Whalen's Horseradish Products
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Whalen’s Horseradish Products co-owner Tim Bibens starts to chop off portions of a fresh horseradish root in the production room inside the retail location on Route 29 in Galway on April 27.

 stan hudy

From sauces to cheeses, there’s a lot of tasty horseradish products the various owners of Whalen’s Horseradish Products in Galway have concocted over the years.

Frank Whalen began the company in 1925 in Ballston Spa going door to door to deliver the product by ladle directly into the steel dispenser in the person’s milk box, according to the business’ website.

The company has been passed down through the family. Dan Bell was operating up until 2013 when he sold it to his cousin Tim Bibens, who currently oversees the operation with his wife Holly.

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“Whalen’s has been a tradition of Saratoga County for 99 years now, it will be 100 years old next year, and to have it remain in the family — if you will — it was nice, kind of serendipity,” Tim Bibens said.

Daily Gazette Biz Beat writer Shenandoah Briere visits Tim and Holly Bibens, the current owners/operators of Whalen's Horseradish Products on Route 29 in Galway.

Tim Bibens previously worked in various industries dealing with quality assurance including medical devices and aerospace, but wanted to make a change. He had grown up eating the product and loved it, so when the opportunity came he decided to take it over.

As part of taking it over, the store relocated from Ballston Spa to Route 29 in Galway.

“This is kind of where my roots are,” he said. “I was born in Schenectady, my mother in Galway, and we got a camp on Sacandaga [Lake], so I kind of felt like this was home.”

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The couple became the first in the family’s history to open a retail store to sell the products they make. Products range from horseradish mustard to cheese spreads in a variety of flavors.

All the magic happens in Galway, too. Bibens describes the company as a high-mix, low-value operation. The horseradishes come from Collinsville, Illinois — which hosts the annual Internation Horseradish Festival. The company uses U.S. Grade 1 “fancy” roots and buys 50 pound bags, 1,000 pounds at a time.

“That’s the highest quality root you can purchase,” Bibens said. “We can prepare everything. We do all the peeling, all the chopping, all the grinding. Then, we brine it and strain it, bottle it and mix it.”

The business typically processes between 2,500 and 3,000 pounds annually.

Bibens said he likes the sauce, pickles and mustard, as well as the cheeses. Holly Bibens said she likes the seafood and burger sauce and the cheddar blue cheese.

Tim Bibens said the quality of the product is what keeps people coming back.

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“It’s an exceptional product that’s unique and separates from anything you can buy in the store based on the flavors we’re able to produce,” Bibens said.

Bibens said business has been good, but they’re still trying to recapture some business lost due to the COVID pandemic. The location is a hit for many people heading to their lakehouses or camps, said Holly Bibens.

Tim Bibens said they’re working on other flavors, including seasonal flavors that people can look forward to purchasing.

Know of a business The Daily Gazette should feature? Email ‘Biz Beat’ reporter Shenandoah Briere at sbriere@dailygazette.net.

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