Owners of Springfield-based Harter House/Eastgate Inc., 1625 S. Eastgate, have started a Web site –
www.harterhousemeats.com - to sell its meats online. The site went live Dec. 14.
Randy Richards, co-owner of the Eastgate store, said Harter House has six locations in the Springfield area. The markets were started by Jerry and Barbara Bettlach in Springfield in 1973.
“Because of the name we’ve built over the last 35 or so years here … we wanted to capitalize on the name,” Richards said.
Richards said he knew his store could compete with the products other companies like Omaha Steaks were offering their online customers and that led to the creation of the site he had been planning for about five years.
A variety of meats are available for shipping, including beef roasts, chicken, pork and seafood. Prices range from $8.99 for a Wagyu Beef Brisket to more than $200 for a variety pack, Richards said, noting that shipping prices vary depending on the size, number and weight of the products ordered.
The product lineup also includes some signature Harter House meats, such as the 40 oz. tri-tip roast, dry-aged beef, Kobe beef brisket and special-recipe Italian sausage.
Richards said all online orders are sealed and shipped with dry ice to ensure freshness. Regionally, orders can be shipped by ground. Orders outside ground shipping range are sent by one- or two-day air freight. He said all orders are to be received within three days.
All of the online orders would be shipped out of the Eastgate Harter House store, and Richards said that his company holds all of the rights to the Web site.
Richards said local shoppers who order meat online are eligible to get advertised deals on delivery items, which generally cost a few dollars more than retail.
“I’ve always said you have to reward the people who brought you to the dance, and that’s the local people,” Richards said.
In the first week of the Web site’s operation, he said he had filled around 20 to 25 orders and had shipped the orders to places as far away as California, Texas and Florida.[[In-content Ad]]
