Long Road Distillers

The beginning of a Long Road (Grand Rapids Business Journal)

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Distillery opens with superior equipment and goal to create a cocktail culture in the city.

Bureaucratic hoops, equipment delivery delays and a desire to create a world-class product help explain why it’s taken Long Road Distillers nearly six months longer than expected to open.

That wait, however, is over, as the first distillery in Grand Rapids opened last week at 537 Leonard St. NW.

“My eyes were bigger than my mouth,” co-founder Jon O’Connor said. “Our whole intent was to open when we were ready and to do it the right way.”

The right way took O’Connor and partner Kyle Van Strien along a turbulent path of obstacles, including helping the city understand exactly what will go on inside the walls of the distillery, covering both real and perceived dangers. The licensing also had to go through federal and state approvals.

“Navigating the various layers of bureaucracy is hard,” Van Strien said. “It’s not just opening a new bar or restaurant. There’s a lot more that goes into it.”

The project also cost a lot more than the co-founders and their investors expected.

“It’s about four times more than we expected,” Van Strien said.

“North of a million — something-point-something,” O’Connor said, explaining they hadn’t added up all the costs, but it’s more than the $750,000 they’d estimated, as reported by the Business Journal last April.

One of the unexpected costs was a new still that became available well before they had planned on buying it. The whiskey still from Kentucky’s Vendome Copper & Brass Works was always part of the plan, but adding one prior to opening will nearly double the distillery’s capacity.

With its original Müller GmbH still from Germany, Long Road was able to produce approximately 6,000 cases of a dozen 750ml bottles of spirits a year. The new still gives them the capability to produce 10,000 cases a year.

Vendome and Müller make two of the best stills for what Long Road produces, O’Connor said.

“Vendome is the best whiskey still maker in the world — any reputable bourbon is made on a Vendome, whether it’s Wild Turkey, Four Roses, Jim Beam or Maker’s Mark,” O’Connor said.

As for vodka, he said, “There are five people in the world that make world-class vodka stills — all out of Germany.”

The equipment was the first step in helping O’Connor and Van Strien toward their goal of creating a world-class product. Through plenty of market research — more than just drinking — the pair learned they would need the best to make the best.

They also hired two experienced employees in Brian Pribyl and Kevin Coffey to be head distiller and assistant distiller, respectively.

Long Road opened with a vodka, gin and white whiskey, but could have two or more additional new products by late June. After the first several runs, they already believe the company is making some of the best spirits in the world.

The week prior to opening, a group of seven employees discussed the correct blends of juniper, cardamom and coriander in their gin.

“I’ve tasted it. We know good spirits when we taste them,” Van Strien said. “We went out to find the right equipment you need to make it; we found the guys capable of making it; we’ve put the pieces together to be able to make the best liquid.”

If Long Road pushed production, it likely could surpass the 10,000 cases mark and quickly become one of the largest distilleries in the state, which currently has more than 40 in operation.

That’s not the plan, however, O’Connor said.

Instead, they’ll focus on being one of the few distilleries in the state to make all of their products “grain-to-glass,” with much of the grain bought from fewer than 30 miles away. The region’s agricultural heritage will allow Long Road to explore plenty of new products in the future.

“It isn’t a competition to see who can produce the most,” O’Connor said. “This is about making the best product at a scale we make money. We want to focus on the quality and the craft.”

Once the operation gets a feel for demand in the tasting room and finds a “groove” for production, Long Road will begin distribution across Michigan, which Van Strien expects to occur late this summer.

An aged whiskey is at least two years away, leading the distillery to also focus on clear spirits.

“We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t get to make whiskey,” O’Connor said.

“Whiskey — that’s the get-down, but we don’t always drink whiskey. Vodka is the No. 1 selling product in the United States. There are complexity and flavors in many clear and lightly aged spirits that we love to drink.

“You want to taste the wheat that’s grown 30 miles from here. It’s sweet, subtle and approachable. It lends itself well to a cocktail or straight out of a glass.”

The complex flavors of all the company’s spirits will be at the forefront of the cocktail program in the tasting room, Van Strien said. The cocktail team will be encouraged to enhance the nuances of the base spirits by layering flavors instead of covering the spirits up. All of the company’s cordials, bitters and simple syrups are made in-house, offering the bartenders a chance to flex their creative muscles, O’Connor said.

Long Road looks to help develop a stronger cocktail culture in Grand Rapids. O’Connor said that culture is one he’s not really been able to detect in the city, save for at a few bars.

“It’s not the scene that has developed in some other cities,” he said, adding the drinks will be at a price “just about anybody can afford.”

“We want to elevate it here. We want to be part of the growing movement. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel; we just want to use our spirits to help make the best cocktails we can.”

