What first began in 1920 as Victory Sausage Co. has grown into one of Chicagoland’s longstanding sausage producers: Makowski's Real Sausage Co. Now led by fourth-generation owner Nicole Makowski, the company recently expanded its production footprint with a newly opened facility in Lansing, Ill., to meet sustained growth and rising demand.

The business traces its roots to a small butcher shop in Central Wisconsin, where the Makowski family specialized in hams and smoked sausages. As demand increased, the then-named Victory Sausage Co. relocated to Chicago and entered into a manufacturing agreement with the US Army. In 1938, Victory Sausage acquired Real Sausage Co., changing the name to Real Packing Co. and Inc.

Nicole Makowski’s grandfather, Ted Makowski, joined the company in 1937 and assumed leadership by 1946. Following World War II, demand shifted away from canned meats and toward deli. By the early 1970s, sausage had become the company’s primary focus, prompting a return to the Real Sausage Co. name.

In 1952, Nicole's father Jerry Makowski and uncle Louis Makowski joined the company. They took ownership of the company in 1985 following the retirement of Ted Makowski.

Nicole Makowski took over in 2002, purchasing the business from her father and uncle and renaming the company Makowski's Real Sausage Co. With continued growth and strong demand for the company's sausage products, Makowski's Real Sausage decided it was time for a move and expansion.

“We've been growing about 30% for the last three years now,” Nicole said. “There was no way we could continue that out in Chicago.”

In early 2025, Makowski's acquired a 26,800-square-foot facility at 16700-16710 Chicago Avenue in Lansing, Ill.'s, industrial corridor. Throughout the year, Makowski's rehabbed the two buildings on the property — one for offices and the other for the company's sausage-making and packaging operation — and in November of the same year, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony, with production beginning in December.

Lansing was a natural fit for the Makowski’s transition. The community itself was welcoming, transparent and open to working with Makowski’s as a business, while the new facility itself offers multiple operational advantages.

Though the square footage between the Chicago plant and Lansing facility is similar, the company was only able to use about 50% of the Chicago building. “In Lansing, we can actually use racking, which doubles our space,” Nicole said.

The top priorities for the new facility were modernization and expanded production capacity. By upgrading its smokehouses to pass-through systems, Makowki’s gained cooking efficiencies and reduced smoke cycles and cooking time. Makowski's is seeing better yields due to the inflatable door seals and technology from Alkar and Red Arrow, who did all of the facility’s liquid smoke installation.

The expanded production space combined with modernized, efficiency-focused renovations place Makowski’s in a position to meet the rising demand for its sausage products.

Food safety and USDA inspection considerations were another top priority for the new facility, shaping the plant layout, sanitation design and product flow. “That was absolutely key from our old facility. We were so excited to be in a modern-day facility where we had a full circle pass-through operation,” Nicole said.

With sanitation front of mind for the plant design, the new facility has sanitation corridors for employees. “And in refrigerating all of our departments, which we were not able to do in Chicago, that was absolutely key,” Nicole said.

She noted that the USDA worked closely with her company, making the process seamless. “They also were there to answer any questions, to review all of our plans and to make suggestions for us, of which we implemented.”

The new Makowski’s plant positions the company for future growth in private label, co-manufacturing and new product categories. With three acres of land, the property offers plenty of room for future expansion and growth.