How many locations has Bay View Packing had over the years?

We have had a number of locations over the years. Most of the existence of the business was 1519 W. Cherry street, and our current location at 1906 W. St. Paul Ave. in the Menomonee Valley. We moved to our current location in 1976. When the company was formed, it was located on Chestnut Street in Milwaukee. There were a couple other locations that we operated out of before we moved to the Cherry Street address. The company has never been in the Bay View and where we are currently located is as far south as the company has ever been. The company gets its name from a view of the bay (Lake Michigan) that the team could see from their office window when they were located at the Chestnut Street address. The view of the bay that is on our label is a what they saw when they started the company.

We have heard that these types of snacks were less a novelty and more common back in the day. Why do you believe that change happened?

Preserved foods were much more of a necessity when the company was started because of the limited refrigeration and freezer space that people had in those days. It had a much broader appeal out of necessity and trying to survive. People today aren't as familiar with pickled or preserved foods because they aren't used to these products or have never tried them. There are so many options and places to eat that weren't available many years ago. People’s palates and what they want to eat has changed dramatically and we have now been conditioned towards certain food items. Our diets today are much worse and the foods we consume are not as healthy for us as those of the vinegar pickled items. There is also a cultural and regional appeal to our products. Generally the European people of Germany and Poland seem to be drawn to our products. It is definitely now considered a specialty food product that appeals to certain segments and people. Our foods are especially desirable with the camping, fishing, hunting, and more blue collar type crowd.

Did you always have the current lineup of sausages (Polish, Bologna) in your lineup?

No, these have been added over the years. The polish sausage came first, some time in the sixties, and was a recipe that was perfected with a small sausage company in Milwaukee by the name of Boehme Sausage Company. When we moved to our present location, we became a federally inspected plant and had to partner with a federally inspected sausage maker. We switched over to Klements Sausage Company at that time and did business with them for many years. The bologna was added a number of years after the polish sausage and we have had a number of different re-formulations and tried it with natural casing products and skinless products. 

Why those two of all sausage types?

When looking for a sausage product that will work for pickling, there are certain things we look for and have been successful with. One of the hardest parts is to formulate the product so you can get a long shelf life and a product that will stay firm in vinegar. Clarity of the brine and a product that will hold its color on the shelf is also very important for eye appeal. Vinegar softens things relatively quickly and you need a meat formulation that can hold up over time. We don't use any fillers or poultry in our sausages and this also aids in keeping the product firm. A large portion of the meat block, especially on the polish sausage, is comprised of beef. Obviously, taste and texture play a very important role as well. In addition, we really like using skinless products instead of natural casing which has much better texture and finish when eating.

Do you produce your own sausages in-house?

We do not at this time. This may be something we look at doing in the future. At this time we have partnered with a company who makes both of our current line up for us, and they have been doing a great job.

What would you say to someone apprehensive about pickled sausages?

When people are apprehensive about trying one of our products, the polish sausage is usually the one we tell them to start with. Compared to other items we make, or have made, it seems to be the one that is the least intimidating. The other one being something from our line of pickled eggs. People in general really like sausage and our polish looks similar to hot dogs, which everyone loves. We have noticed that especially younger children take a liking to the polish sausage and are happy to give it a try. If they don't like the sour taste of vinegar, they will usually be apprehensive about trying them. That's when you hit them with "you eat pickles, don't you?"

Do you ever sell non-pickled sausages?

We do not. We focus on what we do well and what all our years of experience have taught us about pickling. Being non-pickled is a much different process and would require a lot of changes for us to be able to manufacture.