BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — "I know nothing but Italian sausage and it's the pride of my family."
A tradition you can see and smell the moment you walk through the door at Mineo & Sapio in Buffalo. The WNY staple dates back to 1920 when a man named John Mineo began a meat market.
"His daughter Verna married "Cy" Sapio," Nadine Ocasio, VP of Mineo & Sapio said. "He wound up taking over the business in the 1950's."
And twenty years later it was passed on to Nadine's father, Michael Pierro. He's been the proud owner ever since.
"The business is always his first love," Nadine said.
It's why the Pierro family has been working hard to keep this place up and running.
"This business is like my father's third child," Nadine said. "He's nurtured it, he's grown it, and he has tried to give back to the community as much as the community has given back to this business."
Loyalty that's spanned an impressive 100 years with customers coming back for these mouthwatering meats.
"We're probably producing on a weekly basis, 16-thousand pounds of product," plant manager Kevin Gioeli said.
They make everything from sausage links and patties to meatballs to stuffed peppers with the Mineo & Sapio name proudly placed on all of these products.
"A lot of our success has been contributed to the fact that we have gone with the community and how the community needs change," Nadine said.
But one thing that won't change is the love this business has for their fellow Western New Yorkers, the people who've kept them going day after day.
"You see the same customers coming in and now their kids are coming in," Kevin said. "We're loyal to them, they're loyal to us, it's a good community."
"And as long as we keep making them happy, we're happy," added Nadine.