Long Road also has a small kitchen. The menu includes small plate items and sandwiches and salads. Offerings may be expanded in the future to include brunch items, which would allow Long Road to showcase its vodka in Bloody Marys.

“I had expectations and we exceeded them,” Van Strien said. “Why I don’t say ‘high expectations’ is because of the situation we put our kitchen staff in. It’s a limited menu and a limited space, but they’ve put out some amazing menu items.”

Long Road is at the heart of a growing movement of entertainment options opening on the west side of Grand Rapids. The distillery is across Leonard street from The Mitten Brewing Co. and the newly opened Two Scotts Barbecue. Nearby, on Bridge Street, several options will soon be open, ranging from brewers with tasting rooms and restaurants such as New Holland Brewing Co. and Harmony Hall, to bars The Black Heron and The Sovengard.

Most of the new businesses appreciate the historical significance of the west side’s beverage manufacturing, O’Connor said. Opening a business on the west side has long been part of the plan for Van Strien and O’Connor, both of whom are residents of the area.

“We’ve given so much time and work to this neighborhood because we believed in it on a grassroots level,” O’Connor said. “When it came time to put up or shut up, this is the only place we could do it.”

Pat Evans, May 29, 2015

Grand Rapids Business Journal – Full Article.

 

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Long Road Distillers

TAKING THE LONG ROAD TO GRAND RAPIDS’ FIRST CRAFT DISTILLERY (GRNow.com)

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What started as an idea more than 18 months ago has finally come to fruition for two local entrepreneurs.

At 5 p.m. tomorrow, May 28, Jon O’Connor and Kyle Van Strien will officially open the doors to Long Road Distillers, Grand Rapids’ first craft distillery.

Located at 537 Leonard St NW in a renovated 19th century building, Long Road will begin offering “grain to glass” vodka, gin and whisky, along with small plates prepared by executive chef Scott Seese.

Everything at Long Road centers around the importance of making spirits on site from beginning to end. Whole grains from nearby Heffron farms are mashed, then distilled and filtered in two gigantic stills that can be seen from the bar and tasting room through floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The entire fermentation process takes at least 5 to 6 days, and O’Connor believes these are the first two legal stills ever used in Grand Rapids.

The distillery is part of the continuing revitalization of the Leonard & Quarry intersection that also includes Mitten Brewing and Two Scotts BBQ, and the two Long Road owners have significant West Side roots. Both live on the West Side, and both were board members of the West Grand Neighborhood Association. O’Connor also worked on the Welcome West initiative.

The building itself has been a bit of a neighborhood anchor, operating as a dry goods store for nearly 70 years until the 1950s or 60s before becoming a Harley dealership, and more recently, a clothing store. O’Connor and Van Strien are also working to convert the upstairs area that was formerly apartment space into additional seating for 100 that can be used for special events or to catch live music. They also plan on offering tours in the future.

While admiring the stills and the spirits, hungry customers can also order off a menu that has a decidedly West Side mix of Polish entrees like kielbasa and sauerkraut, along with classic Mexican dishes that will be added within the next couple of weeks.

Bottles of Long Road spirits will be available to go and O’Connor and Van Strien plan to distribute to Grand Rapids and beyond down the road. They’ve already rolled out a version of a mug club called the Wayfarer’s Guild, where members can receive perks like individually-numbered wooden coasters, discounts, private tastings and tours, swag and more.

Following tomorrow’s debut, Long Road will be open 4 p.m. until midnight on Mondays through Thursdays; noon to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays; and will also be open on Sundays.

GRnow.com – Full Story.

Josh Depenbrock, May 27, 2015

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Long Road Distillers

Long Road Distillers to open Thursday on GR’s west side (MiBiz)

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Grand Rapids’ first “grain to glass” craft distillery will open its doors this week.

After a series of equipment and regulatory delays hampered its scheduled fall 2014 opening, Long Road Distillers LLC plans to pour its first round to a public crowd on Thursday, May 28 and hold its grand opening the following week.

The new distillery located at 537 Leonard Street NW in Grand Rapids’ west side neighborhood will initially offer its flagship gin, red winter wheat vodka and white whisky for its opening. However, the company plans to quickly begin barrel-aging its whiskey and rolling out new products, said Kyle Van Strien, a partner in Long Road with Jon O’Connor.

“The next step is to find our groove,” Van Strien said. “Now that we’ve really hustled and pushed our production team to this point, we need to find our rhythm and get to where we have a regular production schedule.”

Long Road is currently operating staggered shifts and hopes to expand to two full production shifts in the coming weeks.

