Peter Zorn was born on March 12, 1907 in Bruschsal Germany near Heidelberg, son of Josef and Juliana Zorn. He attended public schools in his native country. He migrated to the United States in 1925. For the first few months, he worked on a farm in Montgomery, New York. He then had a chance to follow the butcher trade he learned in Germany in Poughkeepsie. After a year in Hudson River Town, he went to New York City where he continued his trade for eight years.
In 1930, he took advantage of opportunities provided by the soil, climate, and proximity to large markets. He became one of the largest growers of eggs, chickens, and turkeys on Long Island. He was thoroughly familiar with the marketing of meats and poultry in the American Metropolis when he moved out to Flushing Long Island and began the production of poultry and eggs, operating under his own name.
In 1937, Bethpage farm was born. Ten acres were used as the base of operations. They had a barn where St. Joseph Hospital is now and is where they kept their three horses and a turkey hatchery.
In 1940, Peter wanted to raise and sell turkeys year-round. He was told it can't be done. He bought 2000 baby turkeys. The only problem was the buyers offered less money than it took to grow them. So being the entrepreneur that he was, he took a 4x8 piece of plywood and put "buy your turkeys here" on it. His first store was a cement block building. This became his first and only retail store, and the beginning of his retail empire.
In 1944, they phased out the live chickens and sold fresh chickens and turkeys. Zorn’s was the first company to have a rotisserie machine on Long Island. In 1950, they added southern fried chicken and barbecue ribs to the menu.
Today, Zorn’s is still a family-led company.
Source:
“Zorn's of Bethpage > About > History.” Zorn's of Bethpage, www.zornsofbethpage.com/history