In the late 1950s, Joe Urlacher often made the trek from his Yakima home to the Snyder's Serve-U grocery store in Union Gap.

There were many grocery stores closer to his home, but only Snyder's had a variety of freshly made German sausage.

"Well, you can pretty much count on it being good every time," he said.

Such quality has kept loyal customers like Urlacher coming back to the Snyder's German Sausage Haus for the past 50 years.

The idea for the business came from Harold Snyder, who then oversaw the meat shop for Snyder's Serve-U, which his family owned.

Looking for a new product to offer, he took the suggestion of his wife, Bernice -- freshly made sausage.

The recipe came from Bernice Snyder's father. With that recipe, the Snyders kicked off the new business with 10 pounds of unsmoked German sausage. A few weeks later, they began selling smoked German sausage.

These days, 10 pounds of sausage wouldn't last more than a few minutes. The shop, which is now located at 3504 W. Nob Hill Blvd., produces somewhere between 600 and 700 pounds of sausage a week. That number ticks up to 1,000 during the Christmas season.

Its offerings include 30 different varieties of sausage, which include chicken apple, cajun and, of course, the German sausage, and a variety of meat cuts such as smoked steaks and bacon.

The engine behind the business now is Tom and Tammy Fischer. Tammy Fischer, 47, is the youngest of the Snyder children and raised her children while husband Tom ran his own construction company.

In the early 1990s, Tom Fischer's health made it difficult to continue running his construction business. Luckily for him, the Snyders were looking to retire. The Fischers, who often helped the Snyders during the Christmas holiday and other busy seasons, were the perfect candidates to take over.

The couple spent several months with the Snyders learning the ins and outs of sausage making, which included, among many things, mastering the recipes -- known to the Fischers as the Bible.

The Snyders officially retired in 1995, but continued to help out as necessary.

"Later, they got so good, they didn't need us," said Bernice Snyder, who is now in her 70s.

In 13 years, the couple has made the business their own and developed their own techniques to run the business.

Tom, 50, for example, will oversee the meat grinding and sausage making in the morning, while Tammy makes and wraps the product and oversees the retail operation.

Tom will go home during lunch to do errands and then will relieve Tammy in the afternoon to allow her to do various tasks such as make dinner or attend their children's sporting events.

"We don't even have to discuss it anymore," Tom Fischer said.

The couple also has responded to new demands. In the past four years, they have worked with local and regional hunters to create sausage and other meat products out of the game they catch.

They also have worked with Donitelia Winery to make sausages out of its wines.

The couple, however, has continued to keep many of the Snyders' basic hallmarks, such as sourcing fresh meat.

Much of the meat that is used for sausage and their other meat products comes in fresh every week from South Dakota. The sausage has no preservatives and goes through natural smoking methods.

"When people come in, they know the hamburger will be fresh. They know the sausage will be fresh," Tom Fischer said.

And like their parents, the couple has never advertised their business. Word of mouth, Harold Snyder emphasized, is the best form of advertising.

And that word of mouth has spread. The products have generated a customer base of 3,000 to 4,000 that hail from as far as Maine and Hawaii.

Some customers have been referred to Snyders by their doctors, who recommend the shop's chicken apple sausage as a healthy food item. Others customers give the sausage as gifts.

The popularity of the product among out-of-towners often generates the challenge to ensure that both locals and out-of-towners leave satisfied.

That has never been a problem for Urlacher.

His wife, Betty, often serves it fried or boiled with sauerkraut and other side dishes.

"They have other items that you can't get in any meat shop," Urlacher said. "They make the frankfurters. I feel better using theirs then the ones from the (other) stores."

Tammy and Tom Fischer still have plenty of years left to run the business. But they know another challenge will come in the near future as neither their son or daughter seem interested in taking over the business.

The couple does not want to force them to take over, either.

"We want our kids to go to college and find a career they enjoy," Tammy Fischer said.

But the couple doesn't seem worried about that yet. And despite not having too many vacations in the 13 years, they continue to enjoy running the business.

"It's a good product," Tammy Fischer said. "(We) have pride in that."

* Mai Hoang can be reached at 577-7685 or mhoang@yakimaherald.com.