This photo promotes Wishek Sausage at Stan’s Supermarket in Wishek, North Dakota. On the left, a butcher is shown preparing fresh sausages by hand, emphasizing tradition and craftsmanship. On the right, bold text on a black background reads: “Home of Wishek Sausage – The Finest in North Dakota!”, highlighting the product’s reputation for quality and local pride.

Welcome to Stan’s Supermarket–home of the world famous Wishek Sausage. Located here in Wishek, North Dakota, It’s everything you would expect from a small town grocery store–it’s nice, it’s run by friendly faces, who, as store owner Darren Deile puts it, “do a good job.”

You could say for Darren Deile, the grocery store business, or at the very least, the special spice blend found in the perfectly smoked sausage, runs in his genes. Jim Klundt and Stan Deile, Darren’s dad, got their start at Herr Mercantile, or Herr Merc as it was called. Jim was the meat cutter, and Stan was on the grocery floor during his high school days. In 1962, Stan and Jim bought out the old Red Owl store in town. They hired George Just back in 1962 to help out with the meat department, and he still works at the store today. But it’s really all about the sausage. The famous recipe goes back over a hundred years. Back in 1933, John Stroh started working at Herr Merc, and like most famous recipes, the origin of the sausage recipe is somewhat cloudy. Whether Stroh brought the recipe with him, or if he learned it on the job is unclear. “You have to remember back then, making sausage like this wouldn’t have been that special of a thing. Everyone probably made their version of a smoked sausage. Not a lot of folks do it nowadays.” When asked what makes the Wishek Sausage so special, Darren humbly said, “Well, I suppose it’s the spice blend, the way in which it’s smoked. But really, I think it’s just because we haven’t changed a thing. Our sausage tastes just like it would have back then, and we still mix everything by hand.”

Jim and Stan have both since passed away, but the secret sausage recipe lives on… Darren has two kids, Jacob and Abigail, and while it isn’t certain, there is definitely a chance that Jacob will continue the family legacy.

Their recipe may be a mystery, but the great flavor has stood the test of time. Roughly 3500 pounds of Wishek Sausage is sold per week. With a bit less in the winter and a bit more in the summer. Visit WishekSausage.net or give them a call to place your sausage order–they ship nationwide all winter, and if you haven’t tried it, you’re missing out!