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How many current Denver companies can you think of that were doing business before the advent of television or the first parking meter? Polidori Sausage has been grinding it out for five generations—longer than either of those have been around.
Anna Polidori founded the company as a butcher shop and neighborhood grocery store in 1925 to support her family after her husband, a coal miner named Rocco, became too ill to work full time. Now helmed by Anna’s great-grandchildren, siblings Melodie Polidori Harris and Steve Polidori, the business celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
The original shop peddled Anna’s Italian sausage, hand-cut meats, and other foods at the corner of West 34th Avenue and Shoshone Street in what is now called LoHi, but the business eventually shifted exclusively to sausage production. Anna’s original recipes haven’t changed much, according to Steve and Melodie, but a growing mountain of styles and profiles have been added to meet Denver’s evolving tastes.
“There’s no script for the sausage business,” Steve says, adding that when he first went to work for his grandfather, Louis Polidori, in 1992 to make money during college, he had no inkling that it would become his lifelong career.
Melodie agrees, noting that she already had a consulting career outside of the family business before she came on board in 2003, bringing her marketing and small-business expertise. Ten years ago, business was growing so quickly—in large part because of a switch from direct distribution to wholesale distribution through Sysco—that the family moved production from its tiny facility at West 32nd Avenue and Tejon Street (which Louis opened in 1982) to larger headquarters in Northeast Park Hill. Faced with many of their restaurant accounts closing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Polidoris launched e-commerce sales to get product to sausage lovers all over the country, which Melodie says probably saved the company.
You’ve probably seen Polidori packages at your local grocery store (and King Soopers butcher counters now sell Polidori as the bulk brand behind the glass) and eaten it on pizzas and in pasta dishes at restaurants all over town, but here’s a look at Polidori by the numbers—so you can see how the sausage is made.
Polidori Sausage, By the Numbers
1: The ranking of chorizo as Polidori’s top-selling sausage, a nod to the Mile High City’s Hispanic community and proof of the popularity of Mexican cuisine in Colorado. But the family’s Italian sausage line covers 15 different products, which account for more total sales than chorizo.
2: Number of outfits worn in the history of Louie the Link, the official Polidori Sausage mascot, who just got new duds this year. Louie is named in honor of Melodie and Steve’s grandfather (who did not sport Louie the Link’s handlebar mustache). Louie’s white chef’s coat is now red and the old-school checkerboard scarf has been 86ed. He also has puffy new cartoon hands to complete the mascot look—a definite improvement, since, at over 7 feet tall, he looked a little odd with tiny human hands.
3: The number of ingredients in the Italian sausage and chorizo: pork shoulder, salt, and seasonings. Some of the specialty sausages contain extra ingredients, such as beer, green chile, and cheese in the various bratwursts; apples, chicken, and vegetable juice in the chicken-apple sausage; and red wine in the Sicilian sausage.
5: The number of generations of Polidori family members who’ve been involved in the business, which is still independent and family-owned, with fourth-generation siblings Steve and Melodie in charge. As president, Steve oversees production (he still tastes every batch), while chief sausage officer (her actual title) Melodie handles marketing and other business responsibilities. Melodie’s son, William, joined the team this year as a purchasing analyst.
15: The number of flavor profiles, including Italian (mild, spicy, and Sicilian), chorizo, breakfast, bratwurst, and more, of sausage from Polidori. Some variations are proprietary to specific customers.
128: The total number of products, including links (your standard grillable chubs), ropes (proving just how long natural casings are), patties, meatballs, and bulk sausage in cooked and uncooked versions available at Polidori Sausage.
80,000: The number of pounds of sausage and meatballs made at Polidori Sausage weekly. To put that in perspective, that’s 400,000 links—if you’re buying the one-pound, five-link packages (so you’d better get a backup propane canister for your grill). Polidori’s sausages and meatballs can be found on the menus of local restaurants like Carne, My Brother’s Bar, Bastien’s, and Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta, national chains like Snooze and Urban Egg, and even on Viking cruise lines, which started carrying the brand earlier this year because they were looking for a “clean product,” according to Steve.
