by Ardeana Hamlin
of The Weekly Staff
BANGOR — W.A. Bean and Sons, known throughout Maine for its meat products, including its signature Red Snapper hot dogs, announced recently that is has added home delivery service, launched Oct. 24. Now, area residents will see a small, dark blue Ford Transit van, bearing the familiar W.A. Bean and Sons logo on its sides, out and about on the streets and avenues in the Bangor area bringing fresh or frozen meats to customers.
The delivery of custom meat packages, steaks, chicken, ground beef, pork and hot dogs will be available, said Sean Smith, W.A. Bean and Sons director of sales, and member of the Bean family which has operated the business for more than 150 years.
W.A. Bean and Sons, 229 Bomarc Road, has a long history of putting meat on family tables, beginning in 1860 when Albert Bean moved to Bangor from East Corinth and set up in business on Ohio Street as a butcher. That designation changed over the years to “wholesale beef dealer,” then to “provisions dealer” by the end of the 1800s. By 2009, the company could boast that it had produced that year four million hot dogs, which didn’t take into account the 20 varieties of sausage, and the many other products the company produces, including spiral-cut hams, sausage and bacon.
“We used to do this [make home deliveries] back in the 1960s,” Smith said. “We started to get requests recently [for home delivery] so we decided to start locally in the Bangor-Brewer area.” That area also includes Old Town, Orono, Hermon, Hampden, Glenburn and other towns.
Home deliveries will be made in the late afternoon or early evening on Fridays. Phase two of the home delivery service would add Saturdays if demand merits it.
Also, planned at a future date is home delivery service to Ellsworth, Newport and Millinocket if the delivery can be integrated with the regular schedule of the company’s trucks that go to those areas.
“Service is major part of our business,” Smith said. “Give us a call and we’ll work something out.”
Smith said W.A. Bean meat products are locally sourced whenever possible. “We thrive on locally owned businesses,” he said.
Smith said, the home delivery service offers customers a personalized experience — want hand cut steaks for grilling, a pizza package for a teenager’s birthday party or want to design your own meat package? W.A. Bean and Sons can do that. “If it’s on our website, we can provide it,” Smith said. And now, they can deliver it to your door.
The home delivery service, Smith believes, will be a boon for elderly people and those with mobility issues, as well as for those with busy lives. All methods of payment are accepted, including EBT cards.
Minimum order for home delivery is $50, Smith said. “It can be frozen or fresh, we have a wide range and variety of products. It’s really cost efficient,” he said.
Meat package points start at $65 for the pizza package and range up to $380 for the beef package, with a dozen other price points in between, offering something for every budget.
For information about W.A. Bean meat products, ordering and to arrange for home delivery, call 947-0364 or visit beansmeats.com.