Wenzel’s fundamental principal of processing and retailing the finest quality meats, led Cody Lane, president of Pederson’s Natural Farms, to the “master of flavor,” as the company refers to Wenzel. The two have teamed up for Pederson’s new line of bison meat products under the Pederson’s Wenzel brand. The products continue Pederson’s stance on using all-natural meats with no antibiotics or hormones.
It all began after, Cody Lane, President of Pederson’s Natural Farms, began frequenting Wenzel’s shop, and the store owner was not sure what to think of the Pederson’s president’s visits. “I didn’t know if he was stealing ideas from me or not,” Wenzel joked. “My wife said, ‘Don’t you say too much! Don’t you say too much! You always just give advice freely, and you tell people what you’re doing—somebody’s going to take it and run with it.’”
But Lane and Wenzel soon realized that they each had what the other could use. Lane had his large distribution company ready to invent a new product, and Wenzel had an already established spot in the bison industry, as well as long-time studies of flavor profiles.
“We got together in thinking about all this, and he put together a bunch of ideas and recipes,” Lane explained. “We started talking about it over a year ago and developing some new bison recipes.”
Pederson’s Wenzel launched late 2009 and consists of different flavors and styles, including The Pioneer, which incorporates Pederson’s bacon line into the all-natural bison meat, forming a combination dish. The two combo products started the idea for a bison line, and other ideas followed. Additional styles are a green chili style and the Jalapeno Journey, as well as two versions of Campfire Franks—one with cheese and one without.
