Women Crafting the Beverage Industry in Grand Rapids

USA Today has recognized Grand Rapids as the Craft Beverage Capital of America. We want to recognize some of the women who helped us get there. Their leadership has helped Grand Rapids stand out from the pack of other craft beverage destinations – and has inspired more local women to pursue their own careers in breweries, distilleries, cideries and wineries across the area.

Jenney Grant

Long Road Distillers

After working and learning through multiple positions at New Holland Brewing Company, including shadowing and assisting the head distiller, Jenney Grant found herself in love with spirits side of the business.

As she climbed the ranks and earned a position as a general manager at a start-up distillery, she met the owners of Long Road Distillers and knew that was the place she wanted to land. 

“Take No Shortcuts” is the guiding principle at Long Road Distillers. The entire team lives and breathes through the process of creating something from scratch and using locally sourced ingredients. 

“My influence at Long Road has been connecting the dots,” said Jenney. From tasting spirits to giving and gathering feedback on product that’s being developed, she helps craft a unique flavor profile. “It is my responsibility to ensure that all of our employees have what they need to fulfill their roles on our team. From our production staff to our kitchen crew, we all work from the same principle: Take No Shortcuts, and I am grateful to be able to help foster that.”

In the past few years Jenney has helped foster some exciting new developments for Long Road, as the company has opened Less Traveled, a cocktail bar in Uptown GR, launched a successful line of ready-to-drink canned cocktails and introduced its first zero-proof canned cocktails that deliver bold, premium flavors without the alcohol content. 

Alicia Robinette

Robinette’s Apple Haus and Winery 

Folks may know Robinette’s Apple Haus and Winery as a popular orchard for apple-picking and hayrides, but the company also produces wine. Alicia Robinette is part of the family business at Robinette’s by marriage. 

While her official title is treasurer, she also manages the winery’s tasting room, inventory and personnel, and is the head buyer for all items for the company’s store. Her responsibilities in business administration have kept the company running smoothly for more than 30 years.

Alicia stays on top of consumer trends and changes in the industry to ensure the winery offers top-notch products for its customers. “I pay close attention to what our customers want while managing how much the business spends,” said Alicia. “We have to be flexible and be ahead of planning in order to manage the shop effectively while also serving our loyal customers.”

Alicia credits her business savvy from her education at The University of Michigan. 

Her favorite wine is Barzilla's Brew, Robinette’s first hard cider named after the founder of the Robinette farm, Barzilla Robinette. “It’s dry and makes me happy... The Rapids Red and Chocolate Wine are also two of my favorites.”

Kris Spaulding

Vivant Brewery + Spirits

One sip of Bell’s Amber Ale was all it took for Kris Spaulding to become hooked on craft beer. Her love for the beverage began to transform into a career when she met and married her husband, who co-founded New Holland Brewing Company  in 1997. The two put their heads together and crafted a plan to open Vivant Brewery + Spirits  (now Brewery Vivant) in 2010.  They’ve since added two sister companies, Broad Leaf Brewery & Spirits , located in Kentwood, and Broad Leaf Underground, in the Bridge Street Entertainment District adjacent to downtown Grand Rapids.

Kris not only oversees the brewery’s operations, but she’s also the sustainability director. She was the driving force in the pursuit of Vivant’s LEED and B Corporation certifications. B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. Because of Kris’ passion, Vivant Brewery + Spirits is the world’s first LEED-certified microbrewery.

Although the craft brewing industry is male-dominated, Kris shares that she hasn’t experienced obstacles because of it. In fact, she was voted onto the National Brewers Association Board of Directors in 2021, and she continues to serve as a Pub Brewery Representative. “Being female may have opened more doors for me as opportunities come up that seek representation from women,” Kris said. “Times are changing quite a lot, especially recently as I regularly meet more women brewers, owners, and suppliers.”

Kris' favorite beer these days is Grand Lager. “This classic style is perfect for this time of uncertainty. Lagers are the most popular beer style worldwide, but it takes a fantastic brewer to make an exceptional one since the simplicity of the style offers no opportunity to hide flavors or quality issues. I'm very proud of what our team has accomplished with this beer.”

Heather VanDyke-Titus

Harmony Brewing Company

Heather VanDyke-Titus broke into the brewing industry with family by her side. Back in 2012, she and her two brothers started Harmony Brewing Company  in GR’s Uptown neighborhood. It was a venture born from a shared passion for homebrewing. 

Heather incorporates storytelling skills to helps shape the brewery’s offerings. She describes Harmony’s beer offerings as “expressive”  in the way they incorporate unique ingredients the team hasn’t used before and/or connect the senses of smell and taste to a fond memory. 

