SAN ANTONIO — Kiolbassa Smoked Meats announced recently that it would take a “bacon hiatus” until further notice.

In a letter to customers, Michael Kiolbassa, chief executive officer and chairman of the board, and the company shared that it has been unable to provide the eating experience or customer service needed to retailers and club customers for bacon products.

“Since 2018, we have had these items produced by third-party bacon processors,” Kiolbassa wrote. “Challenges from the pandemic impacted the company’s labor supply and coupled with the sale of that company to a larger processor in 2021, these changes have created issues with quality and service levels. We have been addressing these issues, but it is taking longer than expected to rectify them. So, we made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend our bacon operation until we find a solution.”

Kiolbassa said the company knows it’s a dramatic step and wanted to minimize the impact on loyal fans.

“As a Values-Based company, we are fully committed to delivering on our promises,” he said. “We hope that this suspension sends a strong message that we stand behind our purpose. We want you to know that we will work hard to get this product back on the shelf as soon as possible.”