Brewery Vivant is awaiting anxiously the delivery of $300,000 in new brewing equipment that will double its brewing capacity in preparation for the company's first out-of-state foray -- the Chicago market.
The announcement came the same day as Brewery Vivant's (925 Cherry St. SE) notice of recognition by the Michigan Business and Professional Association as one of the
101 Best and Brightest Sustainable Companies.
"We're adding three 60-barrel fermenters, which will get us to 5,000 barrels, and this will put us there 18 months ahead of schedule," says Kris Spaulding, who co-owns the brewery with her husband, Jason Spaulding. "We started distributing about a year ago, and now we're throughout all of Michigan. Now we're expanding to Chicago and feel we'll be able to meet the demand."
The brewery will be ready to offer beer-loving Chicagoans its three signature beers by July or August -- Farm Hand, a French farmhouse-style ale; Triomphe, a Belgian-style IPA; and Solitude, an abbey-style ale. This summer's seasonal Zaison, a Swiss-style brew, could be distributed as well.
The growing brewing operations could result in another job or two later this year, but Kris Spaulding says the company won't ever be huge.
"As a husband and wife team, we made a concerted effort to say at what point we'll be big enough to be practical," Spaulding says. "Rather than focus on getting bigger, we can just get better and better and have time to spend together as a family. In Chicago, there are definitely a lot of Grand Rapids roots there and this is a natural progression for us."
Source: Kris Spaulding, Brewery Vivant
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
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