Summary

At Dietrichs we specialize in quality cuts of meat and a large variety of tasty marinated products for your barbequing pleasure. We start with the finest aged Alberta beef, freshest Canada grade "A" chicken, and the choicest lean pork to prepare our 18 types of BBQ sizzler shishkebobs.

Dietrichs is commited to providing quality meats to make the summer BBQ season convenient and enjoyable. Come visit soon and see why more Oakvillians choose Dietrichs.

Thank you Oakville...

for making Dietrichs your destination for fresh quality meats for all your barbecuing and holiday needs.

     At Dietrichs, we specalize in quality cuts of meat and a large variety of tasty marinated products for your barbecuing pleasure.

     We start with the finest aged beef, fresh grade "A" chicken and the choicest lean pork to prepare our 18 types of shishkebobs.

     We are committed to providing you with quality meat to make your B.B.Q. season and holidays convienient and enjoyable.

     Come visit us soon and see why we have become Oakville's most trusted name for quality meat. We're sure you'll be pleased.

We STEAK our reputation on it!!

Dietrichs - History in the making

Twin brothers Michael and Robert Smolka grew up under the watchful eye of their father in the St. Lawrence market, where the elder Smolka operated Nick's Meats. Smolka, who was trained and apprenticed in Germany, began the boys' education when they were just 14. For seven years, they continued not only honing their meat cutting skills, but also developed a strong work ethic.

At the tender age of 21, Mike and Rob, eager and restless to do their own thing, invested a small inheritance from their grandmother. in Spring of 1986, the boys opened Dietrich's Butcher Shoppe and Delicatessen on George Street in Downtown Oakville.

Although business was steady, the brothers soon lerned that being the boss wasn't as easy as their dad made it look. Long hours, hefty decisions and interminable downtown construction took their toll. Just when things were looking particularly gloomy, Rob found a small deli for sale in Glen Abbey.

Dietrich's Butcher Shippe and Delicatessen moved to Nottinghill Gate in 1989, just as the new subdivision was coming into its own. Success came quickly under the watchful eye of a canny Grandma and the shop's matriarch. "We wouldn't have made it without Dora," says Mike. "She kept us focussed."

Rob, ever the entrepreneur, soon found another place for sale, a struggling fruit market on Lakeshore Road just across from the Oakville/Burlington border. Expansion was the way to go, two stores are better than one.. or so they thought. The store closed after a scant two years.

Mike went back to work for his dad, and Rob stayed in Glen Abbey until his decision to get out of the business. Mike, with Dora's steady hand, went it alone.

After a name change, an expansion to meet the threat of a new competitor and a larger variety of speacialty meats Dietrichs finally found its niche in the marketplace.

In 1999, Mike's dad, after a brief retirement, joined his son at the warehouse. In 2001, Dora finally retired at the ripe age of 75, taking her watchful eye, but leaving her watchful spirit.

A year later, Dietrich's expanded again to a 3,600 sq. ft. meat warehouse, now offering a huge variety of specality meats BBQ, and fresh top quality meats for the holidays. Dietrichs began establishing a reputation for being Oakville's most trusted name for quality meats.

It's been twenty-five years, and Dietrich's is stronger than ever. Demand for Lkebobs, steaks, burgers and all of those specialty items remains higher than ever.

"To my family, and my great customers, I want to thank you for this wonderful adventure," says Mike, who is still incredulous about his success. "I'm looking forward to the next twenty-five years."