Marietta Business Spotlight: Legendary Meats
For this month’s Business Spotlight, I had the opportunity to sit down with owner, Jorge Chavarro and his partner, Orhan Moss, to chat about their Marietta business, Legendary Meats. Legendary Meats is a full-service, meat processor and supplier that provides all cuts of beef, poultry, pork, veal, lamb, seafood and dry goods, primarily to restaurant owners. Their company not only covers the Southeastern portion of the United States but also exports to some Caribbean islands and Puerto Rico.
The Beginning
Legendary Meats was formed in 2009 by four partners: Jorge Chavarro, Orhan Moss, Jairo Tronconso, and Martin Velasquez. Jorge Chavarro, who came to the States 20 years ago with business acumen and experience in the meat industry, partnered with Orhan Moss, who himself had been working in the meat industry since he was 14 years old and has accumulated roughly 50 years of experience in the business. The two would add Jairo Tronconso and Martin Velasquez as partners with restaurant expertise. Both are the founders and owners of the renowned Marietta-based, Mexican restaurant chain, La Parilla. Armed with comprehensive industry knowledge, this team began by processing meat and distributing to restaurants but have since expanded to farmers markets, hospitals, nursing homes, and more.
Setting the Scene
Legendary Meats began their journey in Marietta in a 30,000 square foot warehouse; however, they quickly outgrew the facility due to their accelerated success. As of 2019, they now occupy a 70,000 square foot building, have more than 130 employees, operate a fleet of refrigerated trucks of all sizes for distribution, and process about 400,000 pounds of meat a week!
Why Marietta?
Jorge and Orhan were proud to say that their company has always been located in the City of Marietta. Jorge has lived in Marietta for the past 11 years, while Orhan has lived in Marietta his entire life. The other partners, Jairo Tronconso and Martin Velasquez, were also well-entrenched in Marietta having opened their first restaurant here in 1994 and have since grown it to 20 restaurants across Georgia and Alabama. Jorge and Orhan said that they chose this facility not only because it was the perfect size for their growing business, but it was also an ideal location because of its proximity to downtown and the highway for ease of distribution. Jorge said, “We love it. No plans to move from here.”
Working with the City
Both Jorge and Orhan repeatedly noted that working with the City was made easy because of their contact with the Economic Development Division, specifically Teresa Thorpe, one of the City’s Project Managers. The entire City service team from the Fire department to Marietta Power & Water to the Building Inspection Division made it easy for them to remodel and renovate when they made the move to their larger facility.
Quality and Service First
The four partners contribute their success to their passion for providing a quality product coupled with top-notch service. They take every precaution to ensure that what gets to your plate is not only good, but clean and safe, and their attention to detail shows. Upon taking a tour of their facility, it was evident that Legendary Meats takes great pride in their facility and products.
Touting a long list of clients, Legendary Meats’ emphasis on quality has been rewarded. Offering all types of meats, paper goods, can goods, and dry goods, this Marietta business will be sure to be successful for many years to come.