Harmony’s popular Lovely Day IPA is a perfect example. “This is my favorite beer, and it is based on a trip to Stone Brewing’s farm in Southern California,” Heather recalls. After enjoying a lavender Saison amidst the scenic beauty of the West Coast, she asked her brother to create his own version of the beverage. Harmony’s subtly sweet medium-bodied brew, which perfectly balances the flavor of lavender, chamomile and orange zest, owes its name to the near-perfect California day lodged in Heather’s memory.

Lovely Day and other handcrafted beers are available on tap in the Harmony taproom/restaurant, and several of them are canned for offsite distribution. Harmony also makes its own spirits and blends them into delicious cocktails for guests. 

Sara Bierling

Bier Distillery and Brewery

Sara Bierling owns Bier Distillery and Brewery with her husband Joel. She serves as chef, kitchen and bar manager, head bartender, distilled spirits taste maker and menu manager for the business, which crafts distilled spirits, cocktails, beer, wine and Dutch and American comfort food from scratch at its Comstock Park location.

Sara also manages most of Bier’s social media, writing posts and snapping photos to promote new and existing products. She honed these skills in her 20-year career before Bier. “I worked full time at my corporate publishing job for six years while we got the business established, helping distill, bottle and bartend in the evenings,” she recalls. “I quit my day job to work at the distillery full-time as our chef in 2019, when we decided to open our kitchen and offer food.” 

If it sounds like a lot of work, it is. “Most owner/operators I know are working 12-hour-days five-to-seven days a week,” says Sara, and she and Joel are no exceptions. When it’s time to relax, she likes to linger over one of her favorite Bier beverages: Brillari Amaro Americano, an Italian-style digestif, JustheShine Old Time aged moonshine and Banket Liqueur, which evokes the banket almond pastry beloved by the region’s ample Dutch-American population.

“If I’m drinking beer, it usually our Strawberry Fields or Ms. Pickles,” a sour/salty ale. Her favorite Bier meal is Nasi Goreng, an Indonesian-style fried rice.

What advice would Sara give other women interested in the craft beverage industry? “Women in any industry can second guess themselves and be hesitant to put themselves out there, so my best advice is to lean into your instincts and trust your intuition. You know a lot more than you think you do. Don't let anyone cause you to doubt your ability to do the job you are passionate about. Stand up for yourself and make sure your voice is heard.”

And it doesn’t hurt to be a people person. “We love meeting new people and earning new customers,” she enthuses. “I know money is tight for a lot of people right now, so we don't expect a lot. Visit your favorite craft beverage establishment, order what you can afford, and chat with us.”

Whitney Ermatinger

Speciation Artisan Ales

Speciation Artisan Ales, a small brewery in Uptown, is the brainchild of Mitch and Whitney Ermatinger. Initially, Speciation was a one-man show with Mitch leading the charge, but eventually, Whitney left her career in social work to join her husband. As co-owner, Whitney wears many hats, including tasting and approving the wild fermented beer Mitch crafts. 

Speciation uses a natural fermenting process to craft the beer. This results in a product with varying degrees of sourness. While the process is a bit more labor intensive, especially without machinery or automation, Whitney says that it just means their beer is literally handmade, a fact she’s very proud of. Speciation also offers handcrafted seltzers and natural wines.

Another thing Whitney is proud of is being a woman in Grand Rapids’ beer scene. “I hope in a small way I am making craft beer more welcoming to women both as customers and as creators, whether that’s making our taproom more child and family-friendly, calling out misogynistic behaviors, or being a welcoming environment for other women to congregate or work.”

Hayley Zitzelsberger, Lisa Roebke, and Donghee Zitzelsberger

Third Nature Brewing

Third Nature Brewing in Rockford is a family affair made up of three siblings and their spouses. The women behind the beer there include Hayley Zitzelsberger, Lisa Roebke, and Donghee Zitzelsberger. Hayley and Lisa are co-owners of Third Nature Brewing, taking on a variety of roles like marketing, social media, human resources, and merchandising. Donghee is the brewery yoga master and has taught regular yoga classes at the brewery.

Nestled in the woods where the White Pine Trail meets the Rogue River, this 100% family-owned brewery has a real outdoor vibe. The experience and atmosphere people can enjoy there is something Hayley, Lisa, and Donghee say they love to observe. “It’s great getting to be a part of people’s lives this way and be a part of their memories,” says Hayley.

Brewing the beer at Third Nature Brewing is something everyone in the family gets involved in, even the youngest members of the Zitzelbergers. “I have had the opportunity to brew with my brother, Troy [Zitzelsberger], and the whole process is fascinating and so involved. My daughters even love to assist in adding the hops,” says Lisa. “It feels great doing something we all enjoy together,” adds Donghee.

