Johnsonville Foods
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA privately held American sausage and processed-meat company headquartered near Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Johnsonville Foods is an American sausage and processed-meat company based near Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. The business began in 1945 when Carl Hirsch and Ralph F. and Alice Stayer opened a butcher shop in the community of Johnsonville, Wisconsin, using the locality's name for the business. After Hirsch died unexpectedly, Ralph Stayer assumed control and developed the operation beyond its original butcher-shop roots. Johnsonville's core business is the manufacture and marketing of sausage and related prepared-meat products. Its range includes bratwurst, Italian sausage, breakfast sausage, smoked and fully cooked links, fresh sausage, chicken sausage, grillers, meatballs, and summer sausage. The company states that it produces more than 70 types of sausage products, serving both household consumers and foodservice customers. Its products are sold through retail and foodservice channels, and the brand is available in more than 45 countries. The company is privately owned and describes its approximately 4,000 employees as “members,” reflecting an internal culture built around employee participation and shared responsibility. Johnsonville has become one of the largest sausage producers in the United States and is described in the cited reference material as the country's largest sausage brand by revenue. Its scale includes substantial pork-processing capacity: in 2014, the company was reported to have facilities capable of harvesting approximately 3,400 pigs per day. Brand visibility has been supported by sports and event marketing. Johnsonville served as title sponsor of the American Cornhole League from 2017 through 2024, linking its food products with outdoor cooking, recreational competition, and social gatherings. The company has also received workplace recognition: a survey of 170,000 U.S.-based workers placed Johnsonville among the nation's leading midsize employers in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Johnsonville remains an active, independently operated food brand with a strong association with sausage, bratwurst, grilling, and casual meal occasions. Its current public profile combines a broad packaged-food portfolio, international distribution, privately held ownership, and a long-running Wisconsin origin story. In June 2025, Hormel Foods filed a lawsuit alleging that Johnsonville improperly obtained sausage recipes and market intelligence from Hormel. The available reference describes the filing and allegations but does not establish a final court outcome.
History
Johnsonville traces its origins to 1945, when Carl Hirsch and Ralph F. and Alice Stayer opened a butcher shop in Johnsonville, Wisconsin. Naming the business after the local community gave the company an identity tied to its regional beginnings. The enterprise changed direction when Hirsch died unexpectedly at the age of 56. Ralph F. Stayer subsequently took over the business and guided its development. The company grew from a local butcher operation into a specialized sausage manufacturer and brand. Its portfolio expanded beyond traditional bratwurst to include fresh and cooked sausage, breakfast products, Italian sausage, chicken sausage, meatballs, summer sausage, and other formats designed for retail and foodservice use. According to the cited reference material, Johnsonville now makes more than 70 varieties of sausage products. Johnsonville's growth also involved expansion beyond the United States. The brand is reported to be available in more than 45 countries, making it an internationally distributed food business despite its Wisconsin base. The company remains privately held and reports a workforce of approximately 4,000 people. Employees are referred to internally as “members,” a terminology associated with the company's stated organizational culture. The scale of Johnsonville's manufacturing operations became particularly visible in pork production. In 2014, the company was reported to possess the greatest sow-harvest capacity among U.S. operators, with facilities capable of harvesting approximately 3,400 pigs daily. This capacity supported Johnsonville's position as one of the country's largest sausage producers and helped underpin a broad national retail presence. Marketing has consistently connected the brand with grilling and social occasions. From 2017 through 2024, Johnsonville was the title sponsor of the American Cornhole League, a partnership that placed the brand alongside an informal outdoor recreational activity closely associated with food and gatherings. The sponsorship ended in 2024. Johnsonville also received repeated workplace recognition. A survey of 170,000 U.S.-based workers named the company among the country's top midsize employers in 2024; it had also appeared on the corresponding lists in 2022 and 2023. These recognitions form part of the company's public identity as a privately held employer as well as a packaged-food producer. In June 2025, Hormel Foods filed a lawsuit against Johnsonville. Hormel alleged that Johnsonville illegally obtained sausage recipes and market intelligence from Hormel. The available reference records the complaint but does not establish whether the allegations were proven, dismissed, settled, or otherwise resolved. Johnsonville therefore remains an active sausage company, with a history spanning local butchery, large-scale manufacturing, international distribution, sports sponsorship, and continued competition in the processed-meat market.
- 2025
Hormel lawsuit filed
[1]Hormel Foods files a lawsuit alleging that Johnsonville improperly obtained sausage recipes and market intelligence.
