Johnsonville is an American privately held food company best known for its sausage, bratwurst, and other sausage-based meat products. Founded in 1945 in the small community of Johnsonville, Wisconsin, the company grew from a family butcher shop into one of the best-known sausage brands in the United States. Johnsonville remains family-owned and privately held and is headquartered in the Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin area. 1

Its products are sold internationally, with the company stating that Johnsonville is available in more than 45 countries. 2

1945: The beginning

Johnsonville’s story began in 1945, when Ralph F. and Alice Stayer opened a butcher shop in the small Wisconsin community of Johnsonville. They named their business after the town.

The Stayers made sausage using a family recipe with roots in their Austrian heritage. What began as a small local butcher operation gradually became the foundation of the Johnsonville brand.

The company says the original recipe has been passed down through the family and that its sausage-making tradition remains an important part of the brand’s identity.

1950s: Local expansion

During the 1950s, demand for Johnsonville sausage grew beyond the immediate community. The company began expanding distribution into nearby communities and stores.

This was the first major transition from a local butcher shop to a regional food business.

1970s: Expansion across Wisconsin

In 1970, Johnsonville began distributing its sausage throughout Wisconsin. This gave the brand a much larger regional customer base.

In 1978, Ralph C. Stayer, the founders’ son, became president. Under his leadership, Johnsonville began a much more aggressive expansion beyond Wisconsin. 4

1980s: Becoming a national brand

During the 1980s, Johnsonville transformed from a regional sausage maker into a national brand.

The company says its sales increased dramatically during this period, while distribution eventually expanded across most of the United States. Johnsonville also began using television advertising and a direct sales force to build national recognition.

One particularly distinctive aspect of the company’s expansion was its hands-on approach to sales: Johnsonville representatives traveled around the country grilling sausage and giving samples to retailers.

International growth

Johnsonville subsequently expanded outside the United States. Today, the company says its products are available in more than 45 countries.

Despite its international distribution, Johnsonville continues to emphasize its Wisconsin origins as an important part of its brand identity.

Johnsonville is unusual among major American food brands because it has remained privately held and family-owned rather than becoming part of a large publicly traded food conglomerate.

The company describes itself as family owned and operated since its founding in 1945.

The Stayer family has therefore played an unusually large role in the company’s development. Ralph C. Stayer, son of the founders, was particularly influential in transforming Johnsonville from a regional sausage producer into a major national brand.

Johnsonville also uses the term “members” for its employees, reflecting the company’s emphasis on employee ownership, responsibility, and organizational culture.

Although Johnsonville is strongly associated with bratwurst, the company now has a considerably broader product portfolio.

Its U.S. product categories include:

• Fresh grilling sausages
• Original Brats
• Italian sausage
• Specialty and seasonal brats
• Breakfast sausage
• Breakfast links
• Breakfast patties
• Chicken and turkey sausage
• Fully cooked sausage
• Smoked sausage
• Ground sausage
• Mild Italian
• Hot Italian
• Sweet Italian
• Chorizo
• Breakfast sausage
• Meatballs
• Sausage slices
• Snacking sausage
• Grillers sausage patties

The company also produces products specifically for the foodservice industry, including sausage links, breakfast sausage, hot dogs, slices and specialized restaurant products.

Bratwurst

Bratwurst is arguably the product most closely associated with Johnsonville.

The company’s Original Brat is based on its traditional sausage heritage and is particularly associated with Wisconsin’s German-American food culture. Johnsonville markets fresh grilling sausage as one of the foundations of its business.

This connection between Wisconsin, grilling, bratwurst and outdoor gatherings has become a major part of Johnsonville’s brand personality.

Italian Sausage

Johnsonville also has a substantial Italian sausage range, including mild, hot and sweet varieties. The products are marketed for grilling as well as use in pasta, pizza, sandwiches and other dishes.

Breakfast Sausage

Breakfast is another important part of the portfolio, with both links and patties as well as other breakfast-oriented products.

Johnsonville’s branding is heavily built around sausage expertise, flavor, family heritage and fun.

Rather than presenting itself simply as a generic meat processor, the company has positioned itself as a sausage specialist.

Its communications frequently emphasize:

• Wisconsin heritage
• Family ownership
• Sausage craftsmanship
• Bold flavor
• Grilling and outdoor cooking
• Sports and tailgating
• Family and social gatherings
• Humor and an informal personality

The company’s current marketing language continues to center heavily on sausage and its “Keep It Juicy” personality.

This has helped Johnsonville develop an identity that is somewhat different from large diversified food companies.

A particularly important part of Johnsonville’s corporate culture is its philosophy known as “The Johnsonville Way.”

