Company History
In 1915, At the Height of the Copper Boom, German immigrant Richard Vollwerth
started a business in the Keweenaw Peninsula,
and was determined to make a name for himself. More
than 80 years later, copper is history-but the Vollwerth
name is known throughout the Upper Peninsula,
and beyond.
For more than eight decades, Vollwerth
& Co. of Hancock has been preparing delectable ring bolognas that now hold
a place of honor among other Upper Peninsula
epicurean luminaries such as pasties, prune tarts, nisu
and saffron buns.
So how does a product as humble as a hot dog become
a legend? In the case of Vollwerth's, the secret
rests in the lack of secret ingredients: Vollwerth's
products simply contain quality cuts of pork and beef, mixed with spices. No
animal by-products or less-than-choice cuts. Basically, the same recipes used
by the company's founder are the basis of today's products.
Another explanation of the popularity of Vollwerth's meats is the company's smoking process. While
most sausage manufacturers use chemicals or artificial smoke to try to copy the
smoke taste, Vollwerth's slowly smokes it bologna
over fire pits in its brick-lined smokehouses.
It's the same method the company has used since 1915.
Vollwerth's Hancock plant
is the only full-line processing plant left in the Upper
Peninsula, and its approximately 35 employees annually produce two
million pounds of meat products. In all, the
company makes about 40 different beef and pork products. It's
venison sausage is especially well liked among Keweenaw's
hunters, who annually bring in about 10,000 pounds of deer meat for custom
processing.
Cleanliness and quality control receive
high-priority at Vollwerth's manufacturing facility,
and a USDA meat inspector is on-site full time. Vollwerth's
is always well within the government's guidelines for fat and water content.
Delicious Vollwerth
sausage delights everyone-especially those who appreciate quality. Whatever the
occasion, Vollwerth's is the right choice.
Click here to view more pictures of the
history of Vollwerth's
