Business of the Week: Timekeeper Distillery
7 min readWausau Pilot & Overview
Editor’s take note: Small business of the Week is a sponsored aspect that shares the tales of regionally-owned and operated organizations in the Wausau region, highlighting the goods and products and services they give and the techniques they contribute to the metro area’s one of a kind flavor. Understand how to aspect your organization by emailing [email protected].
This week’s highlighted business enterprise is Timekeeper Distillery, 720 Grant St., Wausau. While the small business officially opened its doors in 2018, the aspiration guiding Timekeeper was years in the creating and is now 1 of Wausau’s most common locations. Dan and Kimm Weber married just days just after signing on the dotted line to order what was the moment a bustling Milwaukee Railroad prepare station. Constructed in 1902, the depot carried passengers to and from Wausau for a long time and was at one stage threatened with demolition after the recognition of railway travel pale and provider lastly finished in the metropolis. But all the things changed in 2017 when Dan and Kimm acquired the developing and began renovations in earnest, expending their honeymoon restoring the depot to its original magnificence, 1 layer at a time. 1 of Wausau’s most legendary landmarks, the depot now properties a thriving distillery that consists of a bar and tasting room along with a pleasant, pet-pleasant patio house in which the staff members serves tasty, handcrafted cocktails and an array of complementing food items dishes. However the COVID-19 pandemic presented numerous challenges, Dan and Kimm rose to the occasion, creating hand sanitizer and pivoting their operations to retain their enterprise on observe. Their team includes manufacturing supervisor Aaron Aebly, ground manager Andy Larson, supervisor Christy Sann and “Jack of all Trades” Jenna Tomcek. Below, Dan and Kimm inform their own story, sharing Timekeeper Distillery’s origin, name, evolution and their shared vision for the long term.
Q: When was your small business founded, and what prompted you to start?
A: Timekeeper Distillery was set up in 2017 however, its principle was two a long time prior. Dan was at his regular volleyball league and joking with close friends that he needed to make far more funds. At the time he was the Brewmaster for the Terrific Dane Pub and Brewing in Wausau. Brewers are abundant in quality of life, but not so a lot hard cash flow. As he brainstormed with buddies, he joked he could make moonshine. Then he realized…he could make moonshine. At the time, Kimm was his girlfriend, and she humored his notion. As he dove even further into studying his strategy, Kimm jumped on board and they immediately satisfied with the Metropolis of Wausau to protected an legendary spot and sought classes in entrepreneurship and distilling. Conference with the Metropolis was a significant element as they had been guided to the iconic Milwaukee Street Educate Depot. The few seen the building and moved on, and it was not till their 2nd go to to the web site that they have been marketed. The out constructing had the excellent framework to property distilling devices in a risk-free, effective way. The few purchased the making on Oct. 6, 2017, bought married on Oct. 28, 2017 and then put in their honeymoon the pursuing 7 days partaking in the demolition of the interior to restore it to its unique splendor. The couple, alongside with loved ones and mates, hauled out six dumpsters full of dry wall, ceilings, business office home furnishings and other pieces of the making that ended up hiding its authentic attraction and natural beauty. The enterprise then opened to the community in September 2018, just after the restoration was comprehensive and the distilling products was in put.
Q: How did you pick out the title of your business enterprise? What are you striving to convey?
A: In get to make certain we captured the topic of the legendary Milwaukee Road Teach Depot, we commenced brainstorming important positions on the railway. A “Timekeeper” was a crucial aspect of the educate logistics as they managed teach schedules, worker periods and other aspects of time management.
Q: Inform us about your enterprise. What products or services do you provide?
