Traverse City Whiskey Co., a Traverse City-based distiller of bourbon and whiskey and producer of premium cocktail cherry garnishes, announces it is expanding in Traverse City with support from the Michigan Strategic Fund.
The project is expected to generate a total capital investment of approximately $20 million and create nearly 100 jobs, supported by a $750,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. Michigan was chosen for the project over a competing site in Michigan City, Indiana.
TCWC began operating in 2012 when it established its first distillery and bottling plant in downtown Traverse City and produced straight bourbon and innovative cherry whiskey that have become top-selling craft whiskeys statewide.
The company operates the Stillhouse tasting room at its current facility in Traverse City, which has become a popular destination for tens of thousands of area residents and visitors annually. In 2018, TCWC introduced its premium cocktail cherries which have grown to be the leading premium cocktail cherry nationally, sold in all fifty states. In 2019, it opened its first tasting room in Metro Detroit: The Outpost in Ferndale. TCWC currently employs 45 Michigan residents.
The company’s rapid growth has exceeded its current distilling capacity, resulting in a portion of its annual production being outsourced to out-of-state partners. TCWC has purchased and has begun to repurpose the abandoned Cherry Growers Co-Op cherry processing facility in Traverse City, where it will accommodate every step in the production process and meet the increasing demand for its products.
The first-of-its-kind facility in Michigan will also allow TCWC to offer support to other craft whiskey distillers that are in need of capacity for their own growing brands. It will also include a state-of-the-art traditional rickhouse, dedicated processing and packaging spaces, administrative offices, a visitor center and tasting room, and spectacular indoor and outdoor hospitality spaces.
“We’re thrilled to break ground on this incredible new facility and are grateful to the State of Michigan for investing in our future, which will allow us to expand operations and exclusively produce our award-winning whiskey right here in our hometown of Traverse City,” said Chris Fredrickson, Co-Founder and President, TCWC. Our new headquarters will be an all-encompassing campus that will provide a unique immersion in whiskey culture and industry and will add a new experience to the thriving Northern Michigan agritourism industry. It will provide numerous jobs and attract new and returning visitors to our beautiful region. We can’t wait to welcome our friends into our new home.”
