Snowden’s first made and sold its sausage in the early 1930s, and it’s been in the same family ever since. COURTESY SNOWDEN SAUSAGE
Snowden’s Sausage Andalusia, Alabama snowdenssausage.com
Snowden’s first made and sold its sausage in the early 1930s, and it’s been in the same family ever since. Today, Snowden Sausage president Randy Snowden has taken the reins from his dad and uncle and runs the company with his business partner, Neil Campbell. He officially acquired the family business in 2008, but he’s been in it his entire life. And long before he was born, his grandad cooked up a secret recipe and committed to a classic method, aspects Snowden hasn’t messed with. “We still make sausage the old-fashioned way, and as far as I know, ours is the only one in this area and maybe one of a few in the country that doesn’t have any water added,” he says. “We’ve not changed anything in my lifetime and don’t think it has really ever changed.” It has added to its offerings through the years and now features sausage in regular, mild, hot and Cajun flavors, as well as its Baby Link, a smaller sausage that’s become the best seller. While the company has been doing things the same way for nearly a century, last year threw it a couple curve balls. “We were doing really well in the beginning of 2020, and then our supplier shut down due to COVID,” Snowden says. Then, when that problem was solved, climbing meat prices wiped out the company’s 22 AUGUST 2021
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Snowden’s features sausage in regular, mild, hot and Cajun flavors, perfect for a bowl of gumbo or red beans and rice. COURTESY SNOWDEN SAUSAGE
early gains. Despite these struggles, Snowden knows he’s lucky and feels blessed to be moving back toward normal. “It was tough, but we survived it, and a lot of companies didn’t,” he says, “so I’m thankful for that.” Like the other two companies, Snowden doesn’t give out the particulars of its sausage seasonings or mix, but he’s happy to share his thoughts on how to eat it. “I like to grill it and tell people that’s a great way to do it,” he says. www.alabamaliving.coop
7/16/21 3:02 PM
