Around 1925, Henry Wiebke (grandfather of Tom Wiebke, great-grandfather of Dan and Jason), began buying and selling red fox skins in a former pool hall located on Portland Avenue in Eitzen, Minnesota. What started as a small side business quickly became the foundation of one of the largest fur trading companies in the United States.
By 1935, Henry’s son, Junior, had taken over the business, which by then was known as Wiebke Produce. In addition to fur and hides, Wiebke Produce sold feed, eggs, seed, poultry, and wool. To keep business going through the winter months, Junior bought fur and hides in the lower level of the business, helping diversify the company.
Tom Wiebke’s involvement began at a young age. At just 10 years old, he was working alongside his father in the fur shed, one of his first jobs being salting hides. During the 1950s, demand for fur grew, and Junior and Tom began running a fur route twice a week to surrounding towns and communities. Tom would later take over these routes himself, building relationships with local trappers and customers.
As both the produce and fur businesses grew, Junior and Tom purchased the old creamery building in Eitzen in 1971. It became the company’s primary fur-buying location and carried the vision of adding a sporting goods business. Just two years later, in 1973, Junior passed away suddenly, leaving Tom to manage both businesses.
By 1982, Tom sold the produce business to Northeast Farm Service so he could focus on the fur, ginseng, and sporting goods operations. This transition was the beginning of Wiebke Fur Company. His decision allowed the company to expand into new markets while maintaining its fur-trading roots.
Both of Tom’s sons, Dan and Jason, grew up in the family business, spending their childhoods in the fur shed throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Like their father and grandfather, they learned the fur and sporting goods business from the ground up.
The 1970s and 1980s also brought a wave of international growth. Worldwide demand for furs surged, and buyers from Germany, England, Italy, France, and Greece traveled to Eitzen to purchase directly from Tom. Many people who did business with Tom agreed that his honest and fair trades were key traits in his success.
Tom also seized opportunities beyond fur. When Dutch elm disease spread across the Midwest, killing off large numbers of elm trees, it created an abundant crop of morel mushrooms. Tom found buyers for the mushrooms, and Wiebke Fur Company became well known in that business as well — a tradition that continues today. The company also became a significant buyer of ginseng, exporting roots valued internationally for their medicinal properties.
In 1987, Wiebke expanded again, purchasing the former Dick’s Sports Shop and Schultz Hide & Fur Company in La Crosse, Wisconsin, from longtime fur buyers Dick and Esther Schultz. That location became the company’s second branch, with Tom’s oldest son, Dan, managing the store. With Dan now full time in the family business, he saw the opportunity to expand the company’s deer hide business. Like Tom, Dan’s hard work ethic and honesty has resulted in Wiebke Fur Company being one of the largest exporters of deer skins in North America. Dan and longtime employee Jeff Adamson also worked very hard to build the firearm business from the ground up in La Crosse. They have built this location into a very successful retail store.
In February of 2005, Wiebke Fur Company headquarters, still located in the old creamery building in Eitzen, burned to the ground due to an electrical fire. Although it was a devastating loss to the business, their new facility with its efficient spaces, modern freezers, and a large dock, allowed the business to grow. Tom’s youngest son, Jason, manages this office.
As the years went on, the business continued to evolve. With hides, sporting goods, mushrooms, and ginseng now part of its core offerings alongside fur, the Wiebke family recognized the need for a name that better reflected its wide scope. In 2008, the company began operating as Wiebke Trading Company, a name that better reflected its expanding business while still recognizing its roots in fur trading.
In December 2020, Tom passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack while deer hunting. His loss was deeply felt by his family, employees, and customers. But the business he helped build continues under the leadership of his sons.
Today, Wiebke Trading Company continues to buy and sell raw furs, ginseng, morel mushrooms, hides, and sporting goods. From its beginnings in a pool hall in 1925 to its presence on the international stage, the company has remained family-run for four generations; a rare and remarkable achievement.
