Johnsonville Sausage

What Johnsonville Sausage does

Johnsonville Sausage, founded in 1945 and headquartered in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, is a privately held, family-owned meat manufacturer operating as America's #1 national sausage brand. The company produces approximately 80 varieties of sausage across fresh grilling, fully cooked links, smoked rope, breakfast links and patties, ground sausage, meatballs, snacking formats, and limited-time seasonal collaborations (e.g., Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy and Oktoberfest beer brats; Dr Pepper Inspired Sausage launching March 2026). Manufacturing relies on conventional sausage-production technology using premium pork, natural and collagen casings, proprietary herb-and-spice blends, and clean-label inputs free from artificial colors, flavors, nitrates, and nitrites; in January 2024 Johnsonville acquired its Wisconsin-based co-packer Salm Partners and consolidated production there and in Denmark, closing its Meadowside plant in Sheboygan County by end of 2024.

Johnsonville monetizes primarily through branded packaged-goods retail sales via mass-market grocers (Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Ahold Delhaize, Meijer, Hy-Vee), convenience (7-Eleven), a B2B foodservice channel serving 75+ U.S. professional, semi-pro, and college sports stadiums plus restaurants and caterers, international distribution to 40+ countries, and a small direct-to-consumer e-commerce marketplace (johnsonvillemarketplace.com) selling branded merchandise and gift boxes. Go-to-market is product-led, leveraging innovation cycles, celebrity partnerships (Brian Baumgartner), and brand collaborations (Dr Pepper, Leinenkugel's, Grillo's Pickles) to drive velocity, supported by a multi-channel marketing platform centered on the "Keep It Juicy" brand campaign (2025 Silver Effie winner) and the long-running Big Taste Grill charity program. The company employs approximately 4,000 people globally and operates with no disclosed institutional investors or public listing.

Name

Johnsonville Sausage

Legal name

Johnsonville, LLC

Website

http://www.johnsonville.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Johnsonville Sausage is a privately held, family-owned Wisconsin-based meat manufacturer and America's #1 national sausage brand, producing 80+ varieties across fresh, smoked, breakfast, and snacking formats for retail grocers, foodservice, and 40+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sausage Manufacturing

NAICS

Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116), Meat and Meat Product Merchant Wholesalers (42447)

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Sausage Manufacturing (Fresh, Cooked, Fermented, Emulsified) (AFANAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty & Regional Processed Meats (Ethnic/Traditional Sausages, Regional Cures) (AFANAEAK), Processed & Value-Added Meat & Poultry Wholesale (Deli Meats, Sausages, Smoked) (AFAIADAE), Frozen Meat & Poultry Meals & Value-Added Proteins (CRADADAH)

Keywords

• Sausage manufacturing
• Processed meat products
• Breakfast sausage
• Bratwurst products
• Foodservice protein

Headquarters

HQ city

Sheboygan Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Packaged Sausage Sales: Primary revenue from selling packaged sausage products through major retail chains including Walmart, Kroger, Meijer, Hy-Vee, and other grocery stores. Products include fresh grilling sausages, fully cooked links, smoked sausages, breakfast items, and snacks.
2. Foodservice Distribution: B2B sales to foodservice operators including sports stadiums (75+ U.S. professional, semi-pro, and college stadiums) and other institutional buyers.
3. E-commerce Marketplace: Direct-to-consumer sales of merchandise, sausage swag, and grilling accessories through the Johnsonville Marketplace (johnsonvillemarketplace.com).
4. International Sales: Sausage products sold across 40+ countries internationally.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Johnsonville Sausage is a family-owned American sausage manufacturer founded in 1945 that produces 80+ varieties of sausage including fresh bratwurst, smoked sausage, fully cooked sausage, breakfast links and patties, chicken and turkey sausage, dinner sausage, rope sausage, and meatballs. Products are sold to individual consumers through retail grocery, and to foodservice operators including sports stadiums, restaurants, and international distributors across 40+ countries.

Product overview

Johnsonville Sausage offers a diverse portfolio of sausage products primarily centered around fresh grilling sausages, fully cooked sausages, and snacking products. The core product lines include Breakfast Links & Patties, Chicken & Turkey Sausage, Fresh Grilling Sausage (featuring Original Brats, Beer Brats, Italian Sausage, and seasonal varieties), Fully Cooked Sausage Links, Grillers Sausage Patties, Ground Sausage, Meatballs & Slices, Smoked Rope Sausages, and Snacking Sausage. The company also operates collaborative limited-time offerings such as the Dr Pepper Inspired Sausage (launching March 2026) and Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy Beer Brat. Beyond packaged products, Johnsonville maintains the Big Taste Grill charitable program and Johnsonville Marketplace for branded merchandise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fresh Bratwurst (Brats)

