How 99-year-old Bush Brothers company of West Palm Beach is planning for the future

Bush Brothers Provision Co. has no beef with West Palm Beach, but after nearly 100 years of doing business in the city, the meat supplier is out of room at its longtime North Dixie Highway headquarters.

Later this year, the 99-year-old company will move its operations to a new, larger facility in the Royal Palm Beach Logistics Building at 1131 N. State Road 7.

The expansion is a long time coming, said Doug Bush, company vice president. Bush Brothers has needed more space for about the past 20 years, but the company's explosive growth since the coronavirus pandemic made the decision to move and expand necessary.

"The rush of people moving down here has been great for us," Bush said.

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Bush Brothers move to Royal Palm will include hiring more employees

When its build-out in Royal Palm Beach is completed in the fall, Bush Brothers expects to hire up to another 25 employees, adding to its existing roster of 65 workers. The space will allow the company to expand its offices, cold storage areas and meat-cutting and packaging facilities.

It's a much-needed move for a company that has seen decades of economic booms and busts.

Now Bush Brothers is experiencing an unprecedented boom that's a combination of both luck, such as continued migration to West Palm Beach, and skill, such as managing staff and business in downturns, and holding its own amid industry consolidation and powerful rivals.

But Bush said consolidation has created opportunity for the company to cement its relationship with customers by using its legacy, and history, to serve customers "who still want a high-quality, independent supplier," Bush said.

Bush Brothers continues to sell rib-eyes, tenderloins and strip steaks, as well as chicken, lamb, veal and various pork products. But the larger facility will allow the company to keep up with demand for prime meats from restaurants, country clubs, hotels and even yachts.

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While the state's growth has boosted the company's business, it's also marked the beginning of changes to the makeup of this old-timey business corridor north of the downtown.

From its building at 1931 N. Dixie Highway in the Pleasant City neighborhood, Bush said the company sees West Palm Beach transforming in a way reminiscent of other major U.S. cities. It's not quite the same gentrification as the historic Meat Packing District in New York, which in the 1990s gave way to chic restaurants, shops and hotels.

But there are parallels, Bush said.

Real estate development is pushing north from downtown into the area bounded by Dixie Highway and North Flagler Drive, where high-rise luxury condominiums are either being built or planned near Currie Park. And a few blocks to the south of Bush Brothers' building, the $1 billion Nora entertainment and dining district is being built along North Railroad Avenue west of Dixie.

This month, Savanna Fund, which is building the Olara condominium on North Flagler, will go before a city panel to ask permission to build a twin-tower apartment complex across from Bush Brothers on North Dixie.

With refrigerated trucks, vacuum-packing and other technology, meat suppliers no longer need to be located in-town near customers, allowing Bush Brothers to look for a new facility outside its historic customer base.

In fact, the Bush Brothers' new Royal Palm Beach location was selected to be more convenient for the company's employees, many of whom live in western suburbs, Bush said.

History of a family-owned business

Bush Brothers started out as a meat purveyor and mom-and-pop grocery in 1925, founded by John M. and his son, Harry L. Bush, during a post-World War I era of prosperity and possibility. In 1931, the company moved into its own building at the aptly addressed 1931 N. Dixie Highway.

From this Dixie Highway headquarters, Bush Brothers later switched to the wholesale business, supplying meat to hotels, restaurants and clubs. In the 1980s, the company expanded to private yachts.

Bush Brothers also serves private households. Delivery spans from Miami to Orlando and west to Naples, as well as the Bahamas, the Caribbean and to Central and South America.

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Today the company is run by the family's fifth generation, Doug and his brother, Curtis, and cousins John and Jessica.

The company is focused on opening up its new facility, with no immediate plans for its Dixie Highway property, at least right now.

"We understand the area is valuable, but we just want to get our business going in the new building," Bush said. "Then we'll worry about a sale."

Alexandra Clough is a business writer at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at aclough@pbpost.com. X: @acloughpbp. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Palm Beach meat seller Bush Brothers will move to Royal Palm Beach