The tradition of offering locally made quality sausages in Dickinson will be carried on by Ken and Kristina Molitor. They took over the Wurst Shop in Dickinson Thursday.
The couple has been working at the business since October 2008, when they purchased 50 percent of the business. They now have full ownership.
Cousins Art and Ed Wanner started the business about 11 years and the Molitors will be using the same recipes the Wanners used, Ken said.
Ed, who retired in 2008, said he is glad the recipes will stay the same.
"They were mostly my personal recipes," Ed said. "It's been in our family... but we had to alter it somewhat to get the textures right."
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They will not discontinue any products or change any ingredients. They may, however experiment with adding new products, Kristina said.
"We've had some requests from different customers and we might try some things, but we're not going to change any of the existing products, those are going to stay the same," Kristina said. "We just want to keep the shop going and hopefully carry it on for generations."
The Wurst Shop offers many types of sausage.
"This is ethnic German sausage and these are old-time recipes," Ken said. "They are so good that it's recognized nation-wide."
They have customers from all over the country, he added.
The Molitors also sell sauces and other products to go with their sausages and other meat products.
"We cure the mini hams and we cure our own bacon and ribs and grind our hamburger," Kristina said.
Non-meat items, such as coffee, kuchen and cheese buttons from local companies are also available.
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Ken stumbled upon the business opportunity when Ed Wanner retired.
"I walked in the store one day to buy sausage... and the offer was made to me," Ken said.
Though unexpected, the Molitors couldn't pass on the offer.
"We always liked this place," Kristina said. "We thought it was a nice shop."
Art Wanner said the Molitors have much to learn and he'd like to see them offer the same products as have been in the past. He added, "the community needs The Wurst Shop."
"We definitely want the business to succeed," he said.
It's been an adventure to learn the ins and outs of the company, Kristina said.
"I've never made sausage or anything," Kristina said.
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However, they've had time to perfect the process, she added.
The couple is happy they made the decision to jump on board.
"It's a lot to learn and I never thought I'd be in this business, but it's fun and there's really a lot of customers around here that really enjoy the product," Kristina said. "It's a unique shop."
The Wurst Shop in Dickinson is located at 205 14th St. W. It is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.
To contact the Molitors, call 701-483-6384.
