We at Westphalia Market were thrilled to sit down and talk with the folks at Slovacek’s, makers of some of the finest sausage in all of Texas.

Read on to hear the history of Slovacek’s and how they became such a powerhouse in the hyper-competitive, and ultra delicious, world of sausage:

A Rich History

When Slovacek Sausage first opened its doors back in 1957, it was built on incredible taste and treating everyone like family. Everyone knew “Uncle” John Slovacek as their friendly neighbor who made the best sausage in town. He loved to see people enjoying the fruits of his labor, and after some encouragement from his biggest fans, John decided to make a career out of his famous sausage.

After many successful years under Uncle John, Tim Rabroker purchased the company and took the reins.

Wait, Rabroker…is that the same Rabroker as the current Westphalia Market owners, Pat and Beth?

Absolutely!

Tim and Pat are actually brothers, who both grew up working at the family business: Westphalia Market. So, meat processing definitely runs deep in this family’s blood!

Okay now that we’ve taken a quick detour to discuss the Rabroker Family Tree, let’s get back to Slovacek’s story.

Tim and his staff continued to spread love for great sausage around the state.

With over 40 years of experience in the meat industry, and a degree from Texas A&M University in Food Science and Technology, Tim and his team brought us to where we are today. Slovacek’s provides millions of pounds of sausage to customers in 35 states across the US and our distribution stretches as far as Aruba!

Over the last 25 years, Slovacek’s has placed great emphasis on improved technology and the highest production standards. We take pride in combining our old-world heritage with the newest technology in production and traceability. From the moment ingredients enter our facility, we track them throughout the process. This allows traceability in seconds, as well as increased accountability at each phase.

Our operators run state of the art stuffing and packaging machines and are well versed on their information systems. This cutting-edge technology creates an opportunity for increased data analysis that aids us in providing a more consistent product than ever before.

While we have continually striven to make improvements over the years, the tried-and-true Czech-style recipes John Slovacek created so many years ago, have remained untouched. It is our hope that every time someone bites into our sausage, they are reminded of our deep roots as we bring a smile to their face.

After all, Slovacek does mean “I love you” in sausage!

Slovacek’s West: A New Era for Slovacek’s

In 2012, Slovacek’s opened a new retail location on I-35, in the small town of West, Texas, located just north of Waco.

The new location was built from a vision that, simply put, could have only been dreamt inside the mind of someone as unique as Tim Rabroker. So much more than a rest stop, locals and travelers alike frequent Slovacek’s West for a break from the road, a unique place to shop, and a taste of real Texas Czech flavor. After filling up the gas tank, customers can escape the highway a few feet away, as they step inside and enter another world.

Those visiting the spacious store for the first time usually stop to marvel at the sheer Texas-sized scale of… well, everything!

From the Bakery, filled with more than 35 different types of kolaches, to the Deli and The Kissing Pig Café, serving up fresh BBQ daily, to the Walk-In Beer Cave, the outdoor Dog Park, and absolute gifts galore, it’s no wonder Slovacek’s West was featured on The Texas Bucket List almost immediately after it opened!

One concept inside the store, however, takes the prize for the section most dear to the Slovacek story: The Meat Market.

Since 1957 Slovacek’s has been providing Texas with all kinds of fabulous smoked sausage. Another customer favorite, available at Slovacek’s, is the locally famous line of Nemecek Bros. product. 

Since 1893, Nemecek Bros. has been providing West with their famous ring bologna, wieners and Hot Chubbies. Before opening the doors in West, Slovacek Sausage and Nemecek Bros. became permanently linked in tradition when Slovacek’s revived the legendary brand, ensuring Nemecek Bros. product would always be available at Slovacek’s West.

You can these delectable offerings and more at the Slovacek’s Meat Market, where our expert meat team has options like stuffed pork tenderloins and chicken breasts, as well as an array of meats and cheeses. And if you want steak or burgers for the grill, we can certainly help with that too!

With options like that available, Slovacek’s West is a must-stop for road warriors traveling down I-35. Named one of the 10 Best Food Stops at Gas Stations in the U.S. by USA Today, it seems everyone agrees that Slovacek’s West is something Texans, and travelers from across the country alike, need to experience at least once in their lifetime!

Slovacek’s Business Philosophy: “Quality Goes Beyond the Product.”

At Slovacek’s, we work to provide the highest quality products, using only the freshest ingredients, while also creating a quality business that our employees and customers can rely on.

Quality isn’t just about your product – it’s about your people, your culture, and your community. Because our mission extends beyond our bottom line, we make a conscious effort to stay involved with the local communities we serve, contribute where we can, and provide the best product for the people who count on us.

Here at Slovacek’s, we take an active part in helping enhance our community. From the small charity requesting a case of sausage to feed the volunteers at their event, and ads at the local high school football games, to large-scale organizations like CARPOOL, Big Event and the Association of Former Students at Texas A&M University, we are proud of the role we have been able to play in the success of so many local organizations over the years.

In 2021, Slovacek Sausage was the Title Sponsor for Westfest, an annual festival held in West, Texas, saluting the area’s Czech heritage. We couldn’t imagine a better way to pay homage to our Czech heritage and our tradition of community here at Slovacek’s!

All of these causes mean so much to us and our local community, but we simply can’t go without highlighting one organization that is very special to us here at Slovacek’s.

A little over 10 years ago, Slovacek Sausage teamed up with our local Hospice chapter to host the 1st Annual Hog Splash Mud Volleyball Tournament, benefitting Hospice Brazos Valley. This event quickly became a local favorite here in Snook, along with many of the students down the road in College Station. And while we may be a little biased (the heart of the Slovacek’s logo is two kissing pigs after all…), we’re personally BIG fans of any fundraiser that encourages people to roll around in the mud for a great cause!

We continue to believe it is important for us to support the local communities we are a part of and embrace the opportunity to be more than just a business in the lives of the people around us.

With that in mind, we are also proud to be the Official Sausage of Texas A&M Athletics and the new soccer club, Austin FC.

Slovacek’s is proud to sell our products at Westphalia Market because we know they strive for quality above all else.

We are really quite honored when a retailer like Westphalia Market, who is so focused on the quality of the items they offer, wants to sell Slovacek’s products because we know it says something about the quality of the product we are providing.

We also know our product is in great hands the minute it leaves our trucks and hits the shelves in any of their locations!

At Westphalia Market, our Original Pork & Beef and our Garlic Sausage are the most popular in sales. They are both extremely versatile for the grill or in your favorite recipe…but for a bit of kick, you can’t go wrong with our Garlic Pepper Jack.

If you haven’t tried it yet, we definitely encourage you to add that to your cart the next time you stop by Westphalia Market!