St. Francis | Founded: 1907
Industry: Food flavors and seasonings
Employees: 250+
Wixon produces seasonings, ingredients and flavors for the food industry.
What factors have contributed the most to your growth in the past three years?
Peter Gottsacker, president: “Continued innovation of new food products, technology and flavors. In the past three years, Wixon has commercialized over 593 new items with $36.4 million in sales. Over 31% of our 2021 sales were from new products.”
What are the biggest obstacles to your company’s continued growth?
“Like so many manufacturers in Wisconsin and the U.S., our capacity is limited by our ability to hire workers. Throughout 2021 and into 2022, we have over 20 unfilled positions at Wixon.”
Do you plan to make any changes to your company?
“Within the food industry, trends in health, convenience and taste continue to drive growth. Sodium reduction, flavor modifications of natural clean label ingredients and sugar reduction are current drivers for Wixon.
“In 2021, we secured an additional 110,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space to accommodate the growth of our consumer products packaging division.”
What’s the best business advice you’ve received?
“Always buy lemonade from children’s lemonade stands.”
