Producing perfect, personalized cuts of meat and delivering them to a wide variety of customers is the mission of NATCO Food Service. The quality of the food and the service is not the only noteworthy thing about the Reserve-based company: this year, they celebrated 100 years of business!
The story of NATCO begins when Nicholas Lalla and his brother immigrated to the Crescent City from Palermo, Sicily. Nicholas Lalla opened up a grocery store/butcher shop on Galvez St. and called it National Meat & Provision Co.
“Basically a meat market, but it also had produce and some dry goods,” said John Lalla, managing partner at NATCO and grandson of Nicholas.
In the late 1970s, the business closed its retail store and transitioned into servicing restaurants, and one of their first customers was the venerable New Orleans dining institution Commander’s Palace. That was the start of a long, fruitful partnership between NATCO and Commander’s. The restaurant would also forge partnerships with a variety of other local restaurants.
NATCO has remained in the Lalla family for three generations. In 1968, Nicholas’ son Leonard took over the business. In 1994, four of Leonard’s children assumed control of NATCO: Anne, John, Earline, and Thomas.
What are some of the services NATCO provides? In keeping with their origins, NATCO still provides its customers with high-quality meat. They work with boutique, high-end ranchers to offer the highest quality meats to their clients.
“The quality of our meat is what separates us from other places,” Charles Schimmel, COO of NATCO, said.
But meat is not the only food NATCO provides. They also provide milk, dairy, eggs, and other speciality items.
NATCO reps also work with chefs at high-end restaurants to help them with menu creation. While come restaurants have a menu that remains basically static, the kinds of restaurants NATCO works with have some core menu items, but also showcase a few items that change from week to week.
“Our customers’ menus are dynamic,” Schimmel said.
NATCO operates out of a facility that is just under 100,000 square feet and is USDA-inspected and operated by HACCP-certified staff.
In addition to its work with restaurants, NATCO also works with institutional catering operators, specifically those servicing the offshore oil industry and ship provisioning distributors. They also work with independent retailers and wholesale grocery distributors.
Like any business, NATCO has faced challenges over the years. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 created many unique challenges for food service businesses. Schimmel said their institutional catering work stayed strong even though many restaurants struggled greatly. Their work with grocery distributors increased during the pandemic and continues to grow.
How has NATCO not just survived but thrived for 100 years? NATCO works hard to create a culture of excellence at every level of its operations. Every worker in every department has to care about their work and the service they provide to their customers.
“You have to care. So the people behind the scenes, making it happen, who do care, that would be the secret sauce,” said Stephen Daigle, transportation and safety manager at NATCO. “It’s just attention to detail and excellence in all we do.”
The culture of excellence extends to how NATCO treats its employees, and has been a cornerstone of its operations for its 100 years. Schimmel said it is not uncommon for NATCO employees to stay with the company for 30 years or more.
“We realize people have a choice where they work, and we try to create a family-style environment for our employees and that’s something that’s carried over through three generations,” Schimmel said.
Anne Babin, managing partner at NATCO, echoed Schimmel’s sentiments.
“My father always believed in people. You need to treat people fairly,” said Babin. “I really think we are where we are today because we listen to employees and we listen to our clients.”
Schimmel also voiced pride in the company’s roots in Southeastern Louisiana. NATCO has 100 employees, and they are all local.
“We’re a local company,” Schimmel said. “We’re rooted in the southeast. We support the southeast region.”
NATCO’s clients back up Babin’s statement and speak in glowing terms about their working relationships with NATCO.
“They’ve been there for us, and they’re a big part of our success over the years at Atchafalaya,” said Christopher Lynch, executive chef at Cafe Atchafalaya.
“What they’re good at is what makes every relationship good: they’re good at listening,” said Lathan Alexander, president and owner of Alexander’s Market. “They listen to what our needs are. They get to know what it is we need, and they customize a unique solution for it. That’s why we’re still doing business with them.”
“NATCO’s relationship and ours has been going on for years and years, and it’s just one built on trust and respect,” said Megan Bickford, executive chef at Commander’s Palace. “They, like we, have a very driven determination to provide the best product for our guests, and you can’t ask for more than that.”
NATCO has been a long-time tenant of the Port of South Louisiana. They recently signed a long-term lease that could keep them at the facility through 2055.
“We have a good relationship with them,” Schimmel said. “They’ve been responsive to our needs.”