Before it even opened, the distillery doubled its production capacity to approximately 10,000 cases – or 23,775 gallons – of spirits per year by acquiring a second still from Louisville, Ky.-based Vendome Copper and Brass Works Inc. to complement its initial 500-liter still from German-based manufacturer Müller GmbH.

The distillery plans to begin distributing its spirits around West Michigan by the end of the summer, Van Strien said.

The distillery seats 80 customers, but O’Connor and Van Strien plan to open additional seating and bar space on the second floor of the facility by this fall that will boost capacity to 180 people.

Long Road invested approximately $750,000 into its facility, according to a previous report by MiBiz. The company partnered with Willink Construction Inc. as the general contractor for the project, which was designed by The Design Forum Inc. MJW Consulting LLC provided engineering services for the project.

While both O’Connor and Van Strien are confident in their distillery’s progress and opening, the partners note that the biggest challenge came from waiting for all of the equipment, permits and licensing to be finalized. In particular, Long Road saw considerable delays from local city officials because it was the first to be established in Grand Rapids. MiBiz first broke news of Van Strien and O’Connor’s plans in March 2014.

“Getting people up to speed about the workings and inner operations that happen at a place like ours is a learning curve for us, but there’s also a learning curve for the local officials,” O’Connor said. “(T)hat hindered some of our progress.”

Going forward, the company plans to improve its production and service operations as well as continue to invest in Grand Rapids’ west side neighborhood.

“We plan to continue to reinvest in the neighborhood in a way that’s going to help it transition into the neighborhood we know it can be,” O’Connor said. “Kyle and I believe in this neighborhood and we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t.”

MiBiz – Full Story

John Wiegand, May 27, 2015

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Long Road Distillers

ArtPrize 2015 welcomes distillery, sporting goods store to 7th annual event (MLIVE.com)

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ArtPrize 2015’s new venues include a distillery, a sporting goods store and a new public space.

A total of 180 venues have signed up to participate in the seventh annual exhibition in Grand Rapids.

Some 30 first-time venues will be a part of the $500,000 competition opening Sept. 23 for the 19-day exhibition.

A total of 177 venues were on board following the close of venue registration Friday, but three more have been approved following mandatory site inspections.

“There weren’t really any surprises,” said Jaenell Ott, public relations manager for ArtPrize. “Venues that didn’t return were predominately restaurants or businesses that no longer have a downtown location.”

ArtPrize 2014 featured art in 174 restaurants, office buildings and public spaces last fall.

New venues participating for the first time in ArtPrize 2015 include Reynolds & Sons Sporting Goods, which will use its second-floor window at 12 Monroe Center to showcase art in the heart of downtown.

Long Road Distillers, a craft distillery, is located in a late 19th century building at 537 Leonard St. NW that originally was a dry goods store when it opened in the 1880s.

Lyon Square, a public space between the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel and DeVos Place convention center, overlooking the Grand River, has been a well-traveled space among ArtPrize viewers since the inaugural event in 2009. In the past, it’s been a part of the Amway Grand Plaza venue. But Lyon Square will be a venue in its own right for the first time in 2015.

Three venues that weren’t a part of ArtPrize 2014, but were past participants, have returned. The three are Speak EZ, Ledyard Building and Heartside Park.

All venues are located within a 3-square mile area of downtown Grand Rapids except for Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park and SiTE:LAB’s Rumsey Street project between Grandville Avenue and Century Drive.

Though 180 venues are signed up to participate, each venue must secure at least one artist’s entry in order to be a part of the event. Last year, a total of 194 venues signed up to participate but 20 had to drop out at the end of the Connections period to match artists and venues.

Artist Registration opens April 20 and continues to June 4.

Connections opens April 28 and ends June 18.

ArtPrize is shaping up to be similar in size to the past four events. The last four years have ranged from 161 venues in 2012 to 174 last year.

The inaugural ArtPrize in 2009 was the smallest with 159. The second ArtPrize in 2010 had the most with 192.

Mlive.com – Full Story.

Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk, April 13, 2015

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Long Road Distillers

West Side the new ‘it’ neighborhood in GR? (WOOD TV 8)

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The West Side of Grand Rapids is undergoing a transformation.

For a long time, the saying among West Siders has been “The West Side is the best side,” and now it seems others outside the area are taking notice.

“I’m really, really excited about all the new things that are happening; the new developments that are going on, this is just wonderful,” said Nola Steketee, the executive director of the West Grand Neighborhood Organization.

Thursday, the Grand Rapids Planning Commission approved plans for the latest development: A new brewery along Alpine Avenue called Grey Line Brewing Co.

Steketee said the area from Bridge Street to Leonard Street used to get only three or four businesses per year looking to move into the area. Now, she says, they get three to four per month.