The company describes this as its approach to developing employees, encouraging responsibility and creating an environment in which people can develop their talents and help others do the same. 5

The philosophy is closely associated with former company leader Ralph C. Stayer, whose management approach emphasized giving employees significant responsibility and encouraging them to take ownership of business results.

Stayer’s leadership philosophy became sufficiently notable that he co-authored and wrote extensively about management and employee empowerment.

Johnsonville states that products sold in the United States are made in its Midwestern facilities. The company is headquartered in the Sheboygan Falls area of Wisconsin.

The company’s Wisconsin identity is therefore not merely historical. Manufacturing and corporate operations remain closely connected to the region where the business began.

For pork products, Johnsonville says it sources pork from U.S. and Canadian farms.

Johnsonville does not sell only to consumers through supermarkets.

Its Johnsonville Foodservice operation supplies products and programs to restaurants, institutions, food operators and other commercial customers. Its product portfolio for foodservice includes breakfast sausage, hot dogs, sausage links, slices and specialty sausage products.

This gives Johnsonville two major channels:

1. Consumer/retail — products sold through grocery and retail channels.
2. Foodservice — products used by restaurants, institutions, stadiums and other commercial food operations.

Historically, Johnsonville has also had a strong connection with American sports venues and tailgating culture.

Johnsonville has invested heavily in making sausage a lifestyle and entertainment category, rather than marketing it solely as a commodity food.

Its marketing has commonly used humor, sports, grilling and exaggerated enthusiasm about sausage.

The brand has also been involved with sports venues and events. Johnsonville products have been served at professional, college and semi-professional sports stadiums across the United States.

This strategy reinforces an association between Johnsonville and:

Sausage → grilling → sports → tailgating → social gatherings.

Wisconsin is central to the Johnsonville identity.

The company’s name comes directly from Johnsonville, Wisconsin, the small community where the Stayers opened their original butcher shop.

The company continues to use its Wisconsin origins as a major part of its storytelling, emphasizing the transformation from a small-town butcher shop into an international sausage brand.

This is particularly significant because bratwurst itself has a strong cultural connection with Wisconsin, where German-American culinary traditions have made brats a staple of grilling, festivals and sporting events.

Johnsonville has expanded substantially beyond the United States.

The company’s current corporate history says Johnsonville products are available in more than 45 countries.

The company also operates country-specific businesses and websites. For example, Johnsonville has an established presence in Canada and Japan, where its products are marketed to local consumers.

In Japan, the local business is Johnsonville Japan LLC, whose stated business is importing and selling sausage products. 3

Several factors help explain Johnsonville’s rise from a small butcher shop to an international food brand.

1. Specialization

Instead of becoming a general food company, Johnsonville built its reputation around one highly recognizable category: sausage.

2. Strong Origin Story

The company has a simple and memorable heritage: a family butcher shop in a tiny Wisconsin community.

3. Product Variety

Johnsonville expanded beyond traditional bratwurst into breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, chicken sausage, smoked sausage, meatballs, ground sausage and other products.

4. Strong Brand Personality

Johnsonville’s marketing is deliberately informal, humorous and enthusiastic, helping the brand stand out in a crowded packaged-food market.

5. Retail and Foodservice Distribution

The company has built both consumer retail and professional foodservice businesses, giving the brand multiple routes to market.

6. Family Ownership

Remaining privately held has allowed Johnsonville to maintain a distinctive corporate culture and long-term orientation.

As of 2026, Johnsonville remains a privately owned Wisconsin food company focused heavily on sausage. Its consumer portfolio spans fresh, cooked, smoked, breakfast, ground and specialty sausage products, while its foodservice division supplies commercial customers.

The company’s own website currently describes Johnsonville as America’s favorite sausage, while its foodservice business describes it as America’s #1 sausage brand. These are marketing/brand-positioning claims rather than an independent ranking. 6

The most important thing about Johnsonville’s evolution is that the company has expanded its scale without abandoning the identity that made it famous: Wisconsin, family ownership, sausage-making and a strong emphasis on flavor.

In one sentence

Johnsonville is a privately held, family-owned American food company founded in Wisconsin in 1945 that grew from a small butcher shop into an internationally distributed sausage specialist, best known for bratwurst, Italian sausage, breakfast sausage and a distinctive Wisconsin-inspired brand identity.

1. Our Story, The Johnsonville Way | Johnsonville
2. Welcome to Johnsonville | America’s Favorite Sausage
3. 会社情報｜ジョンソンヴィル
4. Our Story – Johnsonville.ca
5. About Us | Johnsonville Foodservice
6. America’s #1 Sausage Brand | Johnsonville Foodservice