

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurie Tennessen.
Hi Laurie, please kick things off for us with by sharing how the business started.
Jon Tennessen and Craig Machholz opened Von Hanson’s Meats in Monticello, MN in 2000. Having great employees in place at the store and looking for a new challenge, Jon and Craig explored many avenues and landed on snacks. Von Hanson’s Snacks was born in October 2017 and our production plant in Becker, MN became operational, producing and distributing seasoned pretzels to taprooms in the Twin Cities and then to greater MN. In 2018 we grew out of MN, distributing regionally. The pandemic brought online boutiques to our customer base which gave us exposure throughout the lower 48. We now have customers across the U.S. and in the US Virgin Islands!
The growth we’ve experienced meant expansion of facilities and staff. A 5000 sq ft warehouse was added to the current facility and an adjacent property was purchased in September of 2020. A 2nd production machine was up and running fall of 2022 and plans are in the works for a significant expansion of space and equipment.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We’ve been fortunate in that bumps in the road have been small. Jon and Craig came into Snacks with a 20+ year history and opportunity was given to long-term Meats employees to transition to our Snacks staff. Taprooms have been a perfect fit as who doesn’t need a snack to go with their craft brews? The pandemic was a blessing in disguise from a business perspective as many people took to ordering goods and services online. The online boutique community found us and took us nationwide. We’re now taking on grocery chains, home and farm stores, convenience stores, and sports concessions. Our biggest hurdle has been the supply chain shortages and shipping/freight cost increases.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am the Business Manager for Von Hanson’s Snacks. I started doing bookkeeping part time for Von Hanson’s Meats of Monticello in 2000. When we opened Von Hanson’s Snacks in 2017, running the office for both became my full time job. It’s been such fun being part of starting and growing the two businesses! One being retail and the other wholesale, building QuickBooks to accommodate the different business profiles was a fun challenge. I’ve had little formal training which meant I worked hard to learn and understand financials, building assemblies, shipping/receiving and inventory management. I’m detail-oriented and take great pride in clean books and efficient processes. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and very excited to watch us grow.
How do you define success?
Success for me is solving a problem, setting a goal and exceeding it, and the financial reward for hard work. A successful person must be honest and have integrity, be willing to go the extra mile, and do whatever needs to be done to make it happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vonhansonssnacks.com
- Instagram: @vonhansonssnacks
- Facebook: Von Hansons Snacks