The transformation has been years in the making.

“There was a tad bit of hesitation at first,” Steketee said. “But everybody realizes that we have to shake it off and go to the next level, and the next level would be all the new things that are happening. We have to give this all to the youth; we have to give this all to the next generation that is coming though.”

One of the new businesses is Long Road Distillers, which is going in along Leonard Street.

“For us, it’s really exciting to invest money and our heart and soul into this neighborhood now,” Kyle Van Strien, co-owner of Long Road Distillers, said.

Van Strien and his co-owner have lived on the West Side for the past decade. He said he couldn’t imagine opening the distillery anywhere else.

“Part of it is a lot of investment from outside groups or new business in the neighborhood. Places like Rockford Construction and the Mitten Brewing Company — they are great additions to the west side. But it’s also these business that have been here decades, a hundred years,” he said.

Long Road Distillers is joined by a host of other new businesses: The Mitten Brewing Company across the street opened a few years back; Two Scotts Barbecue hopes to open later this month; over on Bridge Street the fences are up where ground will soon be broken on New Holland Brewing Company; down the road, the old Little Mexico building is being transformed into Harmony Hall; and not too far away on Alpine is the latest project to get approval, Grey Line Brewing.

“This little corner here has seen a ton of investment over the past two years and I think it’s only going to continue,” Van Strein said. “You’ve seen a ton of stuff on Bridge Street, Fulton and coming up Seward and I think really it’s going to continue in all of our business district on the west side.”

The West side is an area steeped in tradition; but also an area Van Strien sees as growing in diversity. Just one of the reasons so many are setting up shop.

“You go into the Mitten on any given weeknight and you don’t feel like you necessarily walked into a pretentious craft brewery. It’s like anybody walked in. It’s not white collar, it’s not blue collar. It’s everybody together enjoying a beer together,” he said. “That’s what we really enjoy about the West Side. Everybody is welcome. You come as you are. You just show up. You are who you are.”

WOOD TV 8 – Full Story

Tom Hillen, March 13, 2015

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Long Road Distillers

Christmas in February!

After a long 12 month wait, our equipment has finally arrived!

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Long Road Distillers

Wayfarer’s Guild Now Accepting Members!

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We’re proud to announce the Wayfarer’s Guild!

Everyone is on a journey—the difference is how you take it. While most are worried about the destination, wayfarers take pride in how they get there.

If you’re a wayfarer, you’re one of us. And since you’re one of us, why not make it official? Join the Wayfarer’s Guild and enjoy all the perks of the road less traveled.

Guild Benefits for Year 1 Include:

  • Long Road branded, individually-numbered, wooden coaster to use while enjoying drinks at LRD (we believe in serving cocktails correctly, and a proper cocktail requires proper glassware)
  • Guild night at Long Road with 1/2 off select cocktails and 15% off food
  • $1 off cocktails any other day
  • Choice of custom Wayfarer’s Guild t-shirt OR Wayfarer’s Guild glass
  • Special Guild-only events with access to limited release spirits and special private tastings and tours
  • LRD sticker to prominently display on your guitar case, laptop, Trapper Keeper, or mode of transportation.
  • A special invitation to a sneak-peek soft opening event prior to the Grand Opening.

There are only a limited number of Guild Memberships available, so secure your place on the journey and your coaster number now.

Follow this link to join the Wayfarer’s Guild: http://goo.gl/SHVHvX

To address the most commonly asked question: we look forward to opening very soon, but a firm date has not been set. Equipment is finally arriving, over 2 months later than the manufacturer had promised. To ensure that you’re first through the door, prior to the public grand opening, join the Wayfarer’s Guild today!

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Long Road Distillers

West Side booms with new restaurants, breweries (Rapidian)

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Recently, the west side of Grand Rapids has seen major urban development and growth for the restaurant industry. Within the past six months there has been a multitude of announcements regarding new restaurants, breweries and even distilleries staking their claim in West Side real estate.

The vast majority of new developments are paying homage to the grass roots of the neighborhood. All establishments are consciously appreciating the established community and culture found within the west side.

Harmony Hall, created by the owners of Harmony Brewing Company, will be opening in the previous location of Little Mexico Cafe in the Stockbridge Business District. Barry, Jackson and Heather Van Dyke, the three siblings behind the popular Eastown brewpub, are currently in the process of converting the space into their 300-seat German style beer-hall. They are keeping much of the decor from the early 1970s by artist Bill Bowsema while also keeping much of the historic Bavarian style, allowing the space to be an immersion of both cultures.

“We love the feel of the space and it is definitely a part of the building’s history,” says Barry Van Dyke.

