Bernegger, Friedrich "Fritz"

Other Events:

• Obituary: Aft 30 Apr 1988

Notes:

Obituary:
Fritz Bernegger, the co-founder of what became Hillshire Farm Meat Products, was born in Vienna, Austria; his early
education was there. Immigrating to America as a young man in 1926 with the intent of returning to his native Austria in two years, he worked his way through numerous jobs, establishing with wife Armella, a highly successful meat business which was eventually merged into a large corporation.
Soon his arrival in the US, Fritz met and married to the former Armella Sambs (1905-1984) of Hortonville, Outagamie, WI (and subsequently after Armella's death, to her sister Myrtle Sambs (1906-2002)), bearing two children -- Gary and Brenda. Bernegger succumed to natural causes on April 30, 1988, survived by son Gary and daughter Brenda Wenberg, Son Gary's wife Joan and their children: Mark, Paul, Peter and Cathy, and daughter Brenda's husband David Wenberg and their children; Gretchen, John, Craig and Neil, as well as a host of other family friends and relatives.
The Berneggers are considered pioneers in the Wisconsin meat industry. Wife Armella was a true partner with Fritz in developing, leading and working in their business. Growing up in Vienna, Austria, as a youngster, Fritz had farm experience in the family meat production operation and did a three-year apprenticeship at age sixteen to become a professional butcher. By the time he came to America he existed by working on a number of farms in the Canadian wheat fields, working for Cudahy Packing Co. in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Layton Sausage Company in Milwaukee and for Hopfensperger's in Appleton, WI.
Upon a move to New London, Wisconsin during September of 1928, Fritz landed a job "to make good sausage", which he did in earnest. He struggled through a number of jobs and locations in a constant battle to keep the business going.
Eventually, three stores emerged and the business was known as the Quality Meat Markets, then becoming known as the Quality Packing House by 1938. In 1947, there were six people working in the plant, consisting of a stockyard, kill floor and sausage kitchen. The plant supplied all fresh meat and sausages for the retail stores, also owned by the Berneggers and their partner Billy Schmidt. The partnership was dissolved in 1953, with Schmidt taking the retail stores and the Berneggers taking the plant. The plant was re-organized as a corporation in 1954 and initially known as Quality Packing House, Inc. Subsequently, the company was renamed as Hillshire Meat Products.
Growth and expansion took place rapidly; The plant would come under Federal inspection authority by 1969.
Realizing it was no longer a family business, on December 13, 1971, Fritz worked out a deal where Hillshire Meat Products would merge with Consolidated Foods. with the name changing to Hillshire Farm by 1974. By 1977, nine hundred people were employed in the organization, manufacturing and distributing more than three 3,000,000 lbs. of meat each week. In 1985, the parent company name Consolidated Foods changed to the Sara Lee Corporation, and in 1989, Hillshire Farm merged with Kahn's Meats as an operating unit of the Sara Lee Corporation. Fritz and Armella Bernegger were especially proud of the Hillshire Farm's Smoked Sausage, which become the number one selling smoked sausage product in the USA.

Friedrich married Sambs, Armella 19 Jun 1934. Armella (daughter of Sambs, Charles and Brill, Mary) was born 26 Jan 1905; died 7 May 1984. [Group Sheet]

Friedrich married Sambs, Myrtle 12 Apr 1985. Myrtle (daughter of Sambs, Charles and Brill, Mary) was born 30 Oct 1906, Hortonville, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA; died 5 Dec 2000. [Group Sheet]