Case Study: How Prasek's Saved $10K+ While Boosting Business Growth

Prasek’s Family Smokehouse has been a staple of Texas tradition since 1974, known for its exceptional smoked meats and fresh-baked delicacies. As the company continues to grow, they encountered challenges with their cold storage solution, especially during the busy deer season when they process custom orders. To meet the demand while improving operational efficiency, Prasek’s turned to Portabull Cold Storage for a smarter, more sustainable solution.

This case study explores how Portabull’s electric refrigerated containers solved their cold storage issues and boosted their production capacity.

  Customer: Prasek’s Family Smokehouse

 Location: El Campo, TX

  Industry: Food Manufacturing & Retail

 Challenge: Seasonal cold storage for custom meat processing

 Solution: Electric refrigerated containers from Portabull Cold Storage

 Results: $10K+ operational cost savings; improved production throughput

Background: Growing Family, Growing Business

“We’ve definitely grown from the sausages and kolaches that got us started, and we’re so much more than that today.” Lannah Stoner, Marketing Manager, Prasek’s Family Smokehouse

Family-owned and operated since it was founded in 1974, Prasek’s Family Smokehouse has grown from a small roadside grocery store to become a true Texas institution. Prasek’s makes hundreds of types of smoked meats and fresh-baked delicacies at its main location in El Campo, TX. 

Now operating two large convenience stores – their Sealy, TX, location alone covers more than 42,000 square feet – Prasek's sells its house-made products both in person and online. Major grocery stores distribute their meats and buyers from all over the world visit their website. 

The Prasek family has now overseen more than 50 years of stunning growth by both hewing to family traditions and showing a willingness to embrace new solutions. That vision is what led them to make a big change to their temporary cold storage, a change that would benefit Prasek’s and their customers alike.

Challenge: Why Diesel Cold Storage Didn’t Work

“One of the pain points we were experiencing before finding Portabull was [cold storage] space.” Lannah Stoner, Marketing Manager, Prasek’s Family Smokehouse

Behind Prasek’s convenience store in El Campo are their meat production facilities. Here, everything from bison jerky to jalapeno sausage is processed and made ready for retail sale. Located amongst these buildings is the Custom Processing department. It’s here that our story begins.

Prasek’s Custom Processing takes deer, hogs, and other animals from local hunters and turns them into steaks, slabs of ribs, jerky, sausage, stew meat, and more. These products then go directly back to the hunters who brought them in. Because these are purely “custom” orders that aren’t subject to the same federal production codes as Prasek’s other products, this is called “non-federal production.”

It’s vitally important that Prasek’s keeps non-federal production separate from federal production, and that means maintaining separate cold storage spaces. To accomplish that, the company would rent diesel-powered refrigerated trailers and park them outside Custom Processing during the deer season. Unfortunately, diesel cold storage comes with a host of problems.

First, as Prasek’s discovered, was the cost of refueling: diesel reefers require multiple refueling visits per week, and that quickly adds up to enormous operating costs. Combined with rent, the costs of fuel and service were simply too high.

Next, the reliability (or lack thereof) of the diesel units: constant performance hitches and frequent breakdowns plagued the various diesel-powered trailers Prasek’s tried. They even had to suffer the embarrassment of standing with a customer in front of the unit when, as a breakdown began, black smoke started to belch from the motor.

“The reefer trailers were very cumbersome and very inconvenient,” said Mike Prasek Jr., Production Manager at Prasek’s. “They’re even dangerous to get in and out of [due to the trailer’s height].”

To protect their customers’ products, their financial strength, and their own reputation, Prasek’s needed something better.

Solution: Electric Cold Storage by Portabull Solves the Problem

“It’s a better overall look with Portabull, for sure!” Sam Stoner, Custom Processing Supervisor, Prasek’s Family Smokehouse

Sam Stoner, head of Custom Processing, began searching for an alternative to the diesel reefers during the 2023 deer season. He quickly discovered electric-powered temporary cold storage units from Portabull Cold Storage. 

Working with the Portabull experts to evaluate his needs, Sam decided to go with a 20’ ground-resting electric refrigerated container. As soon as the unit was delivered and hooked up — a simple 30-minute process — the Prasek’s team knew they had a better solution on their hands.

Unlike their old diesel reefers, Prasek’s new electric container from Portabull never needed fuel. That meant an immediate end to the nonstop refueling sessions that cost Sam and his team time and money. 

“The cost of the Portabull units is very minimal compared to the cost of diesel units,” said Sam.

The new Portabull unit was also much more reliable than any of the diesel reefers Prasek’s used before. Gone were the days of embarrassing breakdowns. As the deer season went on, the Portabull unit continued to consistently hold temperature despite all the varying weather conditions it faced in humid Southeast Texas. “Even in the elements, the unit has never failed us in holding temperature,” said Sam.

Impact: Thriving with Portabull

“The diesel units were a constant nightmare of maintenance and downtime. We were fortunate to find Portabull who gave us a solution that’s more stable, consistent, and reliable.” Mike Prasek, Jr., Production Manager, Prasek’s Family Smokehouse

Finally equipped with cold storage that performed up to their standards, Sam and the Custom Processing department were able to unlock their own performance boost. Reliable, affordable cold storage space gave them the ability to take on more and more custom orders until they found themselves setting production records.

In fact, Custom Processing was so successful using the 20’ electric unit in 2023 that they upgraded to a 40’ unit for the 2024 deer season. Despite the greater footprint, Prasek’s still managed to keep the container full of orders waiting for processing, meaning more production records. 

On top of the productivity boost, Sam calculated total operational savings for the two seasons exceeding $10,000. That meant higher profits for the department and the business as a whole. For a company with as big an appetite for growth as Prasek’s, greater profitability is what makes for a brighter future. “As we grow,” Sam said, “those [Portabull] units and their reliability are really what will help us develop.”

Grow Your Business with Portabull

“Customers talk about how the Custom Processing department is improving, and Portabull has been a large part of that.” Lannah Stoner, Marketing Manager, Prasek’s Family Smokehouse

It’s amazing the difference an electric cold storage solution from Portabull can make. Prasek’s knows. By eliminating fueling and engine runtime costs from their cold storage costs, they reduced expenses significantly. By improving durability and reliability, they ensured more orders for Custom Processing and more income for the company. 

Saving costs and simplifying operations is what Portabull Cold Storage does for all our customers. If you’re tired of making do with diesel-powered refrigerated trailers, now is the time to switch to advanced Portabull electric- and hybrid-powered units. Our experts will help you determine the right unit and options, and we always provide 24/7 live support for our solutions. Trust Mike Prasek, Jr., when he says, “Customer support [from Portabull] is off the charts!”

Help your business spend less and accomplish more. Work with Portabull today.