On Nov. 10, 19 members gathered for a buffet lunch followed by a tour of Bettcher Industries, Inc. in Birmingham, O., the world’s leading meat trimming equipment manufacturer. Larry Bettcher welcomed the group and gave a brief history of the company. Bettcher Industries, Inc. was originally founded in 1944 by Louis A. Bettcher, under the name of Bettcher Dieweld Company, in what was then Cleveland’s stockyards district. Local meat companies such as Swift and Company found it nearly impossible during the war to purchase new equipment and called on Bettcher Dieweld to keep their old machinery running by repairing it. This exposure to the machinery needs of meat producers stimulated Mr. Bettcher’s fertile imagination, resulting in the invention of numerous specialized meat-cutting machines. One of the first was the Bettcher Carcass Splitter, the first efficient band saw splitter ever manufactured. The firm moved to Vermilion, O., in 1958 and to Birmingham in 1971, where, in keeping with its rural setting, it occupies a factory designed to look like a barn. There, among other products, the company manufactures Whizard® trimmers, AirShirz® poultry scissors, and Optimax® automatic batter breading machines for the food service industry. The tour concluded with a visit to the corporate offices, where a small museum displays Larry Bettcher’s collection of historic farm equipment, featuring Plymouth Silver King tractors. Thanks go to chapter member David K. Ford, Larry Bettcher’s duck-hunting buddy, for arranging our visit. More info: Bettcher.com. Nancy Hachtel with editing by Carol Poh.
