Johnsonville Foods

Johnsonville Sausage is a Wisconsin-based sausage producer, founded in 1945 by Ralph F. & Alice Stayer. Johnsonville Sausage produces various varieties of sausage including fresh bratwurst, Italian sausage, smoked-cooked links and fresh breakfast sausage links. In 2004 Johnsonville became the largest sausage company in the United States in terms of sales.

History

Established in 1874 and named after U.S. President Andrew Johnson, Johnsonville is a small rural Wisconsin unincorporated community in Sheboygan County in the midst of dairy farms and cheese factories. It was popularly known as Schnappsville, and is still much the same as it was back in 1945 when Johnsonville Sausage was founded.

Ralph and Alice Stayer opened a butcher shop and named it after their hometown of Johnsonville, Wisconsin. The company says that the sausage made in the Stayer’s shop was from an Austrian family recipe.

During the 1950s and 1960s Johnsonville sausage expanded to three retail grocery meat markets in nearby communities. The Stayer’s children, Ralph C. and Launa, both became involved in sausage making and expanded the company's wholesale business.

In 1978 Ralph C. Stayer became president of Johnsonville and launched the company into a major expansion by shipping its products out-of-state. A second plant was built and in 1981 Johnsonville aired its first TV commercial featuring popular character "Charlie Murphey". The 1980s saw a sales increase of 20 times that of the previous decade. At this point Johnsonville sausage was distributed to 47 states.

In 1998 Johnsonville partnered with McDonalds restaurants placing brats on their menu seasonally.

Today, Johnsonville Brats are sold in 16 NFL stadiums and in stores in 39 countries outside of the USA. Additionally, they employ over 1,000 people.

Products

Johnsonville is a major brand of fresh dinner sausage, including bratwurst and Italian sausage, as well as smoked sausage links, breakfast sausage, and grilling sausage. Varieties include:

*Johnsonville Original Bratwurst Links
*Johnsonville Beer'n Bratwurst Links
*Johnsonville Cheddar Bratwurst Links
*Johnsonville Savory Onion Bratwurst Links
*Johnsonville Hot 'n Spicy Bratwurst
*Johnsonville Oktoberfest Bratwurst
*Johnsonville Beer Brats
*Johnsonville Cooked Brats
*Johnsonville Smoked Brats
*Johnsonville Stadium Style Brats
*Johnsonville Better with Cheddar Links
*Johnsonville New Orleans Spicy Smoked Sausage
*Johnsonville Polish Sausage
*Johnsonville Beef Bratwurst
*Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage Links
*Johnsonville Smoked Sausage
*Johnsonville Snack Sausage and Ring Bologna: Original Summer Sausage, Beef Summer Sausage, Garlic Summer Sausage, Old World Recipe Summer Sausage, Little Smokies, and Beef Ring Bologna
*Johnsonville Original Breakfast Links
*Johnsonville Original Breakfast Patties
*Johnsonville Vermont Maple Syrup Links
*Johnsonville Vermont Maple Syrup Patties
*Johnsonville Brown Sugar & Honey Links
*Johnsonville Hickory Smoke Breakfast Sausage
*Johnsonville Chorizo

Johnsonville Sausage products are available in 39 countries including France, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, China and the United States. Johnsonville has over 1,000 employees.

External links

* [http://www.johnsonville.com/ Official Site]