Master butcher Michael Hoffmann is giving up his business in Mörfelden-Walldorf, as reported by the FAZ. The closure is due to a shortage of staff, not a lack of customers. In the break room of the butcher shop, bouquets of flowers and bottles of sparkling wine stand – farewell gifts from loyal customers.
“Every day someone brings flowers or a small gift,” says Hoffmann. Many cards accompany the gifts, some recalling childhood memories, others thanking him for decades of good sausages and friendly conversations. Mrs. Jolanta gets tears in her eyes at some of the lines.
Hoffmann grew up in the butcher shop, playing as a child between the counter and the sausage kitchen. In 1994, he took over the business from his father. “I grew up with the customers. They knew me my whole life,” he says. Now the fourth generation is buying from him.
He still loves the profession: “The best part is producing, seeing the result afterward, and then selling it.” He is particularly proud of his bologna and the ready meals in jars, which became bestsellers. With the closure, not only the business ends, but his entire life as he knew it.
Source: www.faz.net
