Wetherby Cranberry Company in Wisconsin: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Wetherby Cranberry Company is a cranberry marsh at Warrens, Wisconsin, established in 1903 according to a Heavy Table profile. The 110-acre farm sells wholesale and direct, and has shifted part of its crop to fresh fruit.
| Location | Warrens, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Founded | Marsh established 1903 (as published) |
| Sectors | cranberries; fresh fruit; direct sales; harvest tours |
| Scale | 110-acre farm; yields a little over 200 barrels per acre per a 2009 profile |
| Why it is notable | More than a century of production in Wisconsin's leading cranberry district |
| Ownership | Co-owned by Nodji Van Wychen, per a 2009 Heavy Table profile |
| Official website | Wetherby Cranberry Company official site |
History of Wetherby Cranberry Company
Heavy Table reports the Wetherby marsh was established in 1903, making it one of the older working cranberry marshes in the Warrens area. The profile dates from 2009, so figures below are as of that article.
Warrens sits in the central Wisconsin cranberry belt. Wisconsin growers raise the state fruit on roughly 21,000 acres across 20 counties, according to Wisconsin Farm Bureau, and the state leads the nation in production.
What Wetherby Cranberry Company Grows and Raises
The farm grows cranberries and sells large, intact berries in bags for consumers. Historically it delivered to cooperatives such as Ocean Spray, but by 2009 it had moved roughly a quarter to half of its output toward fresh fruit.
The same profile says the marsh yields a little over 200 barrels per acre, slightly above the state average. Cranberries grow on low vines in beds that can be flooded for harvest, which is why autumn fields turn red from above.
The farm also welcomes visitors in the fall, with tours and a harvest-day event described on its website, so it doubles as an agritourism stop in the Warrens cranberry festival season.
How Wetherby Cranberry Company Makes Money
Wholesale fresh fruit
Heavy Table names Metro Produce of Minneapolis as the farm's largest wholesaler. Selling fresh berries to a produce house earns a different price than juice-grade fruit.
Direct sales
The farm sells bagged berries directly to the public and to customers in Minneapolis, Madison and other Midwestern cities.
Harvest tourism
Fall visitors come to see the harvest. Tours and a harvest-day festival add income and build the customer list for direct sales.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Wetherby Cranberry Company
Moving some of the crop from a cooperative to fresh and direct markets gives a small marsh more control over price and customer relationships.
Letting the public watch a flooded harvest turns a seasonal chore into marketing. Pairing it with bags of berries sold on site captures that attention at the moment it peaks.
A marsh that has been flooding itself in October since 1903 deserves its place in farm satire, because nobody else gets to float their harvest. At farm.FM we file bobbing red berries under farm humor and the occasional ranch humor about waders. Our farm jokes stay buoyant and our respect for Warrens cranberry growers runs deep.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
How to Contact Wetherby Cranberry Company
Website: https://freshcranberries.com/
No address or phone is listed here because the only published numbers come from a 2009 article. Check the official site for current tour and sales details before traveling.
Wetherby Cranberry Company Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Wetherby Cranberry official site - Farm's own site
- Heavy Table profile - Independent profile of the marsh
- PBS Wisconsin cranberry story - Wisconsin cranberry background
- Wisconsin Farm Bureau cranberry family - State cranberry acreage context
- USDA Census of Agriculture - Official farm counts and acreage for Wisconsin
Wetherby Cranberry Company FAQ
Where is Wetherby Cranberry Company?
In Warrens, Wisconsin.
When was the marsh established?
In 1903, per Heavy Table.
How big is it?
A 110-acre farm per a 2009 profile.
Does it sell to visitors?
The profile says it offers tours and a harvest day; check the official site for current dates.
Wetherby Cranberry Company shows how a century-old marsh can mix wholesale, direct sales and visitors. For the wider picture, read the Wisconsin farms guide.