10 Food and Beverage Products Made in Jacksonville

2. The Bruss Company



The Bruss Company’s roots began at the Chicago South Water Market, where it started up as a local meat spreader in 1937 under the careful watch of Sam and Selma Bruss. The company grew, and in 1973 moved to the Kilbourn Park area of Chicago.
Today, Bruss manufactures portion-controlled steaks and chops for restaurant chains throughout the country. It procures beef from only selected and approved packing plants, aging and skillfully portioning steaks to its customers’ exact specifications. In October of 2001, The Bruss Company became a subsidiary of Tyson Foods, one of the largest fresh meat companies in the world.

In 2011, the company applied for a $1.2 million incentive to purchase and renovate a vacant 47,000 square foot warehouse in West Jacksonville into an $11 million meat cutting facility. Now in operation, and employing 200, Jacksonville’s location receives beef and pork from meatpacking plants and cuts them into steaks and chops for restaurants and cruise lines in the Southeast. It was estimated that the 47,000 square foot would create 200 jobs with an annual payroll of almost $8 million.
Of interesting note, The Bruss Company opened its Jacksonville plant at 5441 W. Fifth Street, in 2012 as a part of their 75- year company celebration.  


Jacksonville plant before Bruss moved in. Courtesy of wokv

For more information, visit: http://www.bruss.com/