage King of the Carolinas? When did that? How did that come about? I don't know, I mean, it because we make sausage in the Carolinas, and our biggest footprint is in North and South Carolina. Or at least it was. I mean, I guess it technically still is. the North Carolina FMV podcast, you know, a little shout out to them.
They, they had me. So they nicknamed me the Good. Yep. Yeah. You know, and again, we're proud of the fact that we make good quality product. You know, we really and truly USDA is there to keep a safe line of product for consumers and we're part of that. We want our I mean, because our staff I mean what they're they're using mixers, grinds are grinders, band saws. We have industrial slicers. We slice bacon, we slice beef bacon. You know, it's it's 100% tantamount that our people are safe and then that what we're putting out is safe.
And if there's any question, we're not going to make it. I mean, if somebody thinks they drop something in a grinder, it's throw it away, even if they have no proof that they did. If they think they did, we want people to be safe. I want anybody and everybody, my family included, to never have to worry about anything that comes out of that facility. And we don't, because it's all about safety.
- 20:07 Wes Mathews
How big is the scale? Right. So you're talking about like processing sausage. Like how do you measure that is like by the pound, by the day, by the week. Like your input and outputs of like how much sausage you guys do or how do you measure that?
- 20:22 Haig Berberian
I mean, it sure is by volume, because you know how many pounds you're making, how many pounds of what item you're making, you know, because there's so many varieties we make pork sausage in, you know, pork breakfast sausage broths, Filipino cheddar. We do the same thing in chicken. We make a zesty Italian chicken sausage, we make breakfast sausage, we do pork casings, we do sheep casings, we do collagen casings. We can do lakes. We can do bulk. We can do patties. You know, it. It just goes on and on.
- 21:02 Wes Mathews
Do you feel like from a from a business perspective? I have a couple close friends that are their auto dealers, and they've told me they're like, this is a really great business. But we couldn't do it again. Like we couldn't enter this market today. Is that similar in your field? Would happen?
- 21:15 Haig Berberian
I don't think no. I mean, I think if you if you have deep pockets, I mean, and you want to and you want to start a plant, I think I mean, you need people that have experience and know what they're doing, and I and I mean, you need you need operationally, you need the right people. You need the right equipment. I mean, it's it's expensive. I mean, I will tell you, I started the plant with a lot of used equipment because buying new would have just, you know, been a chokehold.
But a little bit in that for years. We have continuously purchased new equipment to either supplement and have backup or to, just replace. And so, I mean, it gets it gets pricey, that's for sure. Equipment's not cheap, certainly can enter to answer your question. I mean, there's there's there's no people that get into it. There's no question about it. And it's also about, you know, recognizing what are the needs in the market? You know, does the market really need another 1 pound package of sliced bacon?
Probably not. But does it need whole chicken sausage? Probably. So I'm just saying.
- 22:36 Wes Mathews
So you're an entrepreneur. We're kind of tied in. We know you know from EO entrepreneur or organization like how important is that to you. And you were the founding chapter president to kick that chapter off. So your EO is a group of entrepreneurs who are founders that have, you know, at least got their company to $1 million. And, you know, it's where a lot of entrepreneurs come together and can kind of, you know, the good, the bad, the ugly, right? The top 5%, bottom 5%. But like, how important was that for you as an entrepreneur to find, like your tribe of people, like you're in it, you're in a unique space.
I don't I've never met somebody in your space. But how important is something like EO for you as a as a entrepreneur? I didn't realize it at the time, but in hindsight, it was critical.
- 23:21 Haig Berberian
I met people that, just gave me so much good perspective and helped me with their experience shares and, you know, I began with, you know, but, you know, having those forum groups inside of your chapter, and I've been in the same form group now since we started. And, I mean, those people are basically, you know, they're they're my board of directors. They're my advisors. And I know that, you know, EO is experience share not giving advice. And, you know, and we respect that. But if one of my forum mates has an experience, share.
You know, people have asked me, you know what somebody asked me? Hey, I heard you had a questionable partnership. How did that go? And I can share that with them or whatever. So and I and I, I can say this, I really wish that I found eo 1012 years earlier, and I'm thrilled that my chapter is bringing in, and, accepting younger members. I'm just seeing, you know, people in their 30s and 40s, because if you're getting into EO at that level of your of your, entrepreneurial journey, it's it's really pretty amazing.
