Honoring Richard "Rich" Rydeski, the Man Who Made Pork King Good Possible
Pork King Good exists because one person said yes when no one else would. On November 8, 2025, we shared the news that Richard “Rich” Rydeski — the longtime owner of The Porkie Co. of Wisconsin, the Cudahy plant that produces our pork rinds today — had passed away. This is our tribute to him.
The only manufacturer who took a chance on us
In 2018, Pork King Good was still just an idea. Co-founders Lauren and Rick Koston called pork rind manufacturers across the country looking for someone willing to work with a brand-new brand. Rich was the only one who said yes.
That first trip to Milwaukee changed everything: a tour of the Porkie Co. plant, a taste of the best pork rinds we had ever eaten, and a handshake that turned a wild idea into a real product a few months later.
From a Cleveland basement to a Wisconsin plant
Our first purchase order with Rich was funded by scraping together every dollar we had while living in a 900-square-foot bungalow with two kids and a house full of dogs. Cases of Original pork rinds were stacked in the basement, and every order was packed by hand.
Four years later, we were no longer just one of Rich’s customers.
Passing on a six-decade legacy
Rich spent more than six decades building his family’s pork rind company and worked until he was 81 years old. In 2022 he offered us the chance to buy the business outright — not just the equipment, but the people, including his own sons, who had spent their entire careers there. He signed the paperwork on May 27, 2022, shook our hands, wished us luck, and walked out of The Porkie Co. for the last time.
Becoming an owner-operated manufacturer is the reason we can control quality on every batch, from Dill Pickle and White Cheddar to the classic full Pork King Good lineup.
A Cudahy staple, remembered
- A veteran, husband, brother, father and grandfather
- A fixture of the Cudahy, Wisconsin community
- Known around the plant for his little paper Porkie Co. hat
- The first person who believed in Pork King Good
Rich’s presence is still in every corner of the plant. We promise to run this business with the honesty, love and dedication he showed every single day.
Rest in peace, Rich. Or as we like to say — peace, love and pork rinds.