It felt momentous last week when I grilled up our new turkey bratwurst line for my family. Sure, I’d tried many versions many times over the past few months (eating brats on the job is a perk of this gig), but there was a finality now that the brats were properly packed and labeled, with no tweaks left to make. I’ve shared all that goes into bringing a product to life, but it’s the partnerships behind these brats that we’re most proud of as they launch. From the beginning, we knew we wanted to create flavors with local collaborations and stories.

We knew we needed another bratwurst with cheese, and how lucky are we to have CannonBelles right across town? We’re upping the game by using their cheese curds in our Cheddar Bratwurst for a true Cannon Falls partnership. Better still, these brats are crafted and smoked at Lorentz Meats, so they’re a Cannon Falls original from end to end.

Similarly, we knew we wanted a local collaboration on our Beer Bratwurst, and the Fulton Hop Kingdom 300 IPA turned out to be the perfect pairing. Throughout the development process, we learned a lot about pairing beer, turkey, and seasonings. Again, a perk of the gig!

When we considered Minnesota-inspired flavors, few things come to mind faster than wild rice. It’s our Minnesota state grain, and native only to our part of the county, and turns out to make a great addition to a Wild Rice Bratwurst. We use only Minnesota grown wild rice to keep it local.

And, there’s our already-popular Rachael Bratwurst. Already distinctive and with a strong following, we didn’t mess with what works. Instead, we made a couple small tweaks to shorten the ingredient list and add just a touch more sauerkraut.

At times, it felt like a big lift to bring the turkey bratwurst line to reality, but we never strayed from the concept of local partners collaborating on a truly unique product. Standing over my grill that night, it was all worthwhile.

We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!