Wiebke Fur & Trading Co. Marks 100 Years of Family Business

EITZEN – A century ago, Wiebke Fur & Trading Co. began when Henry Wiebke started buying and selling red fox skins in a former pool hall in Eitzen, Minn. At the time, Henry already owned Wiebke Produce. What started as a side business quickly became the foundation of one of the largest fur trading companies in the United States.

Today, the fourth generation, family-owned business has grown to two locations after expanding to La Crosse, Wis., in 1987, and is now a direct supplier to domestic and global fur markets, including Europe, Asia, Russia, Canada and the Middle East. The company has also diversified and buys and sells sporting goods, ginseng and morel mushrooms.

A carved wooden morel mushroom stands inside the Eitzen front door as a testament to Tom’s ingenuity. When Dutch elm disease killed off countless elm trees, it created an abundant crop of morel mushrooms. Tom found buyers and Wiebke continues that tradition today. (Photo by Rose Korabek)

Eitzen Mayor Jeff Adamson said, “Wiebke has been the most influential business for providing full time and seasonal jobs in Eitzen.” Adamson himself works at the La Crosse location.

Enduring for 100 years

Like any business that reaches the milestone of 100 years in existence, Wiebke has been resilient. It’s lived through a World War, the Great Depression, 9/11, a global pandemic and more. It has seen times of great prosperity and times of less fortune, sometimes due to the U.S. economy and sometimes due to its market niche.

As both the produce and fur businesses grew, Junior and Tom purchased the old creamery building in Eitzen in 1971. (Photo by Rose Korabek)

One change it could not have anticipated was navigating the most recent leadership baton handoff.

Five years ago, brothers Jason and Dan Wiebke stepped into leadership roles and took over operations of the business after the sudden passing of their father, Tom – just as previous leadership changes had been done. Tom had taken over when his father Junior passed suddenly in 1973, who had taken over from his father Henry.

According to the family, many people who did business with Tom agreed that his honest and fair trades were key traits in his business success.

Jason Wiebke is now controller for the family business and runs the Eitzen location. (Photo by Rose Korabek)

“The secret to our family reaching 100 years is the strength of our family. We are not a large family, but we have been tightly knit,” said Controller Jason Wiebke who also manages the Eitzen location.

“I was young when my grandfather, Junior, passed, but he handed down a good work ethic to my dad and brothers. We put work and time into our business. We’ve been fortunate to have good employees over the years, and mothers and wives are all part of this success, not just one person.”

Across the river, his older brother Dan, who serves as president and runs the La Crosse location, echoed similar thoughts, “Since I was a kid old enough to cross the street, I was always interested in the family business. I worked with my grandpa and my father.

President Dan Wiebke, left, with 40-year-employee Jeff Adamson. (Photo by Rose Korabek)

“We have a unique business on the fur side which requires a lot of labor and experience,” Dan continued. “Our family earned a good reputation early on, and we’ve tried to keep that. Hardworking and dedicated employees kept us in business and helped us grow.”

On September 12 during its public celebration, the La Crosse location was honoring gunsmith, Jeff Adamson, for his 40 years as an employee. “Jeff was instrumental in building the retail business since we opened the doors in 1987. First, he remodeled the building, then he ran the business.”

Pivots and perseverance

“A lot has changed from the days of Junior in the 1930s to where we are now,” said Jason. “We’ve found our markets and worked hard at developing relationships with customers. Over the years, we’ve seen a lot of changes as to how we can communicate with our customers overseas. From the phone to Telex to fax to email to now using phone apps, it’s incredible!” [During the interview, Jason was answering questions on such an app from a woman in Pakistan, proving his point.]

Another pivotal memory involved a fire at the business. “In 2005, we had a fire,” said Jason. “One of our Chinese customers said, ‘Sometimes after a fire, you’ll see prosperity.’” At a difficult time, it encouraged him to keep going.

Wiebke offers a large selection of sporting goods. (Photo by Rose Korabek)

Besides communication methods and the fire, the company has had to pivot multiple times in its history.“In 1987, fur was our main focus. We sold over 400,000 deer hides to tanneries domestically and throughout the world,” explained Dan. “When we first started, it was a fur business. Now we mainly sell sporting goods, mushrooms and ginseng.”

The Eitzen store has also changed from being viewed as a “hunting store” to a sporting goods retailer. “During the fur boom of the 70s and 80s, we had lots of employees,” said Jason. “But the fur industry seems to be shrinking, so wisely we are not putting as much time into it and have stopped buying hides we can’t sell.”

“Sporting goods stores have seen a lot of growth in the last 20 years,” said Jason. “We have a lot larger selection of goods and services, for example, thermal scopes and suppressors are very popular in America right now. When I was a kid, I would see ‘deer scrape’ on a tree and thought it would be cool if you had a camera. Now, there are game cameras that send pictures to your phone nonstop.”

Employee Jason Brumm, right, explains the various camera options to a customer and which batteries to use with them for the best results. (Photo by Rose Korabek)

Diversification strategy positions them for continued success

One of the secrets to Wiebke’s longevity is diversification. “We diversified. If we had a bad year in furs, other industries are sustainable and vice versa,” said Jason. “It helped us survive the poor years. A lot of people in the fur business 20 years ago are no longer around.”

Other changes the company has had to keep pace with are regulations and inventory management.

“Regulations for guns have changed drastically over the years,” said Dan. “We implemented some newer technology that’s advanced our ability to produce accurate records and track our inventory.” They also record licenses and permits at points-for-sale as required.

Wiebke Fur & Trading Co. continues to adapt and seems poised for success for many more years to come.