William F. Christel, a pioneer Wisconsin entrepreneur and inventor, was born in 1869 to Austrian immigrant parents living in the Town of Steinthal, Manitowoc County. In 1890, Christel married Wilhelmina Lulloff; the couple subsequently had fifteen children. Between 1895 and 1900, Christel embarked on several business ventures, among them the establishment of a pea-canning factory in St. Nazianz in 1896. About 1900, the Christels moved to Valders, where William built a general store and tavern and organized the Pioneer Canning Company, later the Valders Canning Company. A third plant was located in Hilbert, and the company owned and operated a 400-acre farm adjacent to the village of Valders. Christel remained president of the company until his death in 1952, when his son assumed the presidency until the company was liquidated in 1963.
In addition to founding and operating the Valders Canning Company, Christel invented equipment for use in the canning industry. One of his thirteen patented inventions, the texturemeter, which tests the maturity of peas and other vegetables, has had considerable impact on the industry.
Other business enterprises of Christel's were combined as William F. Christel, Inc., originally a farm implements and hardware firm. At the time of his death, Christel was also president of the Valders State Bank and the Valders-Collins Oil Co., and director of the Hilbert State Bank.