Timekeeper Distillery specializes in craft cocktails and mixology. Its real classification is a production and processing facility for alcoholic beverages. Dan manufactures his spirits with neighborhood, organic and natural grain and components and barrel ages his solutions on web site. Timekeeper has a portfolio of hand crafted vodka, gin, rye whiskey and bourbon whiskey. We also produce our possess canned seltzers in the type of Moist Vodka Seltzer. They are built with Timekeeper Distillery’s vodka and all normal flavors that are created by Timekeeper Distillery with a top industry spouse. Wet Vodka Seltzer is 7.1% alcohol by quantity, all purely natural, gluten free of charge and totally free of superior fructose corn syrup. Timekeeper Distillery also hosts one particular of a sort events, has a four seasons patio that is pet friendly and offers a greenhouse dining working experience in the winter season. We have also expanded our food items menu and lead the group with pop up kitchens, allowing for local businesses that do not have a brick and mortar the prospect to access a larger clientele and showcase their cuisine and even more make their brand.
Q: What makes your organization unique? What sets you apart?
A: It starts with our iconic location, hand crafted cocktails and the innovation that we introduced ahead in the course of the pandemic. Some examples of how we pivoted immediately and innovated throughout COVID 19 are:
- Creation of hand sanitizer
- Implementation of a 4 seasons, heated patio
- Introduction of pop up kitchens
- Expansion of our in residence food menu
- Cocktails to go
- Creation of Soaked Vodka Seltzer
Q: What do you adore most about your work? What drew you to this function?
Dan: Becoming in a position to consider an current enthusiasm and set of abilities and utilize it to a new market that was up and coming. The troubles of currently being a organization operator and adapting by means of COVID has been something I have relished as I have been regularly determined to do better and rise to the event.
Kimm: I have truly savored supporting my husband’s passion and leveraging my impact and encounter to help help him by this journey, ensuring our relatives feels the results of his passion.
Q: What are you most proud of carrying out?
A: Staying capable to temperature the storm that is COVID and assist the community in any way that we could. For instance, sanitizer was a local community necessity but it also assisted us in retaining employment for the duration of COVID and pivoting our business enterprise in the needed path with new innovations to maintain us pertinent.
Q: How have you changed and developed about time? What’s distinct now from when you initial started off?
A: Our small business as an on premise craft cocktail lounge, specializing in knowledge has aided us pivot to an off premise competitor in the vodka seltzer marketplace. Our reputation in what we do has assisted us in this changeover and authorized us to acquire loyalty from the neighborhood that purchases and enjoys our merchandise. The most important variance now from when we started off is that we started off with a five-drink menu, our only product sales staying what we served around the bar. It has given that developed into a multi faceted business enterprise that focuses two facets of the company. The to start with is the on-premise experience you acquire when you walk by the doors, sit down to enjoy a cocktail and order a bottle to go. The 2nd is the off-premise component, exactly where we have pivoted to offer our seltzers to vendors and industry our goods all over Wisconsin. We have also expanded in terms of our 4-seasons patio expertise, collaboration with other local enterprises by means of promotions and products and solutions (malt whiskey with breweries, brandy with wineries, and other spirits with regional vineyards), cocktails to go, enlargement of food menu, all set to consume seltzer portfolio, and party choices.
Q: What issues have you experienced to defeat? Essentially, if you had it to do all over yet again, would you do nearly anything in a different way?
A: The most significant challenge was COVID. Our initial calendar year in small business we expended having our toes damp and finding out from our blunders, and adapting to the requires of the client. Year two was the place we started off to increase and achieve loyalty…and then the pandemic came. It is hard to remedy what we would have performed in different ways due to the fact hindsight is generally 20/20. It is crucial to invest your time as a organization operator seeking forward when cautiously dwelling on how you would have accomplished factors in different ways. I say cautiously dwelling simply because you have to be able to get better speedily and shift more rapidly ahead. I can imagine of at least 10 items I would have modified about our to start with year or how we navigated sure situations, but it finally allowed us to get where we are now. We are however generating problems. That will not alter. However, at the root of all we do is the customer. What helps make them happy? What do they want to see from us? Where is the sector need?
Q: What are your hopes and desires for the long term? Where by do you see your small business in five many years? 10?
A: We want to go on to be an instrumental section of this local community. We want to support non revenue, community enhancement, and make Wausau a far more welcoming local community for all.
Link with Timekeeper Distillery:
Timekeeper Distillery: 720 Grant Road, Wausau
Telephone: 715-679-3777
