Wisconsinites are more than a little familiar with cheeseheads, of course, but say “headcheese” and some America’s Dairylanders are likely to scratch their foam-covered noggins.
But while the cheesehead is still mostly a regional novelty that broke on the scene in the last 20 years, headcheese is a centuries-old, worldwide phenomenon that’s been part of Wisconsin’s food heritage for generations, thanks in large part to the state’s heavily German population, which prized traditional pork-laden concoctions such as “sultz.”
So it may not be a complete surprise to see a Milwaukee company that specializes in headcheese recognized for its family-focused, decades-old enterprise. The twist? It’s renowned for its Southern-style headcheese.
Glorious Malone’s Fine Sausage, Inc., a headcheese manufacturer and distributor that received a special “Glorious Recipe for Success” Award during the recent Wisconsin Family Business of the Year Award reception, started humbly enough as a corner grocery store on Sixth and Hadley streets in Milwaukee, where its special Southern headcheese recipe first began to tantalize the taste buds of Brew City residents in the early ’60s.
| “The product became so widespread, people were actually coming across state lines to get it.” – Daphne Jones, CEO, Glorious Malone’s |
Glorious Malone and her husband, George, who had moved to Wisconsin from Louisiana and Tennessee, respectively, soon discovered that their headcheese was a hit. Not only was it selling briskly in their shop, they were also delivering it to taverns and other corner stores in the city.
“As you know, this is a European/German area here predominantly, and so [the traditional] recipe was a headcheese recipe that was known in this area forever,” said Daphne Jones, George and Glorious’ daughter and the current president and CEO of Glorious Malone’s. “When my parents introduced theirs, the difference was in the recipe. It looks different, it tastes different, it has a whole different flavor to it, and so it appeals to people who are familiar with headcheeses – or souse or sousemeat or hard headcheese, those are some of the other names for it – but it is not just an ethnic niche, it truly is something that pleases a lot of palates.”
Whether the recipe was wholly unfamiliar, or simply a new twist on a familiar taste, Glorious Malone’s headcheese took off in the Milwaukee area and soon caught the attention of folks outside the city.
In fact, for a time, it looked as though Glorious and George would become victims of their own success – but they ended up turning what could have been a major setback into a monumental turning point.
“What happened was that the product became so widespread, people were actually coming across the state lines to get it, and that’s how the state became aware of it,” said Jones. “And so they came to visit [Glorious] one day to say, ‘Hello, we understand you have a product.’ And she said, ‘Yes, we do.’ And they said, ‘You know, you can’t process this meat without being inspected by the state.’
“And that began the journey of becoming certified, and when you’re state certified, you can process and sell your product anywhere within the United States. And because they were able to deliver throughout the Midwest and the South, that gave her the freedom to be able to move across state lines.”
Making headway
As a result of the government’s “friendly” visit, Glorious Malone pursued state and USDA accreditation – becoming state certified in 1978 and USDA certified in 1986. She was one of the first African American women to receive accreditation from the USDA, and as a result was inducted into the Wisconsin Meat Industry Hall of Fame in 2011. Alas, it was a posthumous honor. Glorious passed away in 2007 at the age of 75.
“Yes, she was in fact inducted after she passed on,” said Jones. “But it also speaks to her tenacity, and speaks to the fact that she was a pioneer, even though I don’t think that was her intent.”
Today, Glorious Malone’s original aspirations have perhaps been exceeded through the work of her family. The company currently operates out of a 12,000-square-foot plant, and of the nine employees who work there, five are members of Glorious’ family.
For her part, Jones says she’d like to preserve her mother’s vision while continuing to expand her product’s reach.
“We’re in the Midwest right now – we’re not saturated in the Midwest, but we are expanding our territory so that we have global presence, and that’s the ultimate goal,” said Jones. “In the meantime, we want to radiate out from the Midwest out to the coasts, get more of it into the Southern states as well. So we just want to increase our presence as widely as possible, and I think it does say something to the quality and popularity of this product that it has existed this long.”
As for the Wisconsin Family Business of the Year Award, Jones is happy that the Badger State is this receptive to her company’s product – even if it’s not yet the most famous head of cheese in the land.
“[Receiving the award] was another moment to be grateful and thankful for having the opportunity to continue this tradition that has survived time and that has the opportunity to bridge generations going forward,” said Jones. “So there’s a lot of pride in it. I get to share it with my children, and their children can share it with their children, and we also get to share with the community, we get to share with the city, we get to share it with Wisconsin.”
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