George Wimmer By Paxten Indra
The founder of Wimmers Meat Products
The Product
George's meat formulas, old-world spice recipes and reputation for uncompromised quality were quickly recognized. He believed that in order to make quality products for his customers he must start with quality ingredients.
About George
Wimmer's believes there is only one way to serve our customers - The Right Way, The Wimmer's Way. This philosophy was started in 1934 by George Wimmer Sr., founder of Wimmer's Meat Products. George Wimmer Sr. was a native of Hainfeld, Austria, where he served his apprenticeship in the butcher and sausage-making trade. He migrated to the United States in 1914 and settled in Milwaukee. In 1934, George and his wife Lisbet moved their family to Snyder, Nebraska, and opened a small butcher shop and sausage kitchen.
The Hot Dog of The Husker Nation
Fairbury hot dogs have been a tradition at Nebraska football games for many years, but most fans probably weren't aware of the brand until Dollar Bill Byrne replaced them for a year. In 1994, Nebraska unveiled the new HuskerVision screens, and needed sponsors. So the athletic department signed one of the national brands to advertise on HuskerVision and become the "official hot dog" of the Huskers.
Only problem is that the fans rejected the replacement hot dogs. They didn't really realize what had happened until they bit into their hot dogs, and realized the hot dog they had come to know and love had been replaced by a generic wiener. Fans called into radio shows and wrote letters to the paper wondering what happened to the old red hot dogs.
Needless to say, Byrne moved quickly to right the wrong, and worked out a sponsorship deal with Fairbury Brand Meats and in 1995, the Fairbury Tom Boy hot dogs returned to Memorial Stadium. To promote the hot dogs, Fairbury introduced "Der Viener Schlinger", a pressurized hot dog cannon that can shoot hot dogs high into the crowd. It's now a new tradition at Husker games as hot dogs get shot out into the stands.