Wednesday, September 11, 2024
By Eva Westein
Contributing Writer
GREEN BAY – Family-owned Maplewood Meats — established in 1983 — has grown to become a staple for many members of the greater Green Bay community, and business growth had become so extensive that the business decided to move forward with plans to update and expand its store.
About two years later, these renovations have come to life and are beginning to take shape.
“We really have felt that it was time to give back to our customers who have really supported us over the years. And we’ve undergone additions before… but most of it has been production and we just felt that it was time to really give back and modernize and give a facelift to the front,” said Maplewood Meats Plant Manager Brad Van Hemelryk, who is also grandson of the founder.
Renovations include expanded areas and relocated checkouts to improve the flow of shopping spaces as well as a brand-new main vestibule.
Maplewood Meats will soon also boast a new to-go area that will house self-serve smart refrigerators.
These refrigerators, accessible from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. seven days a week, will offer customers a quick, simple and modern shopping experience.
Customers will be able to come in and provide payment such as Apple Pay, Google Pay or a credit card to the smart fridge.
After payment is provided, the doors will unlock and customers can take whatever products they would like.
Then, the transaction will be processed after the customer finishes their shopping and closes the door.
“It’s a really cool and unique thing that we researched for a while… We’re really excited for that for Sundays with Packer games and just for those customers that can’t reach us during our normal business hours,” explained Van Hemelryk.
He also stated that one of the overall goals of these updates is to elevate the customer experience.
“When you visit us we really want it to be an experience. It’s not just coming in and purchasing products from us, it’s the whole environment and the full service we provide… we want to continue to create experiences that are synonymous with how our brand has grown over the years,” Van Hemelryk added.
As the third generation at Maplewood Meats, Brad Van Hemelryk has been involved since “the second he could walk.”
Now, Van Hemelryk looks back and attributes the success and longevity of the business to both customers and employees.
“We make a high quality, consistent product but we also provide excellent service and we feel that they both go hand-in-hand with the continued support that we see from customers… it is really an honor. When my grandpa started this, I don’t think everyone would have ever imagined where it is today,” he said.
