It’s been two days since a fire destroyed Country Smoke House in Almont. It’s the largest deer processing facility in Michigan, and in the first week of deer season many hunters will be looking for somewhere else to take their deer.
Uncle Henry's Gourmet Meats in Troy, one of the few deer processing facilities in the state, is already getting a lot of phone calls.
"We are looking to get a couple more freezers," said Henry Colbuch. "In fact, we are going to get one today because we have to have more room."
Colbuch owns and runs the business with his wife, son and daughter.
"We built this place ourselves," Colbuch said.
So when he heard about another family owned business, Country Smoke House, dealing with the aftermath of a terrible fire, it hit close to home.
"Just devastating," Colbuch said. "It’s really bad what happened to him and if there was anything we could do to help we would."
However, now he has to prepare to process more deer this season than ever before and he might be able to help some of the workers who lost their job due to the fire.
"We are looking for skinners and cutters and if any of his people want to work temporarily they can give us a call," Colbuch said.
He and his family have been in the business for years.
"People like the way we vacuum seal everything and package it," Colbuch said. "We trim all the fat off."
In addition to the different cuts of meat, hunters have the option of ordering a variety of sausages in a variety of seasonings and sizes.
Uncle Henry's Gourmet Meats also workes with hunters who would like to donate some of their meat to local organizations to help the hungry in the community.