The Van Dykes liken the renaissance of the West Side to that of Uptown almost a decade ago. Harmony Hall is expected to open Spring 2015.

While some businesses are merging out to the West Side due to expansion, such as Harmony Hall and New Holland Brewing Company, the area is also welcoming brand new establishments, such a Black Heron Kitchen and Bar, opening at 428 Bridge Street early next year.

Owners Seth and Laura Porter say their restaurant will mainly focus on specialty sausages. They plan for the menu to reflect the neighborhood, with both Polish sausages and Mexican Chorizo among options.

“We want to offer food that celebrates this neighborhood,” says Seth Porter, “but then also provide higher-end items that may not be available anywhere else on Bridge Street.”

The building in which they will reside is owned by City Commissioner Walt Gutowski, also the owner of Swift Printing down the street. Having renovated his business in 2000, he has since been very invested in the renewal of his native West Side neighborhood.

“It is a real passion for me as not only a business owner but also a city commissioner,” Gutowski says, “The Bridge Street corridor is starting to once again resemble the neighborhood from its long ago formative years.”

Much of the large construction and development projects in the West Side are due to the increased presence of Rockford Construction. They recently created a new office headquarters on First Street, and have been involved with many of the new building projects both residential and commercial. It is Rockford Construction’s intention to once again establish Bridge Street as a viable connection to the downtown area of Grand Rapids.

Rockford Construction has purchased the majority of the vacant buildings along Bridge Street, with their plan being one of revitalization. Back in early October Brett VanderKamp, New Holland’s president and Mike VanGessel, Rockford Construction’s CEO revealed the $17 million development plan anchored by a satellite location of New Holland Brewing Co. New Holland is expected to open in late 2015, with a distillery and brewpub on site. The state’s third largest brewery, VanderKamp says they have been looking for the perfect location in Grand Rapids for expansion for a few years now. According to VanderKamp, Rockford’s vision helped them choose to reside in the West Side.

“It was finally the right fit with what we were trying to create,” he says.

Both Rockford Construction and Gutowski have been focusing on the rebirth of Bridge Street, but other areas of the West Side have also been experiencing an uptick in consumer business. Max Trierweiler opened The Mitten Brewing Company in late 2012, which has recently gone under some renovations. They expanded their on-site operations, seating in the dining areas and started to expand their production to a separate facility near the pub. Being the first brewery in the area, Trierweiler said that played a part in their decision to call the West Leonard Corridor home two years ago.

“We saw the area needed a boost,” he says, “We thought we would be able to act as an anchor for this stretch of Leonard Street and make it more walkable for people.”

Neighbors to The Mitten Brewing Co is Long Road Distillers, set to open in the late Winter/early Spring 2015. Co-owners Jon O’Connor and Kyle Van Strien are both residents and advocates for the West Side. As Grand Rapid’s first and only craft distillery, they will soon draw much more traffic to the West Side.

“That’s why we’re here, because everything we’ve done in our spare time for the past 10 years has been for the West Side and in the West Side,” says Van Strien.

“We’ve been preaching the merits of the West Side since we’ve been in town,” says O’Connor.

Mayor Heartwell sees this exponential growth and knows it needs to be monitored, considered carefully and built for the benefit of the community.

“Growth means change. And so if we are a community that wants to grow, and has made some determination that growth is good for us- that is growth of number of people living in Grand Rapids, the number of businesses employing people and operating in Grand Rapids [and] the number of institutions like hospitals and colleges and universities in Grand Rapids. If we want to see that kind of growth, and we recognize it has positive elements. We also need to recognize that it has a negative side. It changes some of the things that maybe we have held dear and important for a long time- traditions and culture… There has been an explosion I would say here on the near West Side. And if you’ve lived here, if you’re a generational family who’s lived here on the West Side, near West Side especially- you’ve seen that explosive growth. You’ve seen the nature of life, the quality of life, change dramatically. And some of that has been for good and some of it has been very difficult,” he says. “This is the push and pull, the give and take, of development.”

The Rapidian – Full Article

Caitlin Hoop, December 16, 2014

 

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Long Road Distillers

Learn the craft or hire for experience? West Michigan craft distilleries take two paths to ramp up production (MiBiz)

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When the founders of Long Road Distillers LLC decided to bring in an experienced professional to manage the launch of its spirits production later this year, they realized they needed to look beyond the local talent pool for help.

That realization led partners Kyle Van Strien and Jon O’Connor to recruit Brian Pribyl as the startup’s first head distiller. While the two partners did their homework before starting the company, they felt leveraging the knowledge of an experienced industry professional would give Long Road a competitive edge.

