Free Johnsonville Brats

June 23, 2019

The Packers, supper clubs, and towns named Oconomowoc are things that every true Wisconsinite understands completely.  But every once in a while, we let a little of our great state sneak out and get shared with the rest of the country.  That’s the inspired story of Ralph and Alice Stayer who opened a butcher shop in a little town just outside of Sheboygan.  They named the shop after their home community, Johnsonville and did what came naturally.  They made sausage from a 19th-century family recipe that made its way from Austria.  It quickly became known as the sausage with the “big taste,” and the town couldn’t get enough of it.  By the 1970s it was available across The Badger State, and a decade later it was selling across the country.  Today, it’s found in 45 countries and is the most popular sausage brand in the United States.  Not too bad for a nice Austrian couple from Johnsonville.  This week, when you shop at Fresh Madison Market, we’ll send you home with a 12-14 ounce package of grill-ready Johnsonville Brats for free, with your $20 purchase.