Quantifiable outcome

• Summer Shandy Beer Brat became Johnsonville's fastest-selling limited-time offer product within four months of launch
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Brian Baumgartner (Actor)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026'The Office' actor partnered with Johnsonville for multiple activations including #KeepTheInternetJuicy initiative and Swing State Sausage Support Plan in Scranton, PA. Helped launch campaign encouraging people to share content highlighting unexpected acts of togetherness.
• Dr PeppercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026Brand collaboration launching Johnsonville Dr Pepper Inspired Sausage featuring a unique 'SWALTY' (sweet and salty) flavor profile that blends Dr Pepper's 23 distinct flavors into a savory format. Product available nationwide at major retailers starting March 1, 2026, supported by 15-second advertisements across linear and digital platforms.
• Hold Fast (Creative Agency)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 May 2025Milwaukee-based boutique creative agency partnered with Johnsonville on the 'Keep It Juicy' campaign and National Temperature Check. The collaboration earned a Silver Effie in the Marketing Disruptor category. Campaign included national TV spots, earned media, print ads, and social ambassador program.
• Grillo's PicklesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 April 2025Fastest-growing refrigerated pickle brand joined the Leinenkugel's x Johnsonville Summer 2025 partnership with social media integration and retail meal solutions at select locations.
• The Forward Fund Partnership (Kohler Co., Masters Gallery, Sargento, Sheboygan County)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2025Johnsonville joined with Kohler Co., Masters Gallery, Sargento, and Sheboygan County to form The Forward Fund, contributing $10M to build 200+ single-family homes for talent recruitment and housing needs in Sheboygan County. Partnership won 'Working Together' award from Sheboygan Chamber of Commerce.
• Broken Bat BreweryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 August 2024Johnsonville supported 'No-Phone Friday' initiative encouraging guests to ditch mobile screens. Johnsonville served brats during events, provided giveaways and prizes, and encouraged donations for Mental Health America of Wisconsin. Supported Johnsonville's 'Keep It Juicy' campaign about togetherness.
• Leinenkugel's (Molson Coors Beverage Company)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2024Multi-year brand partnership creating limited-time beer brat flavors including Summer Shandy Beer Brat (2024 debut, returned 2025) and Oktoberfest Beer Brat (2025). The collaboration combines Leinenkugel's beer with Johnsonville sausage, with joint retail displays, promotions, social media collaborations, and sweepstakes. Grillo's Pickles joined as an additional partner in 2025.
• Salm PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 January 2024Johnsonville acquired Salm Partners, its Wisconsin-based co-packer, strengthening Johnsonville's position in the ready-to-eat sausage category. Production from the closing Meadowside plant shifted to Salm Partners' facilities in Wisconsin and Denmark.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jimmy Dean (Tyson Foods): Jimmy Dean is the leading U.S. breakfast sausage brand and a direct competitor to Johnsonville's breakfast links and patties. Both brands compete for the same shelf set in Kroger, Walmart, and other major chains and share the breakfast-occasion consumer.
• Eckrich (Smithfield Foods): Eckrich is a competing smoked sausage and lunch meat brand owned by Smithfield, with similar product positioning in rope sausage and lunchmeat categories. It sells through the same mass-market U.S. grocery and foodservice channels as Johnsonville.
• Hillshire Brands (Tyson Foods): Hillshire, owned by Tyson, is a direct competitor in branded sausage (Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean) with overlapping retail and foodservice distribution. Comparability comes from nearly identical product mix in pork sausage, breakfast links, and smoked varieties sold through the same major U.S. grocery channels.
• Hebrew National: Hebrew National is a leading national kosher frankfurter and prepared-meat brand with overlapping retail distribution and comparable brand-strength dynamics. While kosher-focused, it competes for the same grilling and family-meal occasions as Johnsonville.

Broad incumbents

• Smithfield Foods: Smithfield is the largest U.S. pork processor and supplies many of Johnsonville's raw material needs while also competing through Eckrich and other sausage brands. Comparable as a vertically integrated pork and sausage competitor with mass-market retail and foodservice presence.
• Hormel Foods: Hormel is a diversified packaged meats incumbent with significant sausage and breakfast protein exposure (Hormel, Jennie-O, Skippy). Comparable as a major branded protein company competing in the same retail and foodservice channels, though with a much broader portfolio.
• Oscar Mayer (Kraft Heinz): Oscar Mayer is a broader processed-meat incumbent under Kraft Heinz with overlapping hot dog, lunch meat, and smoked sausage products. Comparable as a mass-market U.S. processed-meat brand selling through the same retail customers, though its portfolio extends well beyond sausage.
• Boar's Head: Boar's Head is a deli and prepared-meat incumbent with a growing sausage and frankfurter line sold through delicatessens and grocery. Comparable as a major branded protein competitor with overlapping retail customers, though its center of gravity is deli meats rather than grilling sausage.

Emerging players

• Kiolbassa Smoked Meats: Kiolbassa is a Texas-based craft sausage and smoked-meat brand growing presence in natural and specialty retail channels. Comparable as a sausage specialist competing in similar grilling and snacking occasions, though smaller and more regionally focused than Johnsonville.
• Aidells Sausage Company (Flagship Food Group): Aidells is a premium, all-natural sausage brand focused on chicken-apple, smoked andouille, and other artisanal varieties. Comparable as a sausage-only brand in the same premium/gourmet retail channel, though smaller and more limited in distribution scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/johnsonville
• Facebookfacebook.com/johnsonville
• Instagraminstagram.com/johnsonville
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/johnsonville-sausage

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments4 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Johnsonville Sausage