Our Heritage

ruffino-virginia250ruffino meats - company history

In 1960 John Ruffino and his wife Virginia opened the Readfield Meat Company in Bryan, Texas. They were from similar backgrounds; both came from Italian families who migrated to the Brazos River Valley to farm and raise livestock.

By 1968 Readfield Meat Company was a neighborhood full-service butcher shop and deli offering custom processing of beef, deer, and pork. They made fresh Italian sausage and many smoked products such as polish style sausage, hams, turkeys and beef jerky, all in-house using traditional recipes reflective of Brazos County’s strong German, Czech and Italian heritage. The Ruffinos provided shoppers with the highest level of value-added service by giving them premium cut-to-order meats, fish and poultry.

In 1970 after John R. Ruffino passed away, his sons Richard, Larry and Roland took over management of Readfield Meats. Their goal was to continue the precedent of exceptional value and service at a fair price that was instilled in them growing up working alongside their parents in the butcher shop. Before long the business grew, and it became evident the Ruffino Brothers needed to expand. Readfield Meats Wholesale Company was constructed in 1983 to give patrons thousands of products to choose from like paper products, frozen food items, cleaning supplies and much more.

In 1997 Readfield Meats Wholesale became Ruffino Meats and Food Service. By then, three generations of Ruffino’s had worked for the family business to carry on the unwavering commitment to the customer started by John and Virginia in 1960. Today Ruffino Meats and Food Service employs over 90 people and sends out many trucks delivering premium products all over central Texas. The facility has grown to approximately 50,000 square feet, and the product line has expanded to include over 6,000 items. We fit into a unique category in the industry, combining the buying options of a national distributor with the flexibility and personal attention of a family owned distributorship. As Ruffino Meats and Food Service heads into the future, you can be assured they will continue the tradition of premium quality meats and products paired with unmatched service.