Build a Brat

David and Kelsey Consiglio own and operate Build a Brat, a wholesale bratwurst company in Shawano.

What started as a hobby for David Consiglio turned into a business this spring when he and his wife, Kelsey, launched Build a Brat, a faith-driven, family-owned wholesale bratwurst business in Shawano.
“My brother (Tony Consiglio) and a family friend (Todd Balistriere) made brats for a fun hobby,” David said. “They came up with some good recipes and people always told them they should start a brat business. My wife and I wanted to go in on it with them, but they opted out due to their already busy schedules — they didn’t want their hobby to turn into a full-time job. With their blessing, Kelsey and I decided to give it a shot on our own. Tony and Todd have been a great influence on the creation of the company.”
According to Consiglio, he and Kelsey do most of the work while his brother and friend remain close advisers. When not making bratwurst, they both continue to work full time — David at Allen Bontrager Carpentry in Bonduel and Kelsey works remotely for Creative Planning, a Kansas-based business.
“We live in Shawano and we produce the brats at Cedar Wedge Meats in Bonduel,” Consiglio said. “I can’t say enough great things about Marvin Beachy and his son, Levon. They have been awesome to work with and without them helping us produce the brats, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
The pork and cheese for the brats come from Melotte Distributing in Green Bay while the other ingredients and seasoning come from various places throughout Wisconsin.
All of the company’s brats are state certified through Cedar Wedge Meats and are labeled as Build a Brat.
To start the business, he said they literally took a leap of faith.
“We didn’t have the experience or knowledge to run a brat business, but we are trusting God to work through us to do things no one thought possible,” Consiglio said. “The ultimate goal is to glorify God and be a blessing to the people he brings into our lives. In a world that is dark and cold without the hope of Jesus Christ, we hope that people can truly taste and see that the Lord is good through Build a Brat — not by making a million dollars, but instead, with God’s blessing, we want to bless a million.”
Along with regular-flavor bratwurst, Build a Brat offers flavors such as the party brat with cheddar and pepper jack cheese, another called the Cubano Inspired as well as a fresh Italian, a beer brat and another with a pizza and mozzarella-cheese flavor. The company also produces bulk pork sausage in all of its brat flavors.
The party brat, Consiglo said, offers “a party in your mouth with every bite. It has cheddar and pepper jack cheese in it — the seasoning itself is kind of like a taco Mexican flavor. This is one that you just have to try for yourself.”
The Cubano Inspired brat, he said, is hard to describe. ‘It’s full of spices but not spicy. It’s got an earthy taste with a Cuban-Mexican-Spanish flavor. It’s my favorite.”
Build a Brat’s Fresh Italian flavor “isn’t your traditional Italian bratwurst,” he said. “Some Italian brats have too much fennel, some don’t have enough. We’ve been told ours has the perfect mixture. I personally like more flavor, but I’m reminded quickly that my opinion doesn’t really matter. It’s all about the people we serve.”
Consiglio also suggests using bratwurst without a bun in dishes such as his breakfast-scrambler creation with eggs, pieces of Cubano brats, peppers, onions, mushrooms and cheese or an omelet with eggs, Cubano brats, peppers and cheese. He also suggests what he calls a shrimp boil with shrimp, Cubano brats, potatoes, corn, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and celery.
Coming up with the name for their business is a “God story,” Consiglio said. “We were trying to think of a name but were struggling to come up with one. Usually, when I pray about stuff like this, God seems to give me a sign, but it didn’t come overnight this time. I was driving home from work one night and heard the song ‘Build a Boat’ by Colton Dixon. The song talks about Noah building a boat in the middle of the desert and how everyone thought he was crazy but he trusted God and built a boat — what we now know as Noah’s Ark.
“For me and Kelsey, Build a Brat is one of our many God stories,” he said. “There is nothing in our background that would lead anyone, including ourselves, to believe we should be starting a brat business, but that is where faith comes in. When we are weak, He is strong. Where we lack experience and knowledge, He already has it covered. We are living proof that with God’s blessing, anything truly is possible.”
While Build a Brat just started a few months ago, its products can be found at a number of area groceries such as Charlie’s County Market in Shawano, Pat’s Market in Gillett, Tadych’s Marketplace in Clintonville and Super Ron’s in Pulaski. The brats are also served at a number of area restaurants and bars as well as from a variety of food trucks. Individuals can also buy the brats in bulk directly from the company.
“We also provide brats for big events such as parties, weddings, family reunions, tailgating events and more,’” Consiglio said. “We provided 1,500 brats for Allen Bontrager Carpentry’s Family Fun Fest on July 3.”
The company also gives back to the community.
“We have partnered with Sam25 in Shawano,” Consiglio said. “As a faith-first family, we believe in tithing and giving 10 percent back to God. We decided to give 10 percent of all sales to Sam25 (a nonprofit that helps those struggling with poverty and homelessness).”
Consiglio said he and Kelsey hope to own their own facility some day and “do this brat thing full time,” but for now, they are focusing on building relationships with their customers.
“We’ve always worked for other people, and we wanted to start a business that we could build with the support of the community,” he said. “We don’t think of this as our business — it’s a business for all of us. Without the support of the community and God’s blessing, we have nothing.”