- 2024
Third cited workplace recognition
[1]Johnsonville is again named among the nation's top midsize employers, while its American Cornhole League title sponsorship concludes.
- 2023
Second consecutive workplace recognition
[1]Johnsonville again appears among the leading midsize employers in the cited workplace survey.
- 2022
Recognized among leading midsize employers
[1]Johnsonville appears among the leading midsize employers in a worker survey covering U.S.-based companies.
- 2017
American Cornhole League title sponsorship begins
[1]Johnsonville becomes title sponsor of the American Cornhole League, beginning a sponsorship that continues through 2024.
- 2014
Large-scale pork-processing capacity reported
[1]Johnsonville is reported to have facilities capable of harvesting approximately 3,400 pigs per day, described as the largest sow-harvest capacity in the United States at the time.
- 1945
Johnsonville butcher shop opens
[1]Carl Hirsch and Ralph F. and Alice Stayer open a butcher shop in Johnsonville, Wisconsin, establishing the business that would become Johnsonville.
- 1945
Ralph Stayer assumes control
[1]After Carl Hirsch dies unexpectedly, Ralph F. Stayer takes over the business and leads its subsequent development.
Products and positioning
A mainstream, broad-portfolio sausage brand centered on bratwurst, grilling, breakfast, and convenient prepared-meat occasions, with Wisconsin roots and international distribution.
Sausage
Bratwurst
Bratwurst is one of Johnsonville's defining product categories and is closely associated with the company's Wisconsin heritage. The range is positioned for grilling, cookouts, and everyday meals, and forms a central part of the brand's identity.
Fresh and prepared sausage
Italian Sausage
Johnsonville's Italian sausage line is part of its broader fresh and cooked sausage portfolio. It is offered for home cooking and meal preparation, complementing the brand's bratwurst and grilling-focused products.
Breakfast meat
Breakfast Sausage
The breakfast portfolio includes both fresh and fully cooked sausage varieties. These products extend Johnsonville beyond grilling occasions into breakfasts and convenient prepared-meat meals.
Prepared sausage
Smoked and Fully Cooked Sausage
Smoked and fully cooked links provide ready-to-heat or convenient meal options. This category supports retail use cases where consumers want sausage with less preparation than fresh products require.
Poultry sausage
Chicken Sausage
Chicken sausage broadens the company's protein offering beyond pork and supports consumers seeking additional sausage varieties. It is part of Johnsonville's portfolio of more than 70 sausage products.
Prepared meat
Meatballs
Meatballs extend Johnsonville's processed-meat expertise into a different meal format. They sit alongside sausage, summer sausage, and other prepared products in the company's broad portfolio.
Cured and prepared sausage
Summer Sausage
Summer sausage is included among Johnsonville's specialty sausage offerings and represents the company's coverage of shelf-stable or traditionally prepared sausage occasions.
Controversies
2025
Hormel alleges improper acquisition of recipes and market intelligence
Hormel Foods filed a lawsuit alleging that Johnsonville illegally obtained sausage recipes and market intelligence from Hormel. The cited material does not establish the outcome of the litigation, and the allegations should not be treated as adjudicated facts.
Marketing campaigns
- 2017American Cornhole League title sponsorship
United States
Johnsonville became title sponsor of the American Cornhole League, associating the brand with recreational competition, outdoor gatherings, and casual food occasions.
Outcome. The title sponsorship continued through 2024.
Brand decisions
2024
Conclude American Cornhole League title sponsorshipStrategyBackground
Johnsonville's title sponsorship relationship with the American Cornhole League had run from 2017 through 2024.
Action taken
The company ended its title sponsorship after the 2024 season.
Aftermath
No further outcome or replacement sponsorship is specified in the available reference material.
2017
Enter title sponsorship of the American Cornhole LeagueStrategyBackground
Johnsonville sought brand visibility around a recreational activity associated with outdoor social occasions and food.
Action taken
The company became title sponsor of the American Cornhole League.
Aftermath
The sponsorship remained in place through 2024.
Recent events
Reported
Johnsonville launches logistics venture[3]
Johnsonville launched a logistics venture to serve the food and beverage industry. The venture would make fleet back-haul capacity available to other manufacturers and develop a carrier partner base.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
DecisionNext and Johnsonville expand partnership[4]
DecisionNext and Johnsonville expanded their partnership. DecisionNext's technology provides Johnsonville with insights into sourcing, harvest planning and pricing.
Sources4 sources
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