ROASTED SEED PERFECTION
We’re a handful! At Wild Dutchman’s South Dakota family farm, we plant, harvest, perfectly season and small-batch roast our WILDLY SNACKABLE SEEDS for the boldest flavor inside and out, and seeds that feel good to chew all day, every day. Maybe we're a little nuts about our seeds, but we have a hunch you feel the same. Our secret? While many high-capacity competitors buy seeds that are already roasted and flavored and just package them, we realized early on that taking the easier route wouldn’t give our kernels the buttery crunch we crave. Sure, planting, growing, harvesting, brining, roasting, flavoring and packaging our seeds takes extra time and good ‘ole farmer observation, but it’s worth it.
WE ARE WILD DUTCHMAN
Back in the day, a Midwestern farmer named Wayne Vanderlaan and his son Toby started making sunflower seeds to stay alert during long road trips. Not too salty and just a tad sweet. Friends and family couldn’t get enough, and Wild Dutchman was born.
Why “Wild Dutchman” you may wonder? In that era of Midwest farming, nicknames were commonplace. One of the Vanderlaan’s neighbors was known as “The Crazy Norwegian” while Wayne’s moniker was “The Wild Dutchman.”
As the years passed, Toby and his daughter Shelby grew the Wild Dutchman brand until their 2024 Southern Sun partnership with Greg Bich (our farmer) and Danny Dale (our sunflower seed processor) who, together with their families, continue Wild Dutchman’s innovative legacy to this day. All Wild Dutchman production is in Huron, South Dakota where Greg and Danny are active in their communities, church councils and school boards, and even find time to be volunteer firefighters.
The bold orange color you see on our packages and website is a nod to the brand’s Dutch lineage, and we hope you’ll think of our very own “Wild Dutchman” Wayne every time you grab a bag.
DUTCH, THE WORLD’S BEST FARM DOG
Our fans, who we affectionately call “seedlings,” have fallen in love with Dutch. He’s been a member of our Wild Dutchman family for a decade and he loves attention, that’s for sure. His absolute favorite activity is taking trips around the farm in the side-by-side, tractors, trucks and even the harvester.
WILD DUTCHMAN TODAY
A lot’s changed over the years, but some things remain constant: we still watch our Midwestern-grown seeds from field to bag, delivering BIG SEED ENERGY to you, one gorgeous sunflower at a time.
