Tony Hopper and his brother Chad are coowners of Sunnydale Meats in Gaffney. The family packing plant is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. If you're looking to start grilling some hamburgers in Gaffney now that summer cookout season is here, you'll probably be using beef from Sunnydale Meats. The local packing company has been a tradition for the past 50 years.

"We used to be in a little white building beside Gaffney Middle School," said Tony Hopper, co-owner of the company. "We moved into our Hyatt Street building in 1972. My dad, Anthony, and my uncle Lance started this business and today my brother Chad and I own it. Our other brother Brent also works at the company."

There have been a lot of changes to the industry since the business started in 1956. First and foremost, Tony said, is the delivery of the meat.

"There are still tracks hanging out there in our receiving bay where we used to take delivery of sides of meat on hooks," he said. "Today, the beef arrives in a box from the MidWest and we cut it up from there. And we've added many products to our line."

Beef, poultry, pork and even fresh vegetables are just a few of the things that Sunnydale Meats now sells. They've got their own store beside the processing room.

Christy McCraw weighs chopped steak at Sunnydale Meats in Gaffney on Thursday. "That shop does pretty well for us," Tony said. "But we also sell to several independent local restaurants and sell luncheon meat to some convenience stores."

For Tony, the shop isn't just a family business, it's a lifelong one as well.

"I've been helping out around here since I was old enough to walk," he said. "I started out by coming in after school to help clean up. We used to have large wood chips that we'd put on the floor to help keep things clean. It's a lot different today."

The processing conditions are probably the most significant changes that Tony has seen in the 50-year history of the business.

"There are a lot more inspectors that come and check up on us from the government today," he said. "Chad is out there checking the temperature and running tests all the time. But I think that's great. We need to be diligent. In other countries, you see them with meat hanging on the side of the street in a market. You don't see that in America and I think we've got the safest food supplies in the whole world."

A safe food supply is good news for Sunnydale Meats.

"There are a lot of competitors out there today," Tony added. "But everybody's gotta eat. I've noticed that these days people want things that are quick and easy to prepare, so we've adjusted to meet that demand. In this business, like any other, you've got to depend on your employees and treat your customers right so they'll come back."