The Hawse family has been providing fresh and packaged food items, under the family name, to the people of northeastern West Virginia ever since Tom’s granddaddy opened Hawse Country Store in the 1890’s. As a third-generation grocer, Tom appreciates and understands the responsibility he has both to his customers and to his employees. That’s why he became increasingly frustrated when a high-tech wrapper in his meat department was continuously breaking down, causing downtime and forcing his associates to have to wrap every package by hand. Moving to an upgraded model from the same company didn’t solve the problem, as that machine also suffered numerous service issues. When a distributor told him about the METTLER TOLEDO 880 Auto Wrapper and its impeccable level of reliability, Tom was all in. He’s had the machine for over a year now, and has no regrets whatsoever about moving to the 880.

When Tom’s equipment supplier went out of business last year, he reconnected with a supplier he had worked with years before – Bill Wolfensberger of MTS Equipment in Winchester, Virginia, which supplies equipment, parts and service to food retail industry in the mid-Atlantic region. Bill recognized Tom’s needs and his frustrations. “When Bill came to see me” Tom relates, “he said he thought he could save us some money and get us some good equipment at a reasonable price – equipment that will work – and if there are any issues, he’ll get a man over here and get it taken care of at a fair price.”  So, the two men worked out not only a purchase deal for the 880 Auto Wrapper, but also a service contract that ensures the smooth and steady operation of the wrapper day after day, month after month. “I couldn’t be more pleased with either the product or the service” Tom says. “I think it’s an excellent machine. And the service is excellent too.”  

Tom Hawse knows the importance of value. It’s something he brings to his customers every day, and something he expects from his equipment. “While the price of the 880 is comparable to that of other wrappers we’ve used, the value of the 880 is clearly superior. It delivers a tight, professional-looking wrap without fail every time…it’s easy to maintain…it keeps our operation efficient…and it lowers our labor cost. It probably saves us at least an employee a year” says Tom. “We like it better than any others we’ve had. And I would highly recommend it.” In their 130 years in the grocery business, the Hawse family has seen its share of advances in process technology. But the 880 Auto Wrapper just might be the most impressive step forward that any of them have ever seen.