“Kyle and I worked with others in the industry to mentor us along with learning the trade, but we knew that at the end of the day, the real way for us to be successful was to have a real expert in-house that has the knowledge and the skill set that can make us the best,” O’Connor told MiBiz.

Ironically, it wasn’t West Michigan’s nascent craft distilling industry that drew Pribyl to the area; credit the region’s other craft beverage scene for that.

“I fell in love with the beer,” Pribyl said.

Instead of being competitors in the alcoholic beverage space, Pribyl sees craft brewing and craft distilling as complementary sectors, with both industries satisfying customers’ demand for locally sourced products.

“There’s a lot of tradition behind distilling, and it’s one more step for brewing, especially for the city of Grand Rapids,” he said. “It’s a natural progression.”

Apprentice to the trade

While the craft brewing industry is filled with home brewers who turned a hobby into a profession, federal laws against moonshining make that career path illegal for craft distilleries, which makes it more difficult to find and develop talent, Van Strien said.

That leaves startups like Long Road with the choice either to hire experienced outside help or to learn the craft under the tutelage of others distillers.

Walter Catton, owner and head distiller at the Holland-based Coppercraft Distillery LLC, opted for the latter route.

After learning the business side of the industry in his career as a CPA and as a former partner and CFO of New Holland Brewing Co. which also makes a line of spirits, he spent weeks gathering insight into the trade from other established craft distillers, including Colorado-based Breckenridge Distillery and Smooth Ambler Spirits Co. of West Virginia.

“I spent two and a half years putting this together, and a year and half of that was the learning, dialing recipes in and proving out everything else,” Catton said. “I spent time with distillers learning to do everything from priming a pump to alcohol proofing.”

Tapping industry veterans

While Van Strien and O’Connor also spent time consulting others in the industry, they wanted experienced help with the intricacies of distilling. The partners plan to work closely with Pribyl throughout the distilling process to develop the spirits, but they’re relying on his expertise to craft a quality product.

“You can make or break a batch by even going five minutes too fast,” Pribyl said. “It’s very precise.”

Pribyl started his career a decade ago and began working at Newport, Ore.-based Rogue Ales & Spirits after attending Oregon State University’s fermentation science program. While in Oregon, Pribyl helped the Rogue distillery navigate an expansion and worked on the company’s Dead Guy Whiskey along with several gins and vodkas, including the launch of a chipotle spirit.

For the last two years, Pribyl has worked in Tennessee, where he helped two distilleries get off the ground and expand. He helped launch Popcorn Sutton Distilling LLC’s Tennessee White Whisky brand, nearly doubling its capacity. After Popcorn Sutton, Pribyl moved to Prichard’s Distillery Inc. to help the company establish a satellite operation in Fontanel, Tenn.

All of Pribyl’s experience with startup operations and expansions made him an ideal candidate for what Long Road is trying to accomplish in West Michigan, O’Connor said.

Both Coppercraft and Long Road are among the latest wave of industry growth that should swell the ranks of craft distillers nationally to around 500 by 2015, according to the American Craft Spirits Association.

The small but growing sector in Michigan of around two dozen companies ranks fourth nationally behind California, Oregon and Washington in the number of distilleries, according to the Michigan Craft Distillers Association, a new nonprofit that launched this month to market the statewide industry and serve as a voice for members in Lansing.

Grain-to-glass

Long Road has yet to distill its first batch as it’s currently renovating its facility and awaiting installation of a 500-liter, 18-plate still that it ordered from the German-based manufacturer Müller GmbH. The still should arrive in Grand Rapids within the next three weeks, Van Strien said.

The distillery will have an annual production capacity of approximately 7,000 cases once it becomes fully operational, O’Connor said.

“As soon as the equipment is in place, my goal is to get everything fired up and a vodka out of the door by day 12,” Pribyl said.

The company plans to immediately follow its vodka with varieties of gins and white whiskeys until the distillery begins the aging process for its bourbons and other spirits, a process that takes between two and five years, Pribyl said.

Long Road invested approximately $750,000 into its facility at 537 Leonard Street NW on Grand Rapids’ west side, as MiBiz previously reported. The company enlisted Grand Rapids-based Willink Construction Inc. as the contractor for the project, which was designed by The Design Forum Inc.

The distillery plans to adhere to a true “grain-to-glass” philosophy, incorporating as many local grains and fruits into its products as possible, Van Strien said. Initially, the distillery will only sell spirits out of its tasting room, but it plans to begin statewide distribution by late 2015.

With the global market for craft spirits on the rise, the Grand Rapids distillery aims to be in every state and have a presence in international markets in five years, Van Strien said.

“It might sound crazy, but I don’t think it’s all that far out of the question,” Van Strien said. “I think we can achieve that. The fact that we are doing this right is what sets us apart.”

