We all know that Super Bowl Sunday has evolved into an unofficial national holiday where the pageantry of the football game has extended from the host city to the home where families and friends engage in festivities and feasting. What you may not know is how this unofficial national holiday helps boost our local economy. Stephenson County, being home to several award-winning food, beverage, and snack manufacturing companies, sees a surge in orders and production leading up to the Super Bowl. These companies account for nearly 1,700 jobs in Stephenson County.
Snak-King, located in Freeport, produces snacks for customers nationally and internationally including a portfolio of both private-label and branded snack products across all industry categories. Snak-King employs around 400 workers at its Freeport facility. Find out more about Snak-King and where to purchase their products on their web site.
Berner Food & Beverage in Stephenson County, employes over 800 workers in its production and warehousing operations. Berner is a leading supplier of shelf-stable, dairy-based food and beverage products to large CPG companies, emerging beverage brands, and private-label retailers nationwide makes commonly seen products sold across the U.S.
Savencia Cheese USA, formally known as Kolb Lena, is a French-owned cheese production company specializing in crafting high-end specialties in the US under brands Alouette, Chavrie, Dorothy’s, and Smithfield, to name a few. Check out their web site which features a very heart-warming story of our famous, award-winning Dorothy Cheese.
Nuestro Queso in Kent is a world-class Hispanic cheese manufacturer. Their quality products have the most extensive Hispanic cheese & cream assortment. Get to know and try their Mexican, Caribbean and Central American style cheeses and creams!
Torkelson Cheese, located outside of Lena, is a producer of “World Champion” cheese, celebrating over 30 years in manufacturing and marketing of high-quality cheese.
Of course, we have plenty of beer produced in Stephenson County as well. Including Generations Brewing Company, Lena Brewing Company, and Wishful Acres Farms & Brewery.
We hope you enjoyed the game last weekend and all of the local snacks that make this a great unofficial holiday for our region!
Mark Williams is the executive director of the Greater Freeport Partnership and can be reached at 815-233-1356 or mwilliams@greaterfreeport.com.
