IN THE BEGINNING
Willie Joe’s Processing was dreamed up and started by Willie Joe Svetilk and wife Karen. Willie Joe worked for a small butcher shop growing up in High Hill, Texas, where he learned to cut meat and work on the kill floor. Over the years he developed great butchering skills and knowledge of the meat market business.
Fast forward many years -- Both Willie Joe and Karen continued working in the meat industry at a large food manufacturer/Smokehouse in Schulenburg, Texas. Around this time, Willie Joe saw an opportunity for a meat processor for the local farmers and rancher. Around 1980, he and Karen decided to build a small shop behind their house to kill and process beef and for customers, later processing deer.
Doing this as a side business to their everyday jobs kept them very busy from 1980 to 2001 when they decided to build the shop that stands today. They turned in their notice at the big plant and Willie Joe’s Processing was up and running.
Through the years business increased and the shop became well known and liked. Not only did they work hard for many years to produce an excellent product, but they put their kids to work, teaching them how to make a living and the importance of hard work . . .
Our business is divided into four departments
Processing
Deer Processing
Processing
Includes harvest and processing of livestock. Here much of our business is co-packing for farmers and ranchers to resell their home-grown livestock’s meat.
Wholesale
Deer Processing
Processing
Where we cut custom cuts and make custom sausages and other products for wholesale customers like restaurants and grocery stores.
Deer Processing
Deer Processing
Deer Processing
Includes all wild game and is mainly seasonal. However, in Texas, we process wild game year around. At Willie Joe’s, we have a huge variety and options when it comes to deer processing. We can make venison sausage, venison summer sausage, snack sticks, dried sausage, and even jerky.
Smoked Meats
Deer Processing
Deer Processing
In our Jerky Department we make Jerky and Dry Sausages to sell in convenience stores all throughout Texas. We Work with 4 distributors that cover the whole state of Texas
CHAPTER 2
In 2012, Willie Joe had decided he was ready to retire and approached Paddy Magliolo to see if he was interested in the processing plant. Somehow, Willie Joe had heard that Paddy had graduated from Texas A&M with an Animal Science degree and had interest in the meat business.
After some long talks and negotiations, the two came to an agreement and the business changed hands in March of 2013. Paddy and he wife, Kaaren, have been owner/operators ever since, building on the great foundation established by Willie Joe and Karen. The business has been growing and expanding ever since.
We currently have about 20 employees and at Willie Joe’s we consider each employee a family member.