And yes, I mean, because when you, I think the first thing that happened and again, I want to be clear, I didn't launch this chapter, you know, single handedly. I got help, and, it was a heavy lift, and I really did pretty much abandoned my businesses to do this. And it was so it was, it was quite juggling act, but I didn't do it alone. And I'm forever grateful for the to those people. And they know who they are, and, some of them are still more active than me.
Anyhow, you know, one of my friends is, I mean, she's she's in the, in the, the Eastern region, board. And so, it's a great organization. And like you said, it comes with fun stuff, too, because, you know, like, they say, it's like herding cats to try to get everybody together because we're all so busy, but because it's our tribe, we really do have a deep understanding for how difficult it can be just to make a meeting or just to be at an event or whatever. And so, but I have never sat down with anybody in my chapter, that I didn't have a very productive, sincere, and deep, meaningful conversation with about anything.
It didn't have to be about business. It could be about anything.
- 26:25 Wes Mathews
yeah, when I when I found EO and I think for people that are listening and are kind of like not familiar with what it is, but really to me it's, you know, as an entrepreneur, you know, a lot of people think, oh, it's this, it's either glitz or glamor or all these different things. And but the reality is it's kind of lonely, like being an entrepreneur. And you know, when I found a know, I'm like, Holy cow. Like, here's a hundred people in Detroit that are kind of going through the same thing.
They all have different businesses, but like to find the tribe of people that are all going through it that have, you know, to your, you know, what you mentioned around not really telling each other what to do, but like that experience share is just so big as your, you know, whether it's buying a piece of equipment or you having a challenge with the business partner or what have you, business, personal or family super pivotal in my life. And I can imagine, like, you know, you mentioned like you abandoned your business, which is I get it because I've seen it, but you kind of have to ask yourself, like, that's just the entrepreneurial spirit.
Like if you're so passionate and driven to do something that you're that convicted to leave your two businesses for the greater good of this thing. That that's pretty cool. So what? So what's in the future for you? Like, so you kind of at some pivotal moments of, you know, leaving the company, starting your own at oh eight, the next phase of 21. Here we are in 25. Like what? What's next for, for what you're what you've got going in both businesses?
- 27:49 Haig Berberian
Well, I think now we're kind of, you know, we're we're on a growth trajectory. I being an EO has helped me learn a lot more about myself. And a lot of the things that I've been listening to from other members and some of the events I've gone to. I will also say that I, my mother passed recently and it had a very profound effect on me for a lot of reasons, mostly. Obviously, losing your mother is horrible. But it taught me a lot about myself because she was sick, and I was in Florida pretty much for eight months caring for her.
I'm her only living child, and, you know, it. You talk about abandoning. But I didn't I didn't it wasn't intentional. Right. So I won't say I abandoned it. I will say that I leaned on my staff and I learned what everybody's been trying to tell me for a long time, which just get the hell out of the way. And I had no choice. I had to get out of the way and the company not only did better, but it ran better. Yes, I still was on top of things, and I still kept in touch with my people and management in the team and what's going on.
And I, you know, it's just that's it's inside me. It's innate. I kind of just want to know how things are going, but I wasn't and I don't think I'm a micromanager, but if I ever was, I had to stop. And because my focus was, was on her care. And then of course, we, you know, we eventually moved her to Charleston from Florida and, she was here for about 7 or 8 months. And so, plus, I the other lessons, I think that I learned that will help me in business and in life is, she never lost her sense of humor.
She never gave up, even when she was 91 years old. And even at 91, you know, a lot of people say, oh, she had a great life and long life, and it's like, yes, but what you don't know is her father was 102. Her mother was 98, her older sister was 98. We thought we had her for a much longer time. So the other effect is your mortality, right? You start thinking about those things. And it's like, okay, what I want to do, what I want to accomplish.
And, and, you know, so be deliberate about what you want to do. And then as far as the business goes, like I say, we're, we're, we're in a, we're going to launch, I mean, a growth mode. And, we're getting much deeper into I mean, I've never had an IT person on staff. Now I do, he's he's launching a whole platform unlovable for us. In fact, we're going to our plant next week, and he's got, you know, it's over my head, and that's okay. I don't need right.
I don't need to know how it works. I just need to know that it works.
- 31:17 Wes Mathews
So that's great perspective. I'm sorry to hear about that, but it sounds like the perspective you have is great. And, you know, talking about, like, leaning on your team and you were forced into, you know, they showed up at a time you needed. So with that, was there any type of like operating process or can you pin that back to any way like you've managed the business or like some people are like EOS or scaling up or some type of platform?
