Our History

For four generations my family, the Schonwetters, have been involved in the food business in New York State - from the deli and import shop my great-grandfather Sol started in Brooklyn, to the meat and cheese distribution company owned by my grandfather, to Bilinski's, where my father Steve and I make the world's best organic and natural sausages today, in the small town of Cohoes, New York.

In 1983, my parents, Steve and Cathie Schonwetter, bought Bilinski's from the five children of Joseph Bilinski, the company's founder. Joseph, an immigrant from the Ukraine, started his company in 1929, making his traditional sausage recipes right out of his own home and selling his products door-to-door.

By the time my family bought Bilinski's, Joseph's delicious sausages were known and beloved by many in the Northeast. Even today life-long residents of the Albany area enjoy singing our original radio jingle - "We're happy, so happy, we're the Bilinski family. We're singing and bringing you the best in quality!"

After they bought the company, my parents chose keep the Bilinski name in honor of the rich history of the company and its reputation for the highest quality meats on the market.

Today

We've stayed true to Joseph's vision of making the best sausages from the best ingredients. At the same time, we've taken all of our delicious old world recipes and refined them to fit our healthy lifestyle. We've also pioneered a line of all natural and organic chicken sausages that better reflects the way my family eats - healthy, flavorful, and simple.

Nearly everything we make is natural or certified organic. We purchase local ingredients and buy from businesses close to home whenever possible. We carefully examine every ingredient and practice to make sure it promotes what we believe in. Our products are nitrite- and preservative-free, and are made from meats that are raised in clean, comfortable conditions with integrity - with no antibiotics, no animal by-products in their feed, and no hormones.

Our commitment to you is that when you buy a Bilinski product you will get the highest quality possible, while still being able to eat food you can feel good about.

Thank you for supporting our products!
Stacie Waters