Desire to keep family-farm sparks a new dream in Waushara County

Chic comfort embraced me as I entered the True Harvest Bourbon Company in Wild Rose. I noted conversation tables of four, a lovely sofa next to an intricately detailed, bright-red antique wood stove. I found out this was from the Popek family farm.
Becky Popek and Jennifer (Jenn) Popek are the proprietors. As appropriate, they are hospitable and charming. They are also fourth-generation farm-owners who desired to keep the farm in the family, but they weren’t farmers. They spent the first year of their inheritance considering their likes and dislikes and how that could become a business. At the time of their inheritance, their dad had rye in the fields. Becky and Jennifer both loved bourbon. They looked around at Waushara County fields and, lo, rye. It’s a big ingredient in Bourbon. So is corn and wheat, and barley and oats. All these are grown in Waushara County. They asked each other, “What do you think about Bourbon?” And a dream was born four years ago.
When they began this journey, Jennifer lived in Green Bay and Becky in Minnesota. Since then, Jennifer has moved to the farm (and is working with sheep and chickens), and Becky has moved to Green Bay. Looking at them, I guessed Becky to be the farm girl because of her fresh, sweet appearance and Jennifer to be the city girl because of her sleek, sophisticated style. Appearances can be deceiving.
Jennifer returned to school for a graduate certificate in the distilled spirits business at the University of Louisville. (I was charmed that she pronounced Louisville as they do in the south.) Part of that study was designing a business plan. The plan came together for a Bourbon distillery in Wild Rose, Wisconsin. Many of the professors were former executives at Brown-Forman and they recommended that the ladies move forward with the business plan. (Brown-Forman has among its product lines: Old Forester, Jack Daniel’s, Woodford Reserve) The professors said that even though they weren’t on the Kentucky Bourbon trail, this is exactly what Wisconsin needs.
Becky and Jennifer are phasing the process. They knew that they wanted to take grains from the farm, but crop rotation had to occur to make sure the soil was ready to produce good-flavored grains. They’re learning from and working with some local farmers and the Farm Bureau for guidance. They are currently working with a distillery in North Carolina to bring already existing barrels of Bourbon here. They blend, proof, and bottle on site in Wild Rose and do their own labeling. This is why they can brand-manufacture - because they are a hands-on distillery. They manually bottle. There is a pump that pumps from the blending tank into the bottler. They are hoping there will be a good crop this year, with local farmers having excess grain to sell. The grain will go to North Carolina, where they will lay barrels.

They’ve been working with some local non-profits for help with bottling. The non-profits then receive 10 percent of their bottle sales of the product they helped bottle – thereby giving back to the local community. They just worked with Dayton Community Connection to bottle their newest single barrel. (They are learning good manufacturing processes along the way and how to be more streamlined.) They are always open to ideas for non-profit partnerships.
Phase III will be for Jennifer to return to school to learn how to distill. Their current space works well for blending and bottling, but there would need to be some expansion for a still.
They had originally wanted to build on the farm, but a dream-crushing architect gave them an estimate of around two million dollars. The cost did not even include equipment!
The Popek ladies opened their doors in Wild Rose on December 5th, 2025, with their grand opening the following weekend. Their building used to have a diner. But they are not a bar. They have alcohol, but I think they are an EXPERIENCE plus community. They do many events – often having live music on the weekends. They had an Old Fashioned making activity with their two Bourbons and their Rye Whiskey. They’re going to do a hat burning. No, this is not a bonfire for old hats as I first assumed. This is burning designs into cowboy hats, decorating with ribbons, etc. They hosted an art/painting activity with a guest artist. They held a 1920s murder mystery. They were pleased to have two requests to host bachelorette parties and a request for small groups of fly fishermen to gather to tie flies.
Jennifer said they’d love to host a sharing of local stories of bootlegging. Waushara County has a bootlegging history. Wisconsin has a bootleg history! Becky said they could title it Remember When as their second single barrel is called Remember When. Look for it on some Thursday in June. Video recording to capture the stories? Collaborated with the Wild Rose Historical Society? I suggested a Remember When History Hour in the afternoon, perhaps 2 to 4 p.m. I plan to attend.
Jennifer and Becky are open to ideas and big on collaborating with local people and businesses. They have collaborated with Kristin’s Kitchen, Cathy Cake’s Main Street Station, and Sweet Love Artisan Chocolate. The ladies told a family friend that they needed honey. Dick Smykal of BEE Sweet Apiary appeared with a box of honey. They use local honey in a drink called a Gold Rush (honey, fresh-squeezed lemon, and Bourbon whipped together)
Becky and Jennifer highly praised the community support they received – to name a few: the Wild Rose Village Board, Kiwanis and Rotary clubs, Waushara County Farm Bureau.
The ladies are big supporters of the Old Fashioned fest on June 6th of this year. If you’ve never had a Bourbon Old Fashioned, it deserves a try. Bourbon isn’t just for men. Becky creates cocktails designed for the ‘more feminine palette’?
Their Rye has great flavor tones that add a spicy taste to the Old Fashioned. If you desire a sweeter drink, check out the Chocolate Old Fashioned, which is made with chocolate bitters and with no wash. It’s a taste sensation but not sweet. Their four grain Bourbon bakes well, and they’ve been able to use it to make cake-pops, cakes, and caramels. They use it to make an amazing mudslide.
What is whiskey and what is bourbon? All bourbons are whiskey. Not all whiskeys are bourbon. And then the ladies gave a lesson that went over my head even as I transcribed our interview from the recorder. One thing – not all Bourbon needs not originate in Kentucky, only Kentucky Bourbon.
It was 10:35 a.m. and three drinks were placed in front of me along with a Charcuterie board and crackers. No, I did not drink three full drinks! I rarely drink alcohol, but I enjoy the taste. I had four sips. I had to have two sips of the Old Fashioned (Rye Whiskey, other stuff, no wash, using a Bordeaux cherry which has a rich flavor), because it was the best Old Fashioned I have ever experienced. The Gold Rush (local honey, lemon, Bourbon) was sweet and rich, and I held myself back from the second sip. The Strawberry Harvest Fizz (using the four-grain rye) was good, but I should probably have tasted it before I fell in love with the other two. A Charcuterie board is a fancy name for an appetizer plate. They sent me home with that, and I feasted on: three types of salami-type meats, two tasty cheeses, pickled onions, slivers of pickles, dried mango, dried cherries, roasted nuts (pistachios being among the nuts), honey, and chocolate-covered almonds. I also received the crackers – all good.
“Come for the Bourbon, stay for the friends,” said Jennifer. They have a friend in me.
True Harvest Bourbon Company, 457 Main Street, Wild Rose, WI. Their website gives operating hours of Thursday and Friday, 4-10 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m.- 10 p.m., and Sunday, 12-7 p.m. They’re on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok (look for upcoming events).