- 31:45 Haig Berberian
Did you guys operate off anything like that prior to that? So we haven't done the EOS, and it's kind of funny because there's only two people in my form that are not on EOS, and I'm one of them. And that's not because I don't believe in EOS. It's just I think that I've got a very good team, and I think that, the way we run things has worked for us, and I certainly am always open to learning. And I'm not saying I would never do EOS or scaling up or whatever, you know, there's there's there's so many of them now.
But I learned also that I had a hell of a team, you know, that. And, we're we're a real motley bunch. You know, we have. Black Americans, white Americans, Hispanic Americans, our production manager is this is the black guy we had we had is an awesome, awesome guy. He was telling me a story the other day, and he says he's he said that he said to a lady because he didn't like how he was getting treated. He's like, is this happening because I'm black? I said, Travis, you're black.
I didn't know that. So it was just, you know, I really do love, seeing people do. Well, I was very happy for him. He's never owned a home, and he bought a home two weeks ago. Oh, wow. And, you know, and he thanked me, and it's like, why are you thanking me, man? You earn this? And he's like, yeah, but you gave me the opportunity. And so it's it's. Yeah, I guess that's the Simon Simmons cynic. What's my why? I think that's my you know, I can't make people successful.
I can't make them take advantage of any opportunity I may present to them, but damn it, I'm going to present them the opportunity. And they're going to do with it what they will.
- 33:46 Wes Mathews
Yeah. You're in that right. Like I like you. You need team members, right? You need physical people there. You do the work right there.
- 33:54 Haig Berberian
They you can make sausage from your living room, man.
- 33:58 Wes Mathews
No, no, it's probably hard. It's hard work too. I would imagine. It's really difficult work. Very hard work. You're working in a cold environment.
- 34:06 Haig Berberian
You know, I mean, our production rooms, I, I'm going to say it's 38 degrees. And then sometimes. Yeah, even then, you still sometimes have to go in the freezer. Now, granted, that's in North Carolina. I'm in South Carolina. So we have a staff there that works for United Custom Foods. And then we have staff here and Specialty Food Solutions. We're here. We're more on the sales and marketing and logistics side. And they're it's all production. Gotcha.
- 34:34 Wes Mathews
No that's cool. That's great. It's funny about the EOS. Most entrepreneurs in New York are familiar with it, but it sounds like you guys figured out your own way, which is great. Sounds like it's working really well now. I mean, the sausage king of the Carolinas, I mean, do you sell the consumers? You guys sell your product online, or is it strictly to restaurants? Or how can people get their hands on any of your product? So we're strictly a B2B company, and we did entertain.
- 35:01 Haig Berberian
E-com about, I guess, about a year and a half, two years ago. And based on everything that that I learned about it, and I've got some other friends that are either in EOH or Ypo or whatever that, you know, talk to me about what the investment will take. And of course, there's no there's no guarantees. And it would undoubtedly be yet another business. The decision, the decision that we made was let's stick with B2B and if we're going to do ecom, let's capac product for people that are successful in the e-comm space.
That way we can still be in it, but make product for them when we don't know that space. And I just wasn't prepared to invest that kind of money. So no. And then currently, to answer your other question, most of our product does end up in the food service, side of things. There's some things that we do sell to supermarket chains, but it's not consumer packaged goods. We will eventually do that. We do have the packaging capability. And so we will do that eventually. But right now we're very, very food service focused.
And by that I mean, you know, we use broad line food service distributors. We use, specialty meat distributors, some large independent, food distributors. That's that's our base for distribution. But we also still have to have people in the field that are presenting product and sampling all the time. And, you know, we have this in stock at this distributor. We have that in stock at that distributor. And, and we try to be very loyal to our distributor base, and, you know, and support them. I mean, they're supporting us as CEO, right?
- 37:07 Wes Mathews
Like, how do you balance your time with your team? And then I would imagine, you know, it's very heavily relationship based. You know, what are some things that you do? I mean, are you flying out meeting with customers or like, what are some things that you do as CEO that, you know, let your let your buyers or you know, know that they matter?
