On October 1, 1974 Mike and Betty Jo Prasek purchased Hillje Grocery, which was a typical small town store. After being in the business for a few months, the Praseks began to notice the inconsistency of the sausage they were purchasing. This led to the production of their first smoked product, Pork & Beef Sausage. Initially, 50 pounds of sausage was made in their meat market every other week. The
production has increased a bit since then but the same quality is still stressed with each batch of sausage produced at Prasek's. As time progressed, Beef Jerky was added to the line of smoked meats and since then, the Beef Jerky has become one of the top sellers of all the smoked meats. It has been rated one of the top jerky in the United States by Saveur, which is a magazine of fine foods. In 1986 Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse implemented State Inspection of the smoked meat processing area and began to wholesale the sausage products. The year 1997 brought forth the addition of R.J.M. Distributing who distributed exclusively for Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse. On October 1, 2004, Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse purchased R.J.M. Distributing and formed Prasek's Distributing, LLC. Prasek's Distributing now services over 800 accounts including Walmart Supercenters. USDA inspection was implemented in October 2012. On December 29, 2009, Prasek’s opened their brand new retail store. It’s still in the same location but is much more shopper friendly and has allowed for a much larger offering of products. Prasek's is still family owned, is one of the largest employers in Wharton County and has become a landmark in the community. With about 75 different smoked meat items, 80 different fresh baked bakery items, a specialty meat market, a full line deli, specialty items, and all types of convenience items, Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse retail store is a one stop shop for anything you may need in the line of food. Every effort is made to provide the best quality products for the consumer. At Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse, we realize the customers are attributable for the success we have had over the years, and for that we offer them a GREAT BIG THANKS.
