Dennis Hartman considers his butcher shop the best-kept secret in New Tripoli.

The shop, a third generation business, is located off Route 309, along Autumn Road.

Anyone looking to make a purchase at Hartman’s should look for a pig, often decked out in holiday attire, at the turn from Route 309.

Hartman’s is celebrating its 75th year providing the best in meats and meat products with award-winning beef jerky.

Dennis Hartman’s grandfather, William E. Hartman, started the business in the Lynnville area with a few good friends who raised animals for meat.

Among them was Milton Zimmerman of the Werley’s Corner Hotel.

In winter, animals were butchered and the meat was sold to neighbors.

Milton’s son, Sterling, began raising animals and went into the livestock business buying and selling cattle and hogs.

In 1940, William Hartman built a butcher shop adjacent to the current location.

His son, Paul, a hired hand for a potato and fertilizer business in Lynnport, also worked for his father along with two other employees.

One was Howard “Applejack Benny” Bennicoff, allegedly the biggest bootlegger in Lehigh County.

During the day, “Applejack Benny” hid his applejack in the cornfield.

William Hartman had a huckster route using a 1945 Divco refrigerated milk truck.

William’s brother, John, and daughter, Ida, would tend the stand at the Mahoning Farmers’ Market.

This was something Ida did not enjoy.

The fresh beef and pork were popular, but there was also sausage, summer sausage and ring bologna.

“Back then, that was all the processing that was done,” Dennis Hartman explained.

Upon William’s passing, Paul Hartman built the present building and closed the old plant for the newer, more modern plant.

Paul and his wife, Betty, sold more manufactured meat products and discontinued the huckster route and farm market.

Dennis and his brother, Larry, grew up helping in the business.

“We cut meat and occasionally a finger,” Dennis said.

A 1971 graduate of Northwestern Lehigh, Dennis thought that was the end of his education but he was wrong.

In 1970, state inspections became mandatory for all slaughter plants.

Paul did not like the new regulations and sold the plant to Dennis in 1972.

“I did it all these years, why should I have to change?” he asked Carol, Dennis’ wife.

Shortly thereafter, federal regulations came along.

Hazardous Analysis Critical Control Points, a management system in which food safety is addressed through control of biological, chemical and physical hazards from raw material, required additional education and Dennis was off to Penn State where he earned a diploma for fulfilling the requirements.

He went to Kansas City, Mo., for four days to take a processing and development course.

There were more classes at the University of Lincoln, Neb., for food processing, during which cleanliness and sterilization methods were taught.

Carol said every year they attend the American Association of Meat Processors convention, which takes place in a different state each year.

“Over the years, our product lines have increased,” Dennis said.

In addition to the prize winning beef jerky, there are hot dogs, bratwurst, kielbasa and landjager, a smoked dried sausage.

Ham and pineapple snack sticks made to his own recipe are popular. They tried several kinds of pineapple but could not get the flavor they were looking for.

Finally, they found a dried pineapple that provided that flavor – the dried pineapple was described to Dennis at a convention.

He said the conventioneers were always willing to share new ways to do something or even to give a recipe because they were not apt to become competitors as the shops were so wide spaced.

He began entering the convention contests in 2008 and, after not placing the first year, he was careful to look at other people’s entries. There were specific sizes that had to be met.

He asked himself, “What can we do, what do these people do?”

That was where he got the recipe for ham roll.

In 2000, it was time for a larger processing room.

“They purchased a new smokehouse though the old one is still in use, and a new sausage stuffer. Each one cost more than their house. We expanded the showcase and have to expand it again.

“We continue to strive for top quality and award winning products,” Dennis said. They attend the Pennsylvania Association of Meat Processors at Penn State.

There is a meat science lab. It is like a dictionary at your fingertips with troubleshooting offered and procedures for making new products.

“It is really an educational thing to make a clean, healthy product,” Dennis said. “The best thank you is when people come in and say how they enjoy our products.”

He said in 75 years a lot has changed since his grandpop started on the farm.

Carol said the bacon tastes so good because it is still smoked in the old smokehouse.

She jokingly said even though Dennis did not mention it, she worked for him part time and finally they got married in 1984.