In 1937, Harry Levine purchased an auto parts facility on nine acres of land in Rochester, NY, converted the building into a slaughtering plant and started distributing meat to local stores.

In 1956, his son Sidney remodeled the plant, applied for federal inspection, and significantly increased the plant's capacity. Years later, as the meat industry continued to evolve Sidney made a bold move and ceased slaughter operations while his father Harry was on vacation. He began bringing in carcass beef, breaking it and selling the primal cuts in Western New York. By the mid 1970's with the advent of boxed beef Sidney and his son Steven were able to discontinue carcass beef altogether in favor of boxed beef which was more economical. By Sidney's retirement in 1989, Empire Beef Company was shipping more than 700,000 pounds of meat per week.

By 1991 the company was shipping over two million pounds per week to eight different states. The company currently ships over six and a half million pounds a week to all states east of the Mississippi. Empire Beef has evolved into a full line fresh and frozen distributor, as well as a manufacturer specializing in center of the plate items. Empire Beef prides itself in being the only distributor in the Northeast that can offer fresh portion meats, frozen portion meats, marinated and flavor enhanced portion meats, a small box repack program, and quantities of all major center of the plate proteins with overnight service to every major city in our Marketing area. Empire Beef has also incorporated a redistribution division that expands it's current product line beyond center of the plate into dry, refrigerated, and frozen food items.