Title: Owner
Company: Papa Joe’s Produce
Location: Sheridan, Wyoming, United States
Joe Wesnitzer, owner of Papa Joe’s Produce, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Business Owners for dedication, achievements, and leadership in agriculture.
With a decade of experience to his credit, Mr. Wesnitzer has established a successful career in entrepreneurship and produce, specializing in harvesting, pruning, crew management, and mentoring youth. He currently excels as the owner of Papa Joe’s Produce, a role he has held since 2014. Papa Joe’s Produce focuses on leafy greens and herbs for restaurants and groceries, including lettuce, kale, spinach, basil, thyme, rosemary, and oregano. They also experiment with crops like bananas and avocados in their research greenhouse. Additionally, their controlled environment supports year-round production of radishes, carrots, and celery. In his role, he also emphasizes community involvement through collaborations with nonprofits like Rooted in Wyoming, providing fresh produce to local food groups and farmers’ markets and offering guidance where needed.
Mr. Wesnitzer’s efforts also extend to supporting local agriculture, including meat producers in the region. Operating three year-round greenhouses, they produce approximately 900 heads of lettuce weekly and host monthly tours for children and the public to showcase their operations. Committed to hands-on learning, they engage high school volunteers and interns, and he manages deliveries, cooking, canning, and preserving, including making salsas, hummus, chimichurris, and jellies. He also engages in door-knocking to sponsor local food market events and manages a 60-acre ranchette. He also attends meetings to advocate for and promote agriculture, particularly controlled environment growing practices, and collaborates with local colleges to enhance awareness and education in these methods.
Mr. Wesnitzer holds memberships with the Chamber of Commerce and the Wyoming Food Coalition. He also donates his time to The Food Group, Rooted in Wyoming—an organization supporting underprivileged youth, particularly elementary school children—Powder River Basin Resource Council, Seed Library, and City Library. He participates actively in local agricultural committees and engages with speakers at nearby colleges. In recognition of his impressive undertakings, he received the Volunteer of the Year Award from Rooted in Wyoming in 2022.
Mr. Wesnitzer takes great pride in providing year-round local produce and supporting The Food Group and Rooted in Wyoming, particularly in their educational initiatives as a nonprofit. He has been involved with these organizations for years, including before the COVID-19 pandemic, and has helped secure grant money and private funding for schools. He also installed small hydroponic systems in classrooms to enhance educational experiences. Notably, Papa Joe’s Produce, Rooted in Wyoming, and other supporters successfully lobbied to preserve large greenhouses on land donated by a local high school, which had initially been slated for a soccer field. The community advocated using the greenhouses for educational purposes, leading to a three-year decision process. Additionally, his efforts included creating educational videos and conducting tours for colleges in Wyoming, which received positive feedback from teachers and students.
In the coming years, Mr. Wesnitzer aims to grow unconventional crops for their latitude, including citrus trees, avocados, fig trees, and watercress. He is also looking forward to taking a few weeks off from the farm each year. Additionally, he is prioritizing increasing their capacity, optimizing their systems, and maximizing their growing space each year. As the first president of the Wyoming Food Coalition, his son-in-law works to make local food more accessible through legislation. The coalition, which includes indigenous people, producers, consumer groups, and legislators, supports Wyoming’s Food Freedom Act, simplifying regulations for producers.
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