MiBiz – Full Article

John Wiegand, November 23, 2014

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Long Road Distillers

New developments breathe life into GR’s west side neighborhood (MiBiz)

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As new developments spring up throughout Grand Rapids’ west side neighborhood, the district is at the center of a concerted effort by a range of business interests looking to revitalize a long-neglected part of the city.

Companies ranging from new breweries and restaurants to upscale retail stores and residential developers have invested tens of millions in this first wave of the west side’s turnaround. Developers say they hope the investment will act as a catalyst for urban renewal in the key Grand Rapids neighborhood.

Their efforts have not gone unnoticed by the area’s existing business owners and neighborhood groups. While most believe the investments will ultimately tip the scales in favor of the area’s renewal, some feel like key community cohorts should have a better voice in which projects move forward.

Starting at the Grand River and stretching west past Stocking Avenue, the Bridge Street corridor is starting to resemble the neighborhood some long-time residents recall from their formative years in the area.

“Bridge Street doesn’t need to be redefined,” said Walt Gutowski, a Grand Rapids city commissioner, business owner and self-appointed “ambassador” of the west side. “It just needs to be restored.”

A native of the neighborhood, Gutowski owns Swift Printing Co. at 404 Bridge Street NW. The restoration of that building in 2000 helped accelerate redevelopment along the corridor, he said.

As more projects come online, Bridge Street is starting to follow a similar pattern to development in the Wealthy Street and Cherry Street corridors in the mid-2000s, sources said.

The west side developments promise to add new selections to the mix of neighborhood businesses, which had waned in recent decades. For example, Black Heron Kitchen and Bar plans to offer Michigan craft beer and wine and upscale sausages when it opens early next year at 428 Bridge Street in a building owned by Gutowski. Meanwhile, Denym LLC, a high-end jeans retailer, opened earlier this year at nearby 443 Bridge Street.

Having grown up in the area, Gutowski recalls how years ago, residents had options for shopping and dining all along the corridor. Bringing back that neighborhood feel has been a long-time goal, Gutowski said, noting his projects and other developers’ plans all play a part in the renewal.

County records show that Gutowski owns about 20 properties along the corridor.

“(The redevelopment) is a real passion for me, as both a city commissioner and business owner,” Gutowski said.

BANKING ON BEER

While Gutowski is predominantly focused on the main Bridge Street artery, other developers are launching projects all over the city’s west side.

In opening The Mitten Brewing Company LLC in November 2012, Max Trierweiler said he was drawn to the area by the amount of traffic that Leonard Street receives. Co-owner Trierweiler and business partner Chris Andrus thought a microbrewery could act as an anchor attraction to help make the stretch of Leonard Street a more walkable corridor where people would come down to eat, drink and shop for an afternoon.

Now Mitten Brewing is expanding its operations with on-site outdoor seating, upstairs dining and a separate production facility kitty-corner from its pub. Soon to join Mitten on the West Leonard corridor is Long Road Distillers LLC, located across the street at 537 Leonard NW. Meanwhile, construction is currently underway for Two Scotts LLC, a new barbecue restaurant at 536 Leonard NW.

“We saw the area needed a pick up,” Trierweiler said of their decision to open a business on the west side two years ago. “It helped that we would be the only brewery in the area.”

He won’t be able to say that for much longer, however, as two new breweries are planned a few blocks south in the Bridge Street corridor, with one already under construction.

In an announcement in early October, Grand Rapids-based Rockford Construction Co. said it would redevelop parcels along Bridge Street NW for a new development anchored by New Holland Brewing Company LLC. The project will include a New Holland taproom, restaurant and brewery, as well as ground-floor retail, office space and 35 apartments, as MiBiz reported last month.

The upscale development will take the place of a blighted building that once housed an adult novelty and lingerie store.

Just to the west of the New Holland development at the corner of Bridge Street and Stocking Avenue, work remains underway for Harmony Hall. The project is breathing new life into the building that formerly housed the Little Mexico restaurant, which closed in March 2013. The new business — a brewpub with a sausage-themed restaurant — is being led by the principals of property management firm Bear Manor Properties LLC, who also own Harmony Brewing Company in the city’s Eastown neighborhood.

Meanwhile, the Fulton Street corridor, another key east-west artery through the west side district, has also seen projects come online in recent years. Anchored in large part by Grand Valley State University’s Pew Campus and the Seidman College of Business along the Grand River, the corridor has seen the recent addition of a Tim Hortons drive-thru restaurant and a satellite Rylee’s Ace Hardware Inc. store on the far west end of the stretch near John Ball Park.

