Copyright M Live Michigan
HOLLAND, MI — After closing its tasting rooms last fall, Coppercraft Distillery has reopened with a new name and new offerings. The Holland Township distillery in October announced its rebrand to CraftCo Distillery and Social House, along with the soft reopening of its new tasting room at 184 120th Ave. The reimagined space now showcases CraftCo’s expanded portfolio of award-winning spirits brands, including the flagship Coppercraft brand, Flying Ace, Fox & Oden, Thatcher’s and Jos. A. Magnus & Co. “The rebrand to CraftCo Distillery and Social House reflects how far we’ve come and the diverse portfolio we’ve built,” CraftCo CEO Ali Anderson said in an email to MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. “It allows us to proudly showcase all of our award-winning brands made right here in Holland under one roof.” Coppercraft fans coming back for the first time will notice a remodeled tasting room and back bar, along with an expanded food and cocktail menu. “Everything that we serve here has to be made in-house,” said Josh Ewbank, who joined CraftCo as social house manager in June. “We’re really trying to promote local craft food and beverages that highlight the spirits so we can get people in here to enjoy themselves and hopefully grow from there.” The new tasting room started hosting intimate private events early in October. The larger expansion is expected to take shape toward the end of this year, with full availability by early next year. More kitchen and service staff will be hired to support the expanded footprint, Anderson said. The tasting room seats 37 people, but CraftCo plans to increase that to between 80 and 100 with additional space toward the back of the building. Coppercraft previously operated a tasting room in Saugatuck until last year. There currently are no plans to reopen that location, said Matt Overway, director of distillery operations at CraftCo. “At the beginning of 2025, the initial mindset was to get smaller to get bigger; really focusing on our home base and reestablishing the social house here,” he said. “We want to be great at what we do here before pushing back out into the further markets.” Coppercraft Distillery was founded by Walter Catton III in 2013. He sold the business to Windquest Group, a Grand Rapids investment firm owned by Dick and Betsy DeVos, in 2016. Catton, at the time, said he had been looking for an investor to expand operations of the distillery and tasting room. Infused with DeVos family money, the tasting room added a full-service restaurant and unveiled plans to expand spirits production in 2017. Over the years, Coppercraft expanded to include two other in-house brands: Fox & Oden and Flying Ace. The company in 2020 acquired Jos. A. Magnus & Co., a historic spirits brand founded by Ohio entrepreneur Joseph Magnus in 1892. The brand was reestablished in 2015 in Washington, D.C., according to its website. CraftCo also acquired Thatcher’s Organic Liqueurs to round out the portfolio with a focus on organic, flavor-forward offerings.
