Camellia Foods - History

Edmund Cichocki Sr.
1st Generation
1912-1979

.....Camellia Foods was founded in 1935 by Mr. Edmund Cichocki Sr., a Polish Immigrant who was a butcher for the Slawinski Meat Stand in the Broadway Market. In 1935 he began his own butcher shop at 725 William Street making his traditional family polish sausage and ham recipes with his wife, Gertrude. Edmund Sr. moved his business to 1333 Genesee St. to expand into a manufacturing plant and named his business after his daughter, Camille. His son, Edmund Jr., grew up in Buffalo and went to St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute. He joined his father in the meat business after High School and took over in 1974. Edmund Jr. and his wife Kathleen had six children, three of which, entered Camellia with their Father in the 80's. Peter, Patrick and Erik now continue to run Camellia Foods after Edmund passed away 2007. The third generation Cichocki family continues to carry on the tradition of delivering quality sausages and hams to the Buffalo area.

.....Camellia Hams and sausages are traditional family recipes taken directly from Poland. The Camellia Ham is the only Polish-traditional ham manufactured in Buffalo. It is made using the same unique process since 1935, in-which our hams are cured, slowly smoked, and cooked to our guarded procedure with no water added. Along with our ham, Cichocki's Award-Winning Polish sausage is made using the traditional family recipe. It is made both fresh and holiday smoked, winning Best in Buffalo three years in a row by the Broadway Market Management group. Camellia’s icon product is the Smoked Beef Sausage which was invented by Edmund Jr. and has become the most popular item we sell. Over the many years we have expanded our Camellia products to include: