A year after assuming control of Velocity Country Store & Meat Market in South Texas, Richmond, Texas-based Velocity Fuels celebrated the store’s grand opening with a ceremony in late September.
The existing store took on new ownership in fall 2024 from former proprietor Schott’s Meat Market, Helotes, Texas. Established in 2001, Schott’s has earned a reputation for its pre-seasoned, easy-to-prepare meats. The organization continues to own and operate other retail locations in the area.
Velocity’s ownership, led by Khaled Ornob, founding partner and chief of acquisitions, plans to continue to stay the course forged by Schott’s to offer quality meat, jerky and sausage—a slam-dunk strategy to capitalize on the area’s vast German and Czech populations.
Velocity Fuels, which owns 30 retail units across Texas and beyond, acquired the Fair Oak Ranch, Texas-based store after performing the necessary due diligence and set out to perform extensive renovations while the unit remained in business, according to a Velocity Country Store & Meat Market store associate.
Offering Shell-branded fuel, Velocity Country Store & Meat Market is located adjacent to well-traveled Interstate 10, not far from San Antonio, a prime stop for travelers.
Traditional meets contemporary
Velocity Country Store & Meat Market offers a traditional convenience store planogram that’s stocked with snacks, hot meals, beer, wine and more.
The ambitious remodeling project that took shape at Velocity Country Store & Meat Market established ample interior open space, contemporary interior wall design, modern departmental signage and several grab-and-go cases offering an array of fresh foods.
The meat market, housed in the rear, features deli cuts that showcase chicken, turkey, steaks and ground beef. Velocity also processes beef jerky and makes fresh fudge.
At the September grand opening that included the local chamber of commerce, store management boasted that the store offers that “best meats in this area.”
Velocity in 2024 continued a mostly seamless transition from what Schott’s had long offered in the marketing of quality meats. It also hired a new butcher to raise the value of the offering, according to a store associate contacted by CSP. The store has eight employees.
Leveraging Eastern European roots
Other Texas-based c-store retailers know the power of offering meat, deli/sausage and made-from-scratch bakery goods, to cater to German and Czech populations residing nearby.
One is Prasek’s Family Smokehouse, based in El Campo, which sells 100 smoked meat items and more than 100 different fresh-baked delicacies, including kolaches.
“Even though we fit into the c-store category, we don’t position ourselves as a c-store,” explained Duane Korenek, Prasek’s general manager of retail operations. “We position ourselves as a smokehouse and stop along the highway where people can come in and dine while offering all the c-store items. We produce our own smoked meat products and sell them in our retail outlets and also across the country—from Florida to California.”
Hruska’s Store & Bakery, Ellinger, Texas, offers an Eastern European vibe in the heart of Texas, where barbecue and brisket rule. The 10,000-square-foot Chevron-branded unit offers an on-site bakery facility that churns out a host of snacks, made fresh daily.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.