Company Overview - History of Cambridge Packing
The Cambridge Packing Company Inc. was founded in 1923 by Carl and Sophia Rodman as a small meat market in Central Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The original name of the firm was Carl's Market Inc., and in a few short years, the store became a landmark in the area.
Owners Alan Roberts & Bruce Rodman
At the onset of the depression, times were indeed hard, and extra diligence was needed to overcome the tensions of the economic times. With the advent of World War II, following the depression, more pressure was applied to the Company, since product to sell was almost unavailable, and survival was difficult. After the war, however, as meat became more plentiful, the Rodman family, which now included four children, remodeled the store to include grocery, fish, produce and delicatessen departments.
At this point, it was decided that something would be needed to supplement growth of the business, and for this reason Carl instructed the boys to "go and find some food service accounts." So from the back room of the store, on time that did not conflict with their store duties, the first accounts were obtained. From that humble beginning the company grew quickly to become what is now known as Cambridge Packing Co. and was moved to a new and larger plant located on Coventry Street in Roxbury, Massachusetts. The retail store continued to operate under Carl, while the sons operated the wholesale portion
The success of the wholesale was so great that in 1960 the retail store was sold, and the corporate name was officially changed to Cambridge Packing Company Inc. With continual volume growth, in 1963 a move was required and the company occupied new quarters at 117 Newmarket Square, Roxbury, in the heart of Boston's meat industry complex. Again this was only temporary, since an additional relocation was required in 1966 when the company moved to 121 Newmarket Square. This was sufficient until 1975, when the company, needing still more refrigerated space, moved to our present location, the then newly built New Boston Market, in South Boston. Originally two bays consisting of 12,000 sq. ft. were purchased, but eventually, even this became cramped, and an additional 6,000 sq. ft. were added in 1979. In 1984, two more production bays were annexed, making Campco a total of five bays with 30,000 sq. ft. of space. The latest expansion was completed in 1999 with the acquisition of a storage/aging facility with over 50,000 sq. ft. of additional space.
We at Cambridge Packing Company feel that perseverance to rigid specifications and quality control have made the company a leader in our industry. In dollar sales we rank among the largest of New England's meat purveyors, and in satisfied customers we feel we have no peer.
All of this in tribute to Carl and Sophia Rodman's dictum: "If you can do it at all you can do it better."
