Business Spotlight: Hsu Growing Supply

Wausau Pilot & Review

Editor’s note: This regular feature shares the stories of locally-owned and operated businesses and organizations in the Wausau area, highlighting the products and services they offer and the ways they contribute to the metro area’s unique flavor. Learn how to feature your business by emailing [email protected].

In Central Wisconsin, the Hsu name is synonymous with ginseng. This year, Hsu Enterprises celebrates its 50th anniversary, marking half a century of success in the ginseng industry. Today, we shine a spotlight on this unique organization that is integral to central Wisconsin’s business community and we celebrate this key milestone.

Hsu is actually three businesses: Hsu Enterprises, Hsu Farms, and Hsu Growing Supply. Each entity has its own specialty. Hsu Enterprises deals with a variety of ginseng products including supplements, oriental food items, and cosmetics. Hsu Ginseng Farms is one of the largest ginseng farms in the country, while Hsu Growing Supply produces highly rated soil blends and composts, and provides customers with landscape and garden supplies.

Hsu Enterprises buys American ginseng from local farmers and ships it domestically and abroad; 90% of all ginseng is sold to China. Tours are available to the public throughout the year, which can include the farm and retail store.

Hsu Farms has all the equipment they need to wash, dry, and barrel ginseng roots on site. The farm has about 250 acres of rented cultivated fields throughout the area. Additional services provided by Hsu Farms include root drying to local ginseng growers. The farm shares 100 acres of land with Hsu Growing supply, which includes a bagging facility for soil, mulch and compost.

Hsu Growing Supply is more than just a landscape and garden supply store. It is also a dynamic business that benefits from constant reinvestment and smart owners. The store features a variety of products including high quality mulch, highly regarded soil blends, and composts. They also carry ginseng seed and chemicals, shade tarps, cedar posts, grass seed and fertilizers, deer food plot, firewood, and an array of other gardening and bug control products. Hsu Growing Supply has everything on site for composting including windrows for making compost. The windrows occupy an area the size of 12 football fields.

Visitors are often surprised by the range of offerings at Hsu Growing Supply, which is the only DNR-certified compost site in Marathon County. Hsu Growing Supply welcomes the public to drop off their food and organic waste at the facility or other dropoff locations around the city. Currently, Hsu collects, processes, packages, markets, and sells the end product of composting. These different compost options are sold throughout Wisconsin with the goal of reaching the greater Midwest.

Although Hsu Growing Supply only has one retail location owned by the company, their products can be found in many retail stores, greenhouses and nurseries throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota. They are currently working to grow additional locations with their products.

With local support from agencies like the Marathon County Landfill, both companies strive for efficiency and environmental stewardship. Together they work to compost instead of sending organic waste into landfills to produce methane gas. The whole process will delay the need for new landfill sites.

Separate from the composting process, tipping services are available to commercial and residential customers. Tipping includes grass clippings, yard waste, wood and brush. Hsu’s accepts grass clippings and fall leaves at no charge. Keep in mind that Hsu does not accept stumps or stump grindings. Annual tipping fees for wood or brush is $140, monthly is $35, and wagon/truckload is $10. Hsu’s does not use these materials in their mulch.

Hsu Growing Supply embodies innovation and sustainability, combined with Midwestern determination. Food waste recycling is a growing sector, with states increasingly mandating separate organic waste bins. Hsu collects food waste from various sources, offering businesses an economical and environmentally friendly solution.

Residents can participate in Hsu’s residential recycling program, which includes weekly pickup from May to October and monthly pickup from November to April for a $150 annual fee. Hsu provides the recycling bin. It’s noteworthy that disposing of grass clippings and leaves in the garbage is illegal, making Hsu’s service even more valuable.

Schools and nonprofits receive free food waste recycling services from Hsu’s, promoting environmental education and sustainable practices among future generations. The company’s efforts focus on the mission of environmental conservation.

Hsu Growing Supply offers two different delivery services. Bulk delivery is offered for large quantities of heavy materials, which may be difficult to transport for some. Bulk mulch can weigh 900 pounds a yard, and soil 1,800 pounds, while a yard of stone, gravel, or sand is 3,000 pounds. In 2024, Hsu Growing Supply launched a home delivery service for all its small gardening products. This service meets the growing demand for convenient access to quality gardening supplies delivered to your door.

If you prefer, you can always stop in and pick up your items large or small! They have experienced loaders ready to fill your truck or trailer. If retail hours aren’t convenient for you, a self-service station, which is located on the south side of the retail store, for bagged Hsu products, is available anytime.

Helping the community is an important component to running a successful business. With a new fundraising program, featuring Hsu products, students can learn about sustainable practices and the cycle from waste to retail while making money for their school.

Hsu is committed to innovation, offering practical solutions while prioritizing environmental sustainability and community support. Whether you’re a greenhouse owner or a local gardener, Hsu Growing Supply has everything you need. The Hsu growing supply team is always ready to assist you and help make planet Earth a better place.