The History of J. Vrola Meats

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Over eighty years ago, Constantine Vrola came to America from Naples, Italy to start a new life with his family. He opened what was called C. Vrola and Sons, a small meat market at 380 Pacific Avenue, Jersey City, NJ. As he developed his trade, Constantine went to market on a daily basis to find the freshest meat and poultry products for his customers.

In 1939, World War II began and Constantine’s two sons Joseph and Arthur were drafted into the military. During that time, Constantine, his wife, four daughters and remaining son were left to run the family business.

They struggled during WWII because of the food rationing that was taking place throughout the country. Rationing regulated the amount of commodities that customers could obtain and therefore controlled the supply and demand of most consumer goods.

With hard work and dedication, the Vrola family kept the business strong until the boys returned safely home.

When Arthur and Joseph came home they decided to take over the family business. Arthur began running the dry food and grocery part of the store while Joseph Vrola Senior took over the meat and poultry portion of the business.

Joseph began wholesaling his meat products to other stores in the area. As the business grew, the Vrola butcher shop began supplying to smaller supermarkets and other local butcher shops with their daily needs.

They also sold bulk packages and cut products to a variety of nearby restaurants.

As the years progressed Joseph Vrola Jr. came along and began to expand into different areas of New Jersey. The old Vrola butcher shop was demolished for redevelopment in 1986.

In 1988 Joseph Vrola Jr. bought a building in South Amboy, NJ where he continued the meat business distributing products throughout the tri-state area. As times changed and business grew, it became evident that Joseph had to build a larger facility and become a USDA inspected distribution center. In that year he built what is now J. Vrola Meats according to the USDA guidelines.

Today, Joseph Vrola Jr. continues out the traditions that both his Grandfather and Father instilled in him, buying from local vendors and offering his customers only the freshest possible products available.