What Usinger's is known for
Milwaukee sausage maker founded in 1880 by German immigrant Fred Usinger, now run by a fifth generation of his family. Its riverfront deli and gift store sell the full range of old-world wursts, franks and specialty meats, also stocked in stores nationwide.
Fred Usinger arrived in Milwaukee from Wehen, Germany, in the late 1870s as an apprentice sausage maker. He took work at a small butcher shop on 3rd Street run by the widow Julia Gaertner, eventually buying the business from her, marrying her niece Louise, and moving into the living quarters above the store — the founding of what became Usinger's in 1880.
The company has stayed in family hands since. After Fred Usinger's death in 1930, his son Fred Jr. led the business; Fredrick Usinger III took over in 1953 and remained at the helm into the 1990s, when fourth-generation siblings Fritz and Debra Usinger assumed day-to-day control during a period of expansion. A 2005 civic proclamation marked the company's 136 years and four generations of family ownership; a fifth generation is now involved.
Today Usinger's makes its wursts, franks and specialty meats to what it describes as the same old-world recipes, sold from its Milwaukee riverfront deli and gift store as well as through retailers across the country.
Best for — Old-world wursts and franks from a fifth-generation Milwaukee sausage maker.
Where next
- Conserverie Courtin — France
- Donald Donuts — Baytown
- FX Buckley — Dublin
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