Fein Brothers Celebrates 90 Years by Giving Back to Milwaukee

By Melissa Holck | May 01, 2019

Fein Brothers Building

Milwaukee’s culinary history is peppered with long-standing establishments that are staples in our city. Celebrating their 90th anniversary this year, Fein Brothers has been providing high quality equipment to Milwaukee restaurants since their conception in 1929. Owner Todd Minkin works hard to respect that vein of history running through the core of their business, all while continuing to offer the same level of customer service they are known for. “There’s always changes, we try to stay as current as we possibly can on the latest trends in cooking and in serving food, things of that nature,” Minkin explains, “But we also have to remember that my father and Simie Fein ran a very successful business for many years, so we really think hard about the changes that we make before we make them when it comes to changes to the company in and of itself.”

Fein Brothers building in 1929

Even the building that houses the Fein Brothers operation is a historic beauty. Jamie Little, Marketing Director of Fein Brothers says, “It used to be a Schuster’s Department Store, and then it became a furniture store, and then we moved in mid to late 60’s. So even the building itself has a lot of history. It’s beautiful, there are all sorts of hidden gems, the stairway and mezzanine are really cool, we’ve got a hidden vault around the corner downstairs, there’s just a lot to look at.” Vintage culinary equipment from the early 1900’s decorates the upstairs landing in a makeshift antique museum, showcasing how far Fein Brothers has come through the ages in kitchen tools and appliances.

Fein Brothers staff volunteering at Feeding America

With it being their 90th anniversary, Minkin and staff decided to continue giving back to Milwaukee in order to say thank you for nearly a century of support, repeating an idea from five years ago. “The idea came up that we wanted to say thank you and give back to the community that supported us for 85 years,” says Minkin. “So we actually chose a local non-profit soup kitchen that provides meals for the homeless and through ourselves and some of our vendor partners, we provided like $35,000 worth of equipment to a local soup kitchen. So that sort of was how this idea transcribed, we said ‘Well let’s not focus on one organization, lets focus on several,’ and Jamie and I came up with the thought of asking our employees what it means to them, what this city means to them and who they want to give back to.” For their 90th anniversary, Fein Brothers has chosen a new organization each month to support through volunteering. So far in 2019, they have volunteered with Feeding America, COA Youth & Family Centers, The Hunger Task Force and the Wisconsin Humane Society. In the month of May, Fein Brothers will volunteer their time to the Riverwest Food Pantry by working in their Urban Garden Initiative, and have volunteer efforts organized through the end of the year.

To learn more about Fein Brothers’ history or volunteer initiatives, visit their website.