History
Welpman Springs is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Missouri Goldfish Hatchery, Inc., a fourth generation family owned and operated business. It all started back in 1929, at the beginning of the Great Depression, when a German immigrant, H.K. Welpman, started one of his many business ventures called Missouri Goldfish Company. The business was established around a natural spring, just northwest of Stover, Missouri. Later, H.K. partnered with his son-in-law, Albert Fajen. Because of the popularity of goldfish during that period, the men decided to build ponds to raise fancy, ornamental goldfish. The fish hatchery flourished and they shipped goldfish around the country for many years. Through all the tough times of the Depression, and many growth years after that of raising goldfish, the market for domestically grown goldfish was toppled by the less expensive Japanese goldfish producers. For this reason, the hard pressed entrepreneurs, Welpman and Fajen, had to find another market to utilize their acquired aquaculture farm.
Always keeping a watchful eye out for new business ventures, they heard that a new dam called the Kaysinger Bluff Dam and Reservoir (known as the Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir today) was approved for construction in 1954, and they had found their new venture. Both men knew there would be a potential for great success in the near future to utilize their already present fishery resources. So in the early 1950s, Missouri Goldfish was transformed into the first business to domesticate and breed the golden shiner. Today the golden shiner remains the preferred choice of many anglers in Missouri and across the United States, and the domestic market for the golden shiner have H.K. and Albert to thank for the original domesticated brood stock.
Missouri Goldfish Hatchery was continued by H.K.’s son Carol Welpman and is still in operation today, under the guidance of his (third-generation) son, Randy Welpman, and fourth generation grandsons Daniel and Bryan Welpman. In the late 1990’s, Randy, continuing on his fathers and grandfathers legacy and entrepreneurial spirit, began the process of utilizing the spring, with a flow rate of up to 1,000 gallons per minute, for more than supplying minnow ponds with water. In 2002, Welpman Springs was licensed by the State of Missouri as a spring.
Today, Welpman Springs is a wholesale distributor of some of the highest quality spring water in the market. “I think one of the primary reasons our water is so pure,” Randy said, “is the fact that our land as never been farmed. There’s never been any runoff from crop or animal production.” Welpman Springs is tested on a regular basis by the FDA and by each of the bottling plants that purchase the spring water for resale across the nation. “Welpman Spring Water tastes so good because it has a superb mix of minerals which gives the water a very clean taste.” A small building houses the pump which fills tanker trucks with the pure spring water.
Welpman Springs, and the Missouri Goldfish Hatchery family welcome you to our site and encourage you to inquire about any business needs that we could help you fulfill. Feel free to search our website for our products or contact our office directly so that we can help you meet your spring water or bait minnow needs.
Always keeping a watchful eye out for new business ventures, they heard that a new dam called the Kaysinger Bluff Dam and Reservoir (known as the Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir today) was approved for construction in 1954, and they had found their new venture. Both men knew there would be a potential for great success in the near future to utilize their already present fishery resources. So in the early 1950s, Missouri Goldfish was transformed into the first business to domesticate and breed the golden shiner. Today the golden shiner remains the preferred choice of many anglers in Missouri and across the United States, and the domestic market for the golden shiner have H.K. and Albert to thank for the original domesticated brood stock.
Missouri Goldfish Hatchery was continued by H.K.’s son Carol Welpman and is still in operation today, under the guidance of his (third-generation) son, Randy Welpman, and fourth generation grandsons Daniel and Bryan Welpman. In the late 1990’s, Randy, continuing on his fathers and grandfathers legacy and entrepreneurial spirit, began the process of utilizing the spring, with a flow rate of up to 1,000 gallons per minute, for more than supplying minnow ponds with water. In 2002, Welpman Springs was licensed by the State of Missouri as a spring.
Today, Welpman Springs is a wholesale distributor of some of the highest quality spring water in the market. “I think one of the primary reasons our water is so pure,” Randy said, “is the fact that our land as never been farmed. There’s never been any runoff from crop or animal production.” Welpman Springs is tested on a regular basis by the FDA and by each of the bottling plants that purchase the spring water for resale across the nation. “Welpman Spring Water tastes so good because it has a superb mix of minerals which gives the water a very clean taste.” A small building houses the pump which fills tanker trucks with the pure spring water.
Welpman Springs, and the Missouri Goldfish Hatchery family welcome you to our site and encourage you to inquire about any business needs that we could help you fulfill. Feel free to search our website for our products or contact our office directly so that we can help you meet your spring water or bait minnow needs.