History of Glacial Lake Cranberries, Inc.

THE LAND

The property now known as Glacial Lake Cranberries, Inc. has been producing cranberries since 1873.  The 6,100 acres of property is located in central Wisconsin, about 15 miles west of Wisconsin Rapids on the north shore of old Glacial Lake Wisconsin.  This lake disappeared thousands of years ago and left behind some of the finest wetlands in the state.  The high water table, available sand, and acid soil conditions make the area conducive to cultivating North America’s native red fruit – Vaccinnium macroparpon - the cranberry.

The State Land Book has an entry showing John B. Arpin, a prominent lumberman, acquired the land on October 11, 1873.  Pioneers in the industry, like Arpin, built up dikes around native stands of vines that became the cultivated cranberry beds.  Over the years all the varieties cultivated have been developed from native strains. 

Of the approximate 6,000 total acres that make up Glacial Lake Cranberries, Inc., approximately 3,000 acres of water reservoir support 330 acres (96 beds) of producing cranberry vines, 1,200 acres are in a forestry management plan, and the balance of land is diverse support land.

Basically, the same water reservoir system is maintained as when the Arpins first tamed these wild lands.  Through the years, additional reservoirs, ditches, dikes and roads have been added to meet the needs for increased efficiency in the cultivation and harvesting of cranberries.

THE WILDLIFE

During the early part of the 1900s, there was a huge effort to drain the wetlands of central Wisconsin for other agricultural purposes.  However, in the low-lying marshy areas, killing frosts can occur at any point of the growing season, and this forced many farmers to abandon their plans.  The cranberry pioneers of the time slowly reclaimed these drained areas and built up large water reservoirs which not only made for better cranberry growing conditions, but also made ideal habitat for an abundance of diverse avian species, including great blue herons, sandhill cranes, ducks, geese, and provide an ideal stopover for migrating species.

The forested or upland areas of the property provide excellent habitat for diverse flora and fauna including Trailing Arbutus, Pink Lady Slippers, Blue Flag Iris, Turk’s Cap Lilies, Blazing Star, Black Eyed Susans, White-Tailed deer, ruffed grouse, Red Fox, badger, raccoon, and River Otters.  The marshes are also home to an abundance of other species including turtles, frogs, and fish.

GROWING CRANBERRIES (Click here for Wisconsin Cranberry Production)

THE VARIETIES

Although there are more than one hundred known varieties of cultivatable cranberries, six are grown by Glacial Lake Cranberries, Inc., providing stability through diversity:

Ben Lear - Originator unknown but first introduced in the Berlin, Wisconsin area in 1870.  Ripens early season.  

Bergman - Early Black x Searles cross made in 1930 by H.F. Bain, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  Ripens early to mid season.  Good keeping quality. 

Norman LeMunyon - Selected from the wild in New Jersey

McFarlin - Selected from the wild in South Carver, Massachusetts by Thomas B. McFarlin in 1874.  Ripens later season. Good keeping quality. 

Searles - Selected from the wild in Wisconsin (Town of Cranmoor) by Andrew Searls in 1893.  Ripens mid- season.

Stevens - Potter (wild selection) x McFarlin cross made in 1938 and named after USDA Plant Pathologist, Neil Stevens.  Ripens late season.  Good keeping quality.  

THE OWNERSHIP

The Arpins retained ownership of the marsh until 1923 when it was sold to the newly organized Central Cranberry Company.  The stockholders of the new company included seven members of the Arpin family, T.W. Brazeau, Guy Babcock, the Wood County National Bank and nine others.  Records show that much assistance was given to the group by A.E. Bennett and M.O. Potter, but it was Harry Merk who, as foreman for close to half a century, dedicated all of his energies to the property.  

By 1931, Central Cranberry Company was owned entirely by the Brazeau family:  T.W. Brazeau and his sons, Bernard and Richard.  Bernard Brazeau took over the management of the marsh and continued to operate the property until April 1, 1960.  In the meantime, in 1939 Richard Brazeau developed a new marsh, R.S. Brazeau Cranberry Company, adjacent to Central Cranberry.  This new marsh was ably supervised by Donald "Duck" Winker who was its foreman from 1940 until 1978.

In 1960, a group headed by Richard Brazeau and included Nelson Johnson, Richard Yankee, Ben Pankuk, and T.W. Brazeau II (Bernard's son), bought Central Cranberry Company from Bernard Brazeau and formed a new company called Winnebago Cranberry Corporation.  At this time Richard also incorporated his marsh as R. S. Brazeau Cranberry Company.  The demands of his legal practice did not allow Richard enough time to run the cranberry marsh, so in 1964 Clarence A. Searles accepted the position of General Manager.  From the time Clarence became General Manager, he and Richard launched a master plan to rebuild the cranberry marsh to increase its efficiency and production which required major rebuilding of the beds to accommodate modern harvesting equipment.  In February 1968, Richard purchased the Sahara Cranberry Marsh for his wife, Virginia, which they in term named Wilderness Cranberry Corporation. This property, too, underwent major rebuilding directed by Clarence Searles.  

Before Richard Brazeau's untimely death in July 1968, he had purchased all of the Winnebago Cranberry Corporation stock held by other shareholders.  Virginia Brazeau assumed the Presidency of all the marsh properties and in 1972 consolidated them all into R.S. Brazeau, Inc.  At the time of Virginia death in 1997, Mary Brazeau Brown, one of Virginia's daughters, purchased all outstanding shares and is currently sole owner and President of Glacial Lake Cranberries, Inc..

THE MARKETING

From the 1920s until 1948 the berries from this marsh were sold to Wisconsin Cranberry Sales Company which was allied to the American Cranberry Exchange, a Cooperative whose trademark was "Eatmor Brand."

In 1948, Richard and Bernard Brazeau, Charles A. Walman, G.A. Getzin, and Wm. F. Huffman withdrew from the American Cranberry Exchange and formed Cranberry Growers Inc., marketing their cranberries under the brand name "Indian Trail."  Dean Foods bought "Indian Trail" in 1965. 

The cranberries from the Brazeau properties were sold through Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. from 1970 to 1978.  From 1979 until 1998, R.S. Brazeau, Inc. marketed its berries independently to the likes of  Welch Foods Inc. and Clermont, Inc.  Glacial Lake Cranberries® became their registered trademark in 1984.  From 1998 to 2002, the cranberries from this property were marketed through Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.  Currently the cranberries are sold through Decas Cranberry Sales, Inc. and Wisconsin Rapids based Urban Processing LLC.

THE QUALITY

The land, the wildlife, the varieties, the ownership, and the marketing all add up to Glacial Lake Cranberries, Inc.'s priority in doing business...QUALITY.  The harvested cranberries are driven off the marsh to a state-of-the-art facility where they are degrassed, graded, optically sorted, and tested for color (TACY) and percent sugars (BRIX) before being packed in large wooden totes (about 1,000 pounds) and delivered to a freezer.