For 100 years, The Jel Sert Company has built its success by recognizing opportunities, responding to challenges, and finding new ways to bring affordable food and beverage products to families across the country. For more than half of that history, West Chicago has been the place Jel Sert has called home.
On Monday, September 21, 2026, Mayor Daniel Bovey issued a proclamation recognizing The Jel Sert Company’s 100th anniversary and its longstanding contributions to West Chicago. The milestone provides an opportunity to look back at the people, decisions, and innovations that shaped the company and its relationship with the community.
An Entrepreneurial Beginning
Jel Sert’s story has roots in Chicago’s early food manufacturing industry. Cofounder Charles T. Wegner Jr. began his career with the Cracker Jack Company, gaining experience in food manufacturing, business operations,
and product development. After serving with the United States Army in France during World War I, he returned home determined to build a company of his own.
Charles and his wife, Lillian Hanke Wegner, combined their manufacturing and business experience to establish The Jel Sert Company in 1926. Its first product was a fruit-flavored gelatin dessert called Jel Sert, a name created by combining the words “jelly” and “dessert.” From the beginning, they focused on quality, value, and creative marketing, principles that would guide the company for the next century.
Finding Opportunity During Difficult Times
| Charles and Lillian continued developing new products even after the stock market crash of 1929. In 1932, Jel Sert introduced Fla-Vor-Ade, later renamed Fla-Vor-Aid. Priced at five cents for a package that made 10 glasses, the powdered drink mix offered families an affordable treat during the Great Depression. By 1941, Jel Sert had grown enough to build a 27,000-square-foot factory in Chicago. During World War II, the company supplied American military forces with gelatin desserts and powdered drink mix canteen packs, an early predecessor to the company’s modern single-serving drink sticks. |
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A Family Business Tested
Following Charles’ unexpected death in 1949, Lillian and their son, Charles T. Wegner III, took responsibility for the company during a period of increased competition and declining sales. When efforts to sell the struggling business were unsuccessful, the family sold personal investments and property to finance a new beginning.
That decision led to the construction of a larger, modern factory in Bellwood in 1962. Jel Sert soon acquired the Pop Ice Company, entering the freezer bar market and creating a new path for growth. The company built upon that success with the introduction of Fla-Vor-Ice in 1969, the same year it would begin its next chapter in West Chicago.
A New Home in West Chicago
As Jel Sert regained its footing, the area surrounding its Bellwood factory no longer provided the stability or space the company needed for its future. Charles III began searching for a location that offered greater opportunities for expansion.
In 1969, Jel Sert acquired a former pickle factory on 18 acres in West Chicago. The company renovated the property into a modern manufacturing center with additional production capacity and direct access to the railroad.
The location proved to be an important turning point. West Chicago offered the infrastructure, workforce, and room Jel Sert needed to grow. From its new home, the company strengthened its operations, expanded relationships with food brokers, and began working with major retailers across the country.
The move also connected Jel Sert with a community whose own history was shaped by industry and the railroad. Over the decades that followed, the company grew alongside West Chicago, becoming one of the City’s largest employers.
New Generations and New Ideas
Following the death of Charles III in 1988, leadership responsibilities passed to his sons. Charles IV, known as Chuck, became president; John became vice president of engineering; and Ken became executive vice president.
The third generation led Jel Sert into another period of innovation and expansion. The company launched MONDO Fruit Squeezers, its first new product in more than 20 years, and acquired several established brands, including Wyler’s powdered drink mixes, Royal dessert mixes, Otter Pops, Kool Pops, and Mr. Freeze.
Jel Sert also formed licensing partnerships with entertainment companies and nationally known consumer brands. The company adapted Hawaiian Punch into a powdered drink mix and later introduced single-serving drink sticks, anticipating increased demand for convenient, on-the-go products. These products eventually grew into the company’s Singles To Go line.
Its manufacturing and product development abilities also created opportunities in the functional food market. Jel Sert worked with Abbott Nutrition to develop a freezer pop version of Pedialyte designed for children and later introduced Pedialyte powdered drink mixes.
Continuing to Adapt and Invest
Jel Sert’s ability to respond to change was tested again in 2018 when the end of a major licensing partnership eliminated a significant part of its powdered drink business.
The company responded by rebuilding its licensing portfolio, investing in existing products, and adding new functional drink mixes. That willingness to adapt reflects the same entrepreneurial spirit that guided Charles and Lillian Wegner through the company’s earliest years.
In 2025, Jel Sert demonstrated its continued commitment to West Chicago by completing a more than $10 million expansion of its local operations. The project added new manufacturing capabilities and approximately 100 jobs, strengthening both the company’s future and West Chicago’s manufacturing economy.
Today, Jel Sert remains entirely family-owned. Chuck Wegner serves as chairman of the board, while Ken Wegner serves as president. Members of the fourth generation are now involved in the business, carrying the company’s story into its second century.
| Continuing to Adapt and Invest Jel Sert’s 100th anniversary is more than a business milestone. It reflects the perseverance of a family that repeatedly chose to reinvest in its company, the ingenuity of the people who developed and manufactured its products, and the dedication of generations of employees who helped the business grow. It is also part of West Chicago’s story. Since arriving in 1969, Jel Sert has provided jobs, supported community organizations and events, invested in its local facilities, and helped strengthen the City’s position as a center for manufacturing and industry. |
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The City of West Chicago invites residents, businesses, community organizations, and current and former Jel Sert employees to join in congratulating The Jel Sert Company on its 100th anniversary. As Jel Sert begins its next century, West Chicago is proud to celebrate the history the company has built and the future it continues to invest in here.