Baensch Food Products

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Baensch Food Products Co., a division of Wild Foods, Inc., hand-packs premium Atlantic herring imported from Nova Scotia. During the Great Depression, Lena “Ma” Baensch’s secret herring recipe became a neighborhood favorite. Stores began selling her herring in 1932 locally, and in 1999 the company was purchased by Kim Wal, who helped modernize operations and remarket the brand. Today, they continue to use the original family recipes for their herring tidbits marinated in wine sauce or sour cream and chive sauce.

The herring is caught in the north Atlantic, filleted, precut, and packed in barrels in a special salt brine exclusively for Ma Baensch. The refrigerated barrels are evaluated for the firmest, select pieces, which are then rinsed and marinated overnight. After the marinating process is complete, the herring is drained and hand-packed into jars filled with a specialty sauce made that day, ensuring consistently high-quality products. Only fresh, natural ingredients are used in the process, such as liquid beet sugar instead of corn syrup, daily sliced onions, and natural buttermilk and sour cream. Baensch Foods is a member of the National Fisheries Institute, their plant follows HACCP regulation, and all products are certified kosher through the Chicago Rabbinical Council.