Great Northern Distilling and their relationships with area potato farmers to help make award-winning vodka. Wisconsin ranks 3rd in the nation for potato production, and tops in the nation east of the Mississippi River. Okray Farms is one such member of the 140-strong Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association, and they’re among the suppliers of potatoes Great Northern uses for its potato vodka, considered the “healthier” vodka versus the spirits made with grain, including the fact that it is gluten-free, sugar-free, and low in carbohydrates. 

Siren Shrub Company is a women-owned, Wisconsin based beverage company that specializes in the use of shrubs in their drinks and mixers. Mindy McCord and Layne Cozzolino started Siren Shrub in 2018; their vision for the business stemmed from their experiences with sustainable food systems in a farm-to-table cafe in Stevens Point. They began with jams and jellies in farmers markets. When Layne found out she was pregnant, they discovered shrubs were the perfect replacement for alcohol, which became their prime product that has since expanded to 30 states and over 300 locations. The connection between the Wisconsin farm partners and Siren Shrub is strong and touches on the community focus that Uniquely Wisconsin celebrates.

Artists drawn to the area include Stephon Kiba Freeman, who came to UW-Stevens Point in 2009. As a budding artist, he was thinking New York and LA would be where he ventured to next. But he fell in love with the area, truly enjoyed the quiet and in his words, the  “underabundance of noise.” Stephon opened Kiba Freeman Art and regularly connects with other artists to gather, open dialogue, share styles, ideas, challenges. He noted that Portage County allows its artists to take chances and celebrate their successes; the entire area has grown an appreciation for art and has been continually developing areas for art. Create Portage County developed a program called “Paint the County” and connected artists with local businesses for mural projects and public art. Freeman himself has done numerous murals in the area.

Vision for the Future: Trevor Roark & Curbwise. Curbwise was founded by Trevor Roark during the COVID pandemic as a bicycle-powered delivery service for the Stevens Point area. He moved to the area back in 1998 and used his love of biking the area – especially the notable Green Circle Trail – to inspire Curbwise’s creation in 2020. His focus is different from most major companies, as his approach is the triple bottom line - People, Planet then Profit.  Trevor started with a three wheeled bicycle with a storage area in the back….and found a perfect partner in the Stevens Point Area Co-op.As his business has grown, he is helping reduce his community's carbon footprint with each mile and delivery.   

Community Involvement & Togetherness: We also discussed Dr. Sam Dinga and the Makah Foundation. Dr. Dinga came to UW-Stevens Point from Cameroon, in part because his brother had previously attended the school. He also chose UWSP because he received a hand-written letter of invitation from the school, which impressed him. He grew to love the welcoming nature of the community and today serves as the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Coordinator for the Stevens Point Area Public School District, where mentors students and assists with resources. He also started the Makah Foundation, which seeks to build freshwater wells as well as orphanages in West Africa. He started the foundation in memory of his sister, who was a traveling nurse there and had died of stomach complications, related in part of a lack of fresh water in rural areas of Cameroon. He has been heartened by support from Portage County residents and looks forward to a new fundraising event at O’so Brewing in Plover on June 16, 2023.

We also talked with Sara Brish, Executive Director of the Stevens Point Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, who shared her perspective on Portage County and noted its origin and ongoing history as a place for “makers,” where creativity and industriousness pays off for individuals as well as their communities. 

Michelle then offers a preview of what we can watch on Uniquely Wisconsin’s Portage County episode online, including stories about Boleslaw Kochanowski Iron, a family-oriented blacksmith business in Junction City; Feltz Farm, a multigenerational family farm that not only has one of the largest dairy producing herds in the world, but also strives to educate visitors on the true processes on these farms. Finally, there is Multi Grain Bakery, where Sarah Jo Moore took a self-taught hobby and has turned it into a sizable baking business that is growing in the community.