Not many people, even Rochesterians, know the history of the Zweigle’s or Genesee Brewing companies. Zweigle’s started in a small Rochester, NY neighborhood back in 1880.  C. Wilhelm Zweigle and his wife Josephine started making homemade quality sausages in a small butcher shop.  The sausages were so delicious that their reputation for great flavor and superior taste soon spread throughout the city. In 1925, Zweigle’s introduced the first “white” hot dog, locally known as a “porker,” a ground pork based hot dog.  It is the most unique product that people associate with the Zweigle’s name, and people in Rochester take pride in knowing the exclusivity of this product. After all, Rochester was for some time the only city in America where a “white hot” could be found. Today, the 4th and 5th generations of the Zweigle family operate the business. Zweigle’s products, including white hots, can now be found across NY, as well as Massachusetts, Maryland and Virginia.      

The Genesee Brewery was founded in 1878 in Rochester and the Genesee Brewing Company is America's largest family-operated, regional brewery. While only being sold in half the country, it is ranked as the 7th largest brewery in the United States. The brewery is located at 445 St. Paul Street in downtown Rochester and it has one and only one brewery in all of the United States. Hence its slogan, “One Brewery, One Great Taste.” The Genesee Brewery distributes its products to twenty-six states and two Canadian provinces. 

Genesee distributes 8 beers under the Genesee name. Included among these are Genesee Beer, Genny Light, Genny Cream Ale, Genny Bock, Genny 12 Horse Ale, Genny NA (non-alcoholic), Genny Ice, and the newest in the Genesee line-up, Genny Red. 

Genesee also makes beer for the Shea's Brewery, Dundee's Brewery, and Fred Koch Brewery. For Shea's Brewery they brew Michael Shea's Irish Amber, Michael Shea's Black & Tan, and Michael Shea's Blonde Lager. For Dundee's Brewery they make JW Dundee's Honey Brown Lager. For the Fred Koch Brewery they brew Golden Anniversary Beer, Golden Anniversary Light Beer, and Golden Anniversary Ice Beer.