Running a successful family-owned business takes a combination of hard work, patience, and grit. Doing it across four generations takes even more—a steady focus on what truly sets a company apart. For Schweid & Sons, that’s premium burgers. 

In a world defined by instant gratification and endless variety, Schweid & Sons has spent more than four decades producing one thing: high-quality ground beef. Through partnerships with restaurants and a growing retail presence, the company has helped transform a commodity into a premium, branded experience.

“Our focus has always been on one thing,” says CEO Jamie Schweid, great-grandson of the company’s founder. “Delivering the very best burger to our customers. And what sets us apart is our unwavering commitment to quality.”

From butcher shop roots to premium patties

The Schweid family business began in the late 1800s with Harry Schweid, a butcher who sold high-quality meats to restaurants in New York City’s Lower East Side. In the 1950s, Harry’s son, Sam, launched his own meat business, continuing the tradition. But it was Sam’s son, David, who introduced the Schweid & Sons name in 1978 and made ground beef the company’s defining focus. Each generation has carried forward the belief that trends may come and go, but quality remains.

Today, the Carlstadt, New Jersey-based company distributes its premium ground beef to independent restaurants and supermarket chains. Expanding into grocery stores 10 years ago was a calculated risk—but one that the company needed to take, Jamie says. “We looked at the retail landscape and said, ‘Why hasn’t there been any innovation in this space over the last 30 years?’” he recalls.

A new act begins

For as long as anyone can remember, ground beef patties have been sold in grocery stores in plastic-wrapped cellophane packs with little to no branding. With strong restaurant demand and supply chain for those customers already in place, Jamie approached retailers with a different pitch. Their real competition, he explained, wasn’t the grocer down the street—but the fast-casual restaurant across the parking lot serving a premium burger. With Schweid & Sons, retailers could finally compete on quality. 

Rather than leading with price, Schweid & Sons introduced a premium tier that redefined the ground beef set. Retailers could sell fewer units while earning more per sale, ultimately elevating the entire meat case.

“We gave them restaurant-quality ground beef right in their store, with distinctive packaging,” Jamie says. “It elevated the entire category in a way they hadn’t seen before.”

Early adopters saw margin growth and stronger dollar sales—momentum that fueled expansion. Today, Schweid & Sons products are sold in approximately 18,000 retail locations across the country.  

In tough economic times, burgers rule

Even as restaurants nationwide feel the impact of inflation, tariffs, and more cautious consumer spending, Schweid & Sons has continued to outperform overall restaurant growth. The company has seen this pattern before: when budgets tighten, burger sales tend to heat up.

“When I first started in this business over 20 years ago, my dad told me that in slower economic times, demand for ground beef increases,” Jamie says. “The people that are used to ordering steak will trade down to burgers because of the lower cost and that’s what’s been happening.”

He adds a second reason for the uptick in burger sales on restaurant menus: “When you run into slower, more uncertain economic times, people revert back to comfort food, and a great burger is the best comfort food you can eat.”

Succession by choice

Unlike many family-run firms, Jamie’s path to leadership wasn’t assumed. “It’s not that I didn’t want to be in the business, I just hadn’t really thought about it,” he says. He credits his father for never pushing him or his brother, Brad. “We were exposed to the business growing up, but my dad was very good at separating work from home life.”

After graduating with a finance degree from Indiana University in 2001, Jamie pursued a career on Wall Street. He accepted a role at Bear Stearns, with a start date just weeks after September 11. The opportunity evaporated before it began.

With his plans upended, Jamie’s father asked him to ride along on sales visits. “My dad said, ‘You can’t sleep until noon anymore so why don’t you shadow me, so I did,’” Jamie recalls. The recent grad quickly found he enjoyed the work, later rotating through operations and finance. By year’s end, he knew the business was where he wanted to be. Jamie became president and CEO in 2015; his father is now chairman, and Brad serves as chief administrative officer.

Serving up the latest cravings

One of the most lasting lessons Jamie learned from his father was to stay close to the customer.

“He would always say, ‘Get out of your chair, get in the car, and go visit stores and restaurants. They’ll tell you what’s happening,’” he says.

That on-the-ground approach helped Schweid & Sons identify the growing Smashburger trend: thin, crispy-edged burgers formed by pressing fresh ground beef onto a hot griddle—a style that has surged in popularity over the past four to five years. Schweid & Sons began offering a puck-shaped format of ground beef for consistency and quicker kitchen prep. 

“Restaurants we’ve worked with for years are now offering our Smashburgers alongside our regular burgers,” Jamie says.

The secret sauce? Quality. 

As tastes and trends evolve, the foundation remains the same: craftsmanship, consistency, and care. Honoring the past while continuing to push forward is now the work for Jamie and the generations to come.

“Every time someone eats a Schweid & Sons burger,” Jamie says, “they taste four generations of dedication.”