TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Traverse City Whiskey Co. is expanding in northern Michigan, resulting in the opening of 100 new jobs and a new headquarters location.
The project is being supported by $750,000 from the Michigan Business Development Program’s performance-based grant and is expected to generate $20 million. The new headquarters is aimed to provide a unique immersion of the distilling industry and whiskey culture, according to co-founder and president of the company, Chris Fredrickson.
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The location of the new headquarters, Elmwood Township in Leelanau County, is said to offer a property tax abatement in support of the new project. Township supervisor Jeffrey K. Shaw, DC state that the property has been vacant and decaying for a while and that this project with Traverse City Whiskey Co. will help provide an economic opportunity for Michiganders in the area.
The Michigan company purchased an abandoned cherry processing facility in Traverse City. Some of the plans with the new location is repurposing the building to be a state-of-the-art traditional rackhouse that will have dedicated processing and packaging spaces, administrative offices, a visitor center and a tasting room.
“Michigan’s craft beverage industry is on the grow. Businesses like Traverse City Distillery directly contribute to economic development and job creation with our local communities while creating markets for our farmers,” said Executive Director of Michigan Craft Beverage Council Jenelle Jagmin. “I appreciate the ongoing support and investment from Governor Whitmer, MEDC and other partners into the state’s robust craft beverage industry.”
The Michigan distiller began operations in 2012 being the first distillery and bottling plant in Traverse City. In 2018, Traverse City Whiskey Co. started producing cocktail cherries sold across the nation. The company has also expanded to Metro Detroit with a tasting room in Ferndale.
“Right now, Michigan’s economy is growing, and we must build on our momentum by empowering our hardworking people, innovative small businesses, and resilient communities. Our future is bright, and by continuing to work together on bipartisan economic development efforts, we can bring in more investments like this one by TCWC to us move Michigan forward. Cheers, Traverse City,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.