- 37:27 Haig Berberian
Well, so you're right. It's not transactional. Right? we're constantly, creating better and better and better relationships. At least that's what we aspire to. And so I'm not having to fly too much because most of our business is in the southeast. But very possibly I'll, you know, we're working on, on the, the Boston market right now. So I may have to go up there in a couple of weeks and, you know, but I'll spend time in the in North Carolina, and I'll have to be at the plant, or I'll be in Charlotte, or I'll be in.
I was in West Palm recently. I was in Tampa with our newest, broker team, with doing a presentation there. And, you know, I try to handle, you know, any of the high level relationships and, of course, I, you know, I oversee any major financial decisions that have to be made, you know, as, for instance, like I say, we made a decision to purchase our plant rather than rent it. And, you know, that was that was also a very, very, great experience, because again, it's I've been very lucky in a lot of cases.
I rented that building literally from a friend. Right. My buddy's a real estate investor. And one day he said to me, hey, anytime you see a good opportunity, you know, make sure you tell me. And so I said, you know, five years ago, hey, I found this plant. We can steal it. So anyway, it needed a lot of work. It wasn't new. It needed all new electrical. It needed all new plumbing. It needed it needed roof repairs. But we were able to up fit it so that it was USDA compliant.
Well, and we have you know, we have, I don't know, 16 1800 square foot processing floor. We've got another one that we created out of a dry room. So we kept doing these leasehold improvements. And my CPA said, can't you just buy the building? So I went to my buddy and we worked out a deal and we bought the building. And I couldn't have done it without him, you know, I mean, again, it's just like I couldn't launch the show without you got to know, you're not doing it by yourself.
- 40:00 Wes Mathews
Well, I think one thing you said earlier, I think that ties all this back is one thing you did was pick up the phone. Yes, yes. Like stuff not going to just fall out of the air and make it happen. Like you got to get a little grimy. You got to, like, pick up the phone and yes, yes, you know.
- 40:18 Haig Berberian
Yeah. You got to pick up the phone, man. I mean, you just do, you know, I mean, email isn't going to work. No.
- 40:25 Wes Mathews
And now everybody just frickin runs it through ChatGPT. Anyway, I could see it a mile away. It's terrible. Yeah.
- 40:32 Haig Berberian
I mean, it's I mean, hey, I think chat's awesome, you know? I mean, we've been using it for a lot of things. But it's it's still not a replacement. Thankfully for humans and a true thought process and a relationship. Yes.
- 40:50 Wes Mathews
Yeah, hopefully we still have some time for that. I think we do. I hope so, I hope so what, hag. Well that's cool. Well, if anybody's listening, are you on LinkedIn? Can anybody get in contact with you if they have, you know, want to talk to the sausage king of the Carolinas or have you been. So it's how do people get in contact with you on LinkedIn or, you know, email or awesome or call.
- 41:15 Haig Berberian
Yeah. Or call.
- 41:15 Wes Mathews
I, I actually think you might pick up the phone. That's that's good. Yeah, yeah.
- 41:23 Haig Berberian
A guy called me this morning. I was out on an early morning walk and a guy I hadn't heard from in years called me. He's like, thanks for picking up the phone. And I said, why wouldn't I? Right.
- 41:33 Wes Mathews
What's crazy though? Because most, like, I have a 16 year old. He just got a truck. And part of the term of like his activation or something was like a 30 day. You got to call this number. And I said, you need to call this company and do this. Like I'm not doing it for you. He's like, I don't want to talk to anybody. And I go, it's expiring. You're not going to be able to have whatever app or map or whatever you have. He's like, that's fine, I don't care.
I don't want to talk to anybody. And I'm like, this is my son. I've been an entrepreneur for like, you know, forever, right? But I'm like, come on. Like just have a conversation. Yeah. Great. Yeah.
- 42:11 Haig Berberian
I don't I don't know what that's all about. I really don't know. I don't know, I don't know if that's a, product of the Covid situation that we had, which was horrible for young people and their and their parents. I mean, it had I mean, my kids are grown, you know, I've got three group of three grown kids, but I can't even imagine what people like you and many others that had young kids that went through Covid. It was terrible. Yeah.
- 42:37 Wes Mathews
So I was so bad. Sorry. This thing's going off. Yeah. Well, I appreciate the time and if people get Ahold of you, it's Haig. Haig. Berberian I said that, correct? Correct. Okay. Well, cool. Thank you so much for spending the time today. Super awesome learning about your business and talking to you. I appreciate it. Thanks so much.
- 43:03 Haig Berberian
No thank you. Appreciate it was awesome. Been it's been a pleasure.