Glorious Malone

Glorious Malone, the founder of Malone’s Fine Sausage, Inc., in Milwaukee, exemplifies the determination and entrepreneurship that characterizes the Wisconsin meat industry. She took a family recipe for Southern-style headcheese and from it developed a successful business that recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and sells its product throughout the upper Midwest.

Glorious and her husband, George, started in a small grovery store where they sold their headcheese as a seasonal product that was prepared in the store’s kitchen. After George’s death in 1971, Glorious continued as sole manager. She founded Malone’s Fine Sausage, Inc., was certified by Wisconsin meat inspection, was the first African American woman to obtain USDA meat inspection and manage a federally inspected plant, and expanded her market and production to a year-round business.

Glorious was a generous, civic-minded woman. When the company needed new facilities, she built them in the historic King Drive neighborhood and contributed to its redevelopment.