As Third Nature Brewing continues to grow, Hayley hopes she and her sisters can show the craft beer scene that it is possible to be a woman, mom, craft beer lover, and a rockstar businesswoman all at the same time.

Stephanie Ginsberg

Pink Barrel Cellars

Stephanie Ginsberg is one of the girls at Ed Dunneback and Girls Farm  in northwest Grand Rapids. She helps run and market the fourth-generation family agritourism operation, which includes Pink Barrel Cellars. Opened in 2019, Pink Barrel creates its own beer, wine and hard cider, and serves them in the taproom inside Ed Dunneback and Girls Farm Market.

“For generations, families have come to our farm to enjoy the view, food, and slow down life.  Adding our own beer, wine, and hard cider was a natural fit,” says Stephanie, “We want people to come and really start making their own memories at our farm.”

Brewing beer is something of a family tradition. Stephanie’s father helped build Perrin Brewing Company  in 2012, and Perrin’s founders encouraged the Dunneback farm to plant hops for use by local breweries. After eight years of growing hops for others, the Dunnebacks decided to get into the brewing business for themselves.

As a female farmer, Stephanie is used to being a part of an industry that’s traditionally dominated by males. It doesn’t faze her, though, because she had a terrific role model – her mother ran the Dunneback farm for 40 years before Stephanie and her sister took the reins.

Callee Knoll

Archival Brewing

Callee Knoll is a relative newcomer to the local craft beverage community, having opened Archival Brewing with her husband and co-owner Levi in July 2021. Located in Belmont, just five minutes from LMCU ballpark, Archival specializes in historic-style beer, mead and cider along with seasonal, regional cuisine.

The couple met at Grand Rapids’ Secchia Institute for Culinary Education, where Callee was enrolled in the Culinary Arts program, with the goal of becoming a personal private chef. But after graduation, the Knolls decided instead to work on something together, and channeled their 30 years of combined foodservice experience into planning their own restaurant-brewery.

Levi worked in the craft brewing industry for seven years and was an avid home brewer, but “I had no background in brewing when we opened,” says Callee. She learned the ropes by serving as assistant brewer to head brewer Jake Steele. “I’ve surprised myself at how I can adapt and learn and grow, and what I can accomplish when I step up.”

The Knolls continue to work as a team on every aspect of the business, though Callee focuses more on back-of-the-house and marketing issues while Levi supervises the front of the house. The approach is clearly working, as Archival’s skill at recreating beers, meads and ciders from history – there’s a great story behind every drink – has built a loyal and ever-growing following.

Callee says the support of the local brewing industry – and the growing number of women involved – has been invaluable to Archival’s success. She points to a 2022 get-together at City Built Brewing Company celebrating International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day. “We renamed it ‘She/Them/They Brew Day’ to be even more inclusive. This is an amazing community!”

Allison Hoekstra

Secchia Institute for Culinary Education

After working in fine dining establishments early in her career, Allison Hoekstra discovered she preferred the “accessibility” of the craft brewing world. “Wine can be expensive and intimidating, but you can get a really great craft beer at your local grocery store for a few bucks,” she says.

That realization led Allison on a path to learn all she could about craft brewing, a journey that took her from Grand Rapids to Seattle and back again, and included stints with such well-known local brands as HopCat and Brewery Vivant. It also motivated her to become a Certified Cicerone, which designates a professional level of beer knowledge and tasting skills. 

Certified Cicerones must demonstrate an in-depth understanding of beer service, styles, flavors and ingredients, food and beer pairings, and brewing processes. The certification is granted after an exhaustive study culminating in written and tasting tests. Allison is one of 30-some Certified Cicerones in West Michigan. There are fewer than 5,000 in the world.

In 2018, Allison joined the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College as an adjunct professor in the school’s craft brewing program. “I was always doing some kind of training during my hospitality career and teaching was a natural progression.” Today, Allison is an assistant professor teaching both brewing and culinary classes.

She says the student body is a mix of young people with some hospitality experience and older folks looking to switch careers. “I teach some of the first classes they have and some of the last classes, so it’s very rewarding to see how they grow and evolve.”

Next time you’re enjoying a delicious Castle Rock from Long Road Distillers or sipping on a White Pine Pils from Third Nature, consider this insight from Callee Knoll: “Women essentially invented beer. They were the original brewers. We’re just reclaiming the craft!

Take a moment to raise your glass to the women who are making it happen in the craft beverage industry. If you haven’t yet tried out any of the locales mentioned in this post, be sure to check them out – your tastebuds will thank you.

The breweries profiled above are all included in the Beer City Brewsader® program. Download the Brewsader app and check in to eight local breweries to get a FREE exclusive t-shirt!