11 Wisconsin-made packaged snacks that are perfect for game day
These 11 locally made snacks are perfect for satisfying your game-day appetite.
Instead of grabbing a bag of chips or your favorite sweet or salty snack off the shelves, why not support a snack-maker with Wisconsin roots? These are all family-owned companies that developed a product they not only stand behind but also enjoy at home. Each has a fun origin story, too.
From Brandy Old Fashioned popcorn to white cheddar pork rinds, here are 11 packaged snacks perfect to munch on during the next game, whether it’s the NFL Playoffs or the Super Bowl, the 2026 Winter Olympics, an NBA game, or the upcoming MLB season. You can usually find these at artisan markets around the state and also, in some cases, at chain grocers. Be sure to browse their social media accounts and websites to see where the products are sold. You can also order online, so it arrives at your front door in time for kickoff.
Emmanuel’s Mix
This snack—pretzels, pecans, and corn rice cereal coated in a signature glaze—is so yummy that Fiserv Forum folded it into their snack offerings at the suite level during Milwaukee Bucks games. Founder Jacqulyn M.N. Tucker’s artful marriage of sweet and savory (perfect for a group that has serious feelings about which they like best) launched in 2008, after she concocted it for her son Emmanuel to share with his high-school friends as an after-school snack.
Jackson’s
These veggie straws, kettle chips, and sweet-potato chips are produced in Muskego and come in a variety of flavors, such as Ranch, Cheddar, and Sea Salt for the straws and, for the sweet-potato chips, Cinnamon Brown Sugar, Carolina BBQ, Spicy Jalapeno, Farmhouse Ranch, Cheddar and Sour Cream, and Sea Salt. Because they’re cooked in avocado oil, they’re considered a healthier alternative to most other salty snacks. Co-founders Megan and Scott Reamer—whose son, Jackson, was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder—were searching for a snack that would gel with his high-carb, low-fat diet.
Fortune Favors
Candied pecans are a nice treat, especially when there are so many fun flavors. Fortune Favors flavors include the chili-spiked “The Everything” (similar to the bagel flavor, with poppy seeds and sesame seeds, plus garlic and onion), “The Spark” (cherry, orange, toasted sesame, and chive), mesquite, “Sweater Weather” (cinnamon, sugar, cloves, and vanilla) and “sweet & salty.” This Madison-based artisan pecan maker launched their first cans in 2018. Co-founder Eric Rupert has a culinary background, including as co-chef at the famed L’Etoile in Madison.
Pork King Good
Designed to mesh with a no-carb, keto- and paleo-friendly diet, this woman-owned snack brand debuted in 2018. The pork rinds come in off-beat flavors like White Cheddar, Himalayan Pink Salt Vinegar, Salted Butter, Onion & Sour Cream, and Nacho Cheddar. These are manufactured in Cudahy and the brainchild of Lauren Koston.
Sharay’s
Most people have tried—or maybe even made—peanut brittle, but what makes this Green Bay brand’s flavor profile so different is that it’s inspired by Ghana’s culinary traditions. Inspired by growing up in Ghanaian kitchens and enjoying a snack called “nkate,” Yaw “Sharay” Asare rolled out his first brittles in 2020, partnering with co-founder Orson Fournillier, who was born in Trinidad. And these brittles are not solely born out of peanuts. Pistachios and cashews comprise some of the other brittle bases.
Palo Popcorn
Those who have lived in Wisconsin a long time likely already know this family-owned Sheboygan Falls popcorn brand, as it dates back to 1963, starting out as a popcorn vendor servicing area bars and taverns. Popped in coconut oil, these non-GMO popcorns are free of trans fats. Flavors include cheddar cheese, bacon cheddar, jalapeno cheddar, “movie theater butter,” dill pickle, caramel corn, ranch and white cheddar, “sweet heat,” and Mexican street corn.
Door County Bakery’s Corsica Stix
Named after the Mediterranean island of Corsica, these mini crunchy toasts are perfect for eating with dips and spreads. Or, as the Sister Bay bakery suggests, add them to an antipasto plate to enjoy with olives, cheese, charcuterie, and fruit. They’re baked in a stone oven, employing a mix of French and Italian baking techniques.
Rural Route 1
Based in Southwestern Wisconsin since 1983, this popcorn brand has a retail store in Montfort and sells scores of different flavors, from classics like cheddar, maple pecan, and kettle corn to off-beat options like cherry cheesecake and peanut-butter cup. They also sell signature concoctions such as S.S. Dunkle (caramel-coated dark chocolate), R.C. Snakle (raspberry-cherry white fudge and sweetened cranberries), and K’Nuckle (crunchy almonds and white fudge).
Gardetto’s
This brand has achieved such nationwide traction that many people don’t even know these seasoned, Italian-inspired snack mixes started in Milwaukee in 1932 at a small family-owned bakery. Baptiste and Diane Gardetto were Italian immigrants operating their bakery on the city’s South Side. In each bag of Gardetto’s most well-known flavor (Original Recipe) are roasted rye chips, mini breadsticks, and salted pretzels. Other flavors include Italian Cheese Blend, Pizza, and Chipotle Cheddar. The brand was acquired by General Mills during the 1990s.
Minocqua Popcorn & Puffs
Popcorn in traditional flavors isn’t hard to find—but this Minocqua company’s flavors are off the charts. There isn’t just one cheese flavor, there are four: Beer Cheese, Hot Buffalo Wings, Jalapeno Cheese, and White Cheddar. The same goes for caramel corn: choose from Root Beer Float, Maple Pancake, Confetti, and Brandy Old Fashioned. The popcorn is sold in both bags and buckets.
Teddy’s Tallow Chips
Created in response to Teddy Horvath’s severe food allergies as a child, which made munching on chips and pretzels impossible, his mother, Katherine, founded this line of chips that are cooked in beef tallow. Teddy, who now works as a software engineer, joins his brother Henry in this family business based in Cedarburg. The chips come in various flavors, including Himalayan Salt, Summer BBQ, Vinegar Vibe, and Jalapeno Heaven.
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