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Date: 12/3/2021
CHICOPEE – Celebrated as a Polish cultural staple, the time-honored Blue Seal Kielbasa from Chicopee Provision will be undergoing production changes this holiday season.
Co-Owner of Chicopee Provision Carolyn Donnelly detailed the reason for the production change, with Chicopee Provision experiencing technical malfunctions with their inhouse systems. “We had a natural gas explosion on Oct. 4,” said Donnelly. The disruption ties in with a slew of setbacks for the manufacturer, with the business closing last December due to roof repairs after experiencing flooding and cooling system problems during the year.
Due to the series of breaks in production, Donnelly said the company was well-equipped to find a temporary partner. “We had been looking at other companies last year when we were shut down due to the roof repairs. We had already set up somebody and had them in place, we just didn’t use them at the time because we ended up opening for Christmas last year,” said Donnelly.
Donnelly believes that the new packing partner will allow Chicopee Provision to produce Blue Seal Kielbasa for the holiday season, but the co-owner expects that the Polish staple to have limited availability. “I think that we will be able to get some kielbasa out there, but there might not as much as there usually is if we were producing it from our location,” said Donnelly.
A key reason for the expected reduction is the temporary manufacturer’s preferential production cycle. “When someone is making it for you, your product is secondary and their’s comes first of course,” said Donnelly. While the regular volume of kielbasa won’t be available, Donnelly stressed the importance of providing some of the signature holiday offerings for customers.
Through trials and tribulations, the 101-year-old company maintains a prestigious place among residents and the Polish community. “Everybody has grown up with our products and they just love it,” said Donnelly. She believes that Blue Seal stands out from other kielbasa due to the well-orchestrated construction of their product.
“We have a certain quality to our product that not all brands have, and then of course there is the taste of the product. It comes from our smoking process, we smoke with wood chips, a lot of places use injectable liquid smoke. I think that’s a big difference,” said Donnelly.
Looking ahead to next year, Donnelly said Chicopee Provisions is beginning to work on repairs for their building. She estimates that repairs will be complete by the initial months of next year, which will restore a normal production cycle for the Easter holiday.
Readers can learn more about Chicopee Provision and their production updates from their website https://bluesealkielbasa.com/.