Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises in Wisconsin: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises is a family business in Wausau, Wisconsin, that began in 1974 and is described by the Wausau Area Chamber of Commerce directory as the largest grower and retailer of cultivated American ginseng in the United States. Local coverage calls Hsu Ginseng Farms one of the largest ginseng farms in the country in a crop concentrated in Marathon County.
| Location | Wausau, Marathon County, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1974, as a side project that became a family business |
| Sectors | cultivated American ginseng; supplements, teas and cosmetics; growing supplies and compost |
| Scale | Rents about 250 acres of cultivated fields and shares 100 acres with Hsu Growing Supply, per Wausau Pilot and Review |
| Why it is elite | Described by the Wausau chamber directory as the largest US grower and retailer of cultivated American ginseng; 50 years in the Wisconsin ginseng industry |
| Ownership | Family owned; Will Hsu returned to run the business in 2011 |
| Official website | Hsu Growing Supply official site |
History of Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises
According to The Farm WI and Mid-West Farm Report, the business began in 1974 as the side project of a curious social worker. Will Hsu's father, an immigrant from Taiwan, learned about Wisconsin ginseng while working for the State of Wisconsin, drove to Marathon County to learn the trade from local growers, and eventually moved the family to Wausau to farm full time.
Will Hsu left a finance career at General Mills and returned to the family business in 2011. Hsu Enterprises marked its 50th anniversary in 2024, and the company has expanded beyond roots into supplements, teas and a growing supply business.
What Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises Grows and Raises
Hsu Ginseng Farms grows American ginseng, a shade crop that takes years to reach harvest. Wausau Pilot and Review reports that the farm rents about 250 acres of cultivated fields, washes, dries and barrels roots on site, and dries roots for local growers. Wisconsin's ginseng industry has shrunk, with the number of growers falling from more than 200 to fewer than 70, according to Mid-West Farm Report.
The Wausau chamber directory lists a retail side selling roots, dietary supplements, cosmetics and teas, along with seed, rootlets, leaf compost and mulches. Wausau Pilot and Review adds that Hsu Growing Supply sells soil blends, compost and other products, and holds the only DNR-certified compost site in Marathon County.
How Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises Makes Money
Ginseng root sales
The main product is cultivated American ginseng. Wausau Pilot and Review reports that about 90 percent of ginseng is sold to China, and Mid-West Farm Report says Wisconsin ginseng often sells at four to five times the price of Chinese-grown roots.
Retail and value-added products
Hsu Enterprises sells ginseng supplements, teas, oriental food items and cosmetics, moving some of the crop from export commodity to branded consumer goods, according to local coverage.
Growing supplies, compost and services
Hsu Growing Supply sells soil blends, mulch, compost, ginseng seed, shade tarps and other supplies, and offers delivery, yard waste tipping and recycling services in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises
Hsu's shows how a niche crop with an export market can be protected by diversifying: retail products, supplies and compost services buffer the farm when tariffs and trade routes shift.
It also shows the value of a quality story. Will Hsu argues that customers should choose Wisconsin ginseng deliberately and pay more for it, so clear provenance and premium positioning matter more than volume.
Ginseng is one of the few crops that grows slowly under shade cloth and still gets plenty of press, which makes it the introvert of the farm world. At farm.FM we file this under farm satire and farm humor, since few crops require patience quite like a root you wait years to dig. Our ranch humor desk has no cattle to joke about here, so we offer farm jokes about patient roots, with great respect to Marathon County growers.
For context, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site and the home of Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Its contributors each keep an archive, and this one is a good sampler of ranch humor and farm jokes.
How to Contact Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises
Website: https://hsugrowingsupply.com/
Contact details as published on the operation's own website, November 2026. Retail hours and delivery options change; confirm before traveling.
Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Hsu Growing Supply official site - Supplies, compost and services from the Hsu family
- Wausau Pilot and Review spotlight - Acreage, products and 50th anniversary
- Generational Roots interview - History, tariffs and the Wisconsin ginseng industry
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - Official crop and farm statistics
- USDA Census of Agriculture - Official farm statistics
Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises FAQ
Where is Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises?
It is in Wausau in Marathon County, Wisconsin's main ginseng growing area.
When did the business start?
It began in 1974 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024.
What does Hsu sell?
Cultivated American ginseng roots, supplements, teas, cosmetics, seed and growing supplies, according to the Wausau chamber directory and local coverage.
How can I contact the business?
Use the contact details on the official Hsu Growing Supply site, and check retail hours before visiting.
Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises shows how a niche Wisconsin crop can support a family business across two generations. For the wider picture of Wisconsin crops, dairy and markets, read the Wisconsin farms guide and the other profiled operations.