A former elementary school teacher in Pulaski has found a way to combine two of her passions into a successful business venture with her sister.
Becky Popek left her position as an advanced learner services teacher at Glenbrook Elementary School in Pulaski at the end of the 2025-26 school year to become associate principal at Rock Ledge Elementary School in Seymour.
At the same time she was transitioning to a new school and community, Popek also spent much of the summer in Wild Rose at True Harvest Bourbon Co., a bourbon distillery business she created with her sister, Jennifer Popek, that incorporates the family farm.
“We are a bourbon company,” Becky Popek said. “We are part of the manufacturing process, which means we make our bourbon and blend it, proof it, bottle it here in the building.”
Southern Distilling Co., a distillery based in Statesville, North Carolina, ships barrels to the business.
“We have two bourbons and a whiskey,” Popek said. “We do cocktails based around those and switch those up seasonally, so we’re just getting ready to do our fall cocktails. We do a lot of events like music, food trucks. We just started with cigars, so we’re doing a cigar series where you can learn about cigars and smoke a cigar with our bourbon. We have an outdoor patio so people can enjoy the cigars that they buy here outside.”
The Popeks found that their unique business is a hit in the Waushara County village of 600 residents.
“We started this, because we have a fourth-generation farm,” Jennifer Popek said. “Farming and agriculture has been a big, popular experience for us and our family. With all the grains being grown in Waushara County to make bourbon, we decided this is a great place. This is home for us.”
The Popeks inherited the farm after their father, Peter, died in 2021.
“Our parents divorced, and we spent our weekends with Dad on the farm and with Mom in the (Fox) Valley,” Jennifer Popek said. “I did graduate from high school in Wild Rose, and Mom ended up moving to Pennsylvania. Becky moved with her, and I stayed here in Wild Rose.”
True Harvest also helped the sisters reconnect after years of living apart.
“For a number of years, Becky and I saw each other a couple of times a year,” Jennifer said. “When Dad passed away, both of us realized that we had to come together a little more. At the time, I was managing Mom’s health, as well as the farm and a few other things.”
The idea for the business started with what was already growing in the family farm’s fields.
“Dad had rye in the fields,” Jennifer Popek said. “We looked at the idea of what do we want to do to keep the farm going, keep it in the family for generations. When we realized that Waushara County grows all the grains that make bourbon, and we have some of the grains on the farm, I went back to school to the University of Louisville for a graduate certificate in distilled spirits. That gives us a chance to understand the business structure. My education is not in farming or agriculture, it’s in health care, and Becky’s is in education.”
Part of True Harvest’s business plan is to work with local farmers to supply grain to make bourbon, a barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn.
A core concept of True Harvest is a connection with local farmers, according to Jennifer Popek.
“We have to make sure we can find ways to bring something local from Waushara County to our business,” she said. “We work with local businesses all the time. We bring honey here and work with local bakeries. We’re doing the same thing with the farm. Waushara County has amazing agriculture here.”
Customers come from miles away now that the True Harvest has an active social media presence with a website and Facebook, Instagram and TikTok pages that Becky oversees.
Not only are the Popeks running a thriving new business, they’re also in the process of making their bourbon available in other communities, including Iola, Waupaca, Princeton and Neenah.
“It was more of a three-year plan, but we expedited that process a little sooner,” Jennifer Popek said. “We’re in a really good spot, so it’s something we’re willing to move forward with.”
Jennifer said changing careers to start a business with her sister wasn’t in the back of her mind.
“I think we always knew we wanted to do something valuable with the farm and leave a legacy,” she said. “I don’t think we knew exactly what that would look like, but it’s easy when we both enjoy something. I brought bourbon to her, and she brought cigars to me. She is the extrovert. She has a great concept for cocktails and entertainment. I love the science, so we bring both to the table and it works perfect.”
True Harvest is open year-round and recently changed to fall and winter hours, which are 4-9 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Jennifer Popek said the decision to start a business from scratch turned out to be a learning experience for the siblings.
“When you have a passion for bourbon and you enjoy it, it’s not work,” she said. “It’s a hobby, and it’s joy.”