ADDING NEW HOUSING STOCK

Development in the area isn’t only limited to retail or new service-related businesses, either. New housing projects are popping up to meet growing demand in the neighborhood.

For example, Rockford Construction Co. in July opened an 18-unit apartment complex at 600 Douglas NW.

The goal for 600 Douglas was to make 450-square-foot apartments feel more like 700- or 800-square-foot units, said Bruce Thompson, vice president at Rockford Ventures LLC, one of the contractor’s subsidiaries. To accomplish the project’s vision, Rockford worked with Urbaneer LLC to install its line of movable walls in the apartments, which allow tenants to easily change the layout of the space.

Urbaneer, a design firm, is a part of Rockford’s First Street Initiative, in which the contractor aims to partner with smaller firms around the concepts of “building, design and construction,” Thompson said. The partner companies that make up the First Street Initiative are independent businesses that work with Rockford on certain projects, Thompson added.

“Each of them brings something different to the mix,” Thompson said. “It is really starting to have the feel of a campus down here, and that’s a little of what we want with this First Street concept. We want to bring companies that are innovative … and firms that are complementary to us, but we are also able to leverage some of the infrastructure that we have.”

Altogether, there are seven companies involved in the First Street Initiative including Insignia Homes, enCO2, Signature Wall Solutions, Johnson Product Development, Brenda Thompson Interiors, Trovati Studio and Urbaneer.

Perhaps the most visible developer working on the west side after moving its corporate headquarters to the corner of First Street and Seward Avenue last year, Rockford has also been buying up large amounts of neighborhood property through its development arm for its so-called Gateway Project.

Property records show that Kurt Hassberger, Rockford’s president and chairman of the board, is listed on more than a dozen properties in the area that are owned under a variety of related business entities.

The company’s efforts in the neighborhood are no coincidence. Rockford CEO Mike VanGessel, much like Gutowski, is a west side native. Gutowski told MiBiz that the two are old friends and have been talking for more than a decade about how to go about redeveloping the area.

VanGessel was unavailable for comment for this story, according to a Rockford spokesperson.

CONCERNS REMAIN FOR SOME

While most reactions to the developments on the west side have remained positive, certain residential projects have raised concern from neighborhood associations, particularly over the issue of density.

Approved in July by the City Commission, Grand Rapids-based developer Cherry Street Capital LLC has plans to break ground next spring on a $12.9 million project with 63 apartments, commercial space and underground parking at the corner of Lake Michigan Drive and Seward Avenue.

Despite gaining city approval and receiving support by many in the neighborhood, the project was initially called into question by the South West Area Neighbors (SWAN), a west side neighborhood association.

“When (a development) doesn’t comply with our Area Specific Plan, then we have concern,” said Margo Johnson, president of SWAN. “We have a neighborhood that has been desirable and developers need to (understand) the desires of the current neighbors.”

Specifically, Johnson told MiBiz the organization’s concern with Cherry Street Capital’s plans stemmed from the project including too much density for the area it will eventually be built on, something that goes against the city’s plan for the neighborhood.

Despite those concerns, the project is moving forward, according to the developer.

“There was some resistance, but a lot of people spoke for the project, and I think that’s what got it across the line,” said Chad Barton, a partner at Cherry Street Capital.

Speaking broadly about the ongoing redevelopment of the west side, Johnson from SWAN said her organization also expresses concern when developers aren’t perceived as including the thoughts and opinions of existing residents.

In that regard, SWAN isn’t alone.

Bridge Street House of Prayer, a community ministry located at 1055 Bridge Street NW, works with much of the “marginalized” population in the neighborhood, said Andrew Sisson, the community development director at the organization. There is a perception from some of the existing residents in the neighborhood that developers aren’t interested in listening to the broader community, he said.

“Overall, there’s not too much of a negative perception of (new development),” Sisson said. “(For) people who are in this neighborhood currently, if their thoughts, ideas and culture are taken into consideration, if they see their opinions are being implemented, they’re OK with it and they’re excited about it.”

As more development takes shape in the neighborhood, property costs have already started becoming an issue for some business owners.

Fred Mackraz, the co-owner of the recently opened Blue Dog Tavern at 638 Stocking Avenue NW, the site of the former Kopper Top bar and restaurant, said he sees a lot of momentum in the area for positive, urban development. Indeed, the goal behind his new project was to help create a traditional bar and grill for the neighborhood.

But he’s concerned that as development ramps up, there are property owners in the area trying to hold on to their buildings in an attempt to drive up the values.

“Some people have property that is ripe for redevelopment and are hoping they will get prices that are not reasonable,” Mackraz said. “The old businesses that are here should view (new development) as a positive thing.”

MiBiz – Full Article

Nick Manes, November 9, 2014

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