What happens when two Connecticut food families sit down and go over their history? Hummel Bros. history starts in 1933 with $1,000 and a sausage kitchen. Ours starts in 1962 with a tiny meat market in Watertown. When Bob LaBonne Jr. and Eric Hummel sat down together, it turned into a conversation worth sharing.
There's something special about two people who don't need to explain themselves to each other. That's exactly what it felt like: two stewards of multigenerational family businesses, speaking the same language. Here's how both families got their start, and why they still see eye to eye.
Two Connecticut Families, One Belief
We are both Connecticut based, built on a simple but uncompromising belief: that quality service and people are everything. One family built its name in fresh meats and neighborhood grocery. The other built itself in handcrafted sausages and deli staples. But the thread connecting us runs deep.
Since 1933
Hummel Bros.
Founded by German immigrant brothers in New Haven. Known for handcrafted sausages and deli staples, and now run by the third generation.
Since 1962
LaBonne's Markets
Started as a small meat market in Watertown. Known for fresh meats and neighborhood grocery, and still family owned today.
Hummel Bros. History: $1,000 and a Dream
Eric Hummel's grandfather and great-uncle didn't have much when they started out, just $1,000 and the kind of work ethic that only comes from having no other option. In 1933, the two German immigrant brothers, William and Robert Hummel, borrowed that money to purchase a struggling sausage operation called Phil's Sausage Kitchen.
Both brothers had apprenticed as Wurstmachers (sausage makers) back in Germany, so they knew exactly what it would take to do it right. Hummel Bros. was born, and it never looked back. You can read more of their story on the Hummel Bros. website.
How LaBonne's Started: A Bet on Main Street in 1962
The LaBonne's story has its own humble beginning. Bob LaBonne Jr.'s grandfather, Hy LaBonne, was a skilled meat cutter with more than four decades of experience and a quiet dream of owning something of his own. When Hy found himself in a tough spot, Bob Sr. saw an opportunity: a small storefront on Main Street in Watertown. They both cashed in their life insurance policies and bet on themselves. That was 1962.
"My father had two other partners in a store in Oakville. My grandfather was found in the cooler crying. They ran up too much credit, and my dad said, 'There's this little teeny store that just opened up on Main Street. Why don't we cash in our life insurance policies and we'll go out together.'"
Bob LaBonne Jr., owner, LaBonne's Markets
Two Families, One Timeline
- Turn of the century
George LaBonne hits the road
George LaBonne delivers fresh fish and meat directly to local families and businesses by horse and buggy.
- 1933
Hummel Bros. is born
William and Robert Hummel borrow $1,000 and buy Phil's Sausage Kitchen in New Haven.
- 1962
LaBonne's opens in Watertown
Hy LaBonne and Bob LaBonne Sr. cash in their life insurance policies and open a small meat market on Main Street.
- 1972
Hummel's moves to Long Wharf
Having outgrown its original plant on Congress Avenue, Hummel Bros. opens a new facility in New Haven's Long Wharf area.
- 2011
The next LaBonne takes over
Bob LaBonne Jr. buys the business from his father, Bob Sr.
- Today
Still family, still growing
Hummel Bros. is run by its third generation. LaBonne's has four stores and over 400 associates.
Family Is the Business
What strikes you most talking to Eric Hummel isn't the history. It's how naturally he describes the culture his family built around it.
"It's the employees. Everybody becomes family. We try to make it a family atmosphere, which you do in your (LaBonne's) stores. We have four generations of people that have worked for us. And that commitment, that pride, it's just a natural blend."
Eric Hummel, Hummel Bros.
That sentiment stays true for LaBonne's Markets. Today, with four stores and over 400 associates, the company Bob Sr. and Hy started in a modest Watertown meat market has grown into something far bigger, while managing to stay just as personal.
Quality as a Compass
LaBonne's and Hummel Bros. have used quality as their north star through every decade of change.
At Hummel Bros.
New smokehouses, same standards
The third generation continues to produce only the highest quality products, replacing outdated equipment with state-of-the-art smokehouses while staying true to their grandfather's quality-first philosophy.
At LaBonne's
A commitment that goes back further
That same commitment traces back to George LaBonne, who at the turn of the century delivered fresh fish and meat directly to local families and businesses by horse and buggy.
The tools have changed. The scale has changed. But the philosophy hasn't. It's the same idea behind our full-service butcher shop and seafood counter and our deli today.
A Partnership Worth Celebrating
At the end of their conversation, Eric Hummel said something that summed it all up:
"LaBonne's is a great story. It really is, and we're proud to be part of it with you."
Eric Hummel, Hummel Bros.
That pride very much goes both ways. Two families, two sets of founders who bet everything on something they believed in, and two companies that have spent generations proving them right.
Find Hummel Bros. at LaBonne's
Find Hummel Bros. products at LaBonne's and hundreds of locations across southern New England. Next time you stop in, ask any of our team to point you in the right direction.
Want to know more about the family behind our stores? Read our story, browse the LaBonne family history, check this week's sale flyer, or order online for pickup or delivery from your nearest store.