A 137-year-old maker of German-style hot dogs and sausages has opened a corporate office in downtown Baltimore, with plans to use the city as a launching pad to grow its brand.

Hofmann Brands has leased a 3,200 SF office at 16 East Lombard St, its first foray outside of its Syracuse, NY, HQ. Baltimore’s Mid-Atlantic location makes it easy to reach New York, DC and other major cities—and a good spot to plot the frankfurter maker's growth, says CEO Reginald Bailey (below).

Reginald was part of team of investors who bought the Hofmann Sausage Co four years ago. That team included former NFL QB and real estate magnate Roger Staubach and Macaroni Grill founder Phil Romano. The new owners have been selling Hofmann hot dogs and sausages to locations outside of central New York.

The company now sells its products to stores, restaurants and stadiums throughout the East Coast, Texas and Las Vegas. It will begin selling in California next year. In Maryland, the products are sold in Wegmans and Harris Teeter.

“We’re getting our brand out there and getting people to understand who we are,” Reginald says.

Hofmann Brands is also launching a handful of new products under its Handwich brand, including expanding its line of gourmet hot dog and sausage sandwiches this August, with new flavors like Thai chicken BBQ and chicken tikka masala. Made with beef, pork, veal and lamb, the franks are minimally processed with no artificial flavors, colors or MSG, the company touts.

The company employs 50 people, with less than a third working in Baltimore. The Hofmann Sausage Co and its manufacturing operations remain in Syracuse.