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June 2015
| Business World
109
THE FUTURE
The rich and flavorful legacy of Door Pen-
insula Winery continues. What started in
a schoolhouse 40 years ago has grown into
a nationwide brand. With distribution
through the Midwest and distributors in Il-
linois, Minnesota, Michigan and Wiscon-
sin, Door Peninsula has no plans of stopping
anytime soon.
“At the distillery, we’re going to more into
brown liquors,” said Pollman. “We own a
brew-pub about six miles up the road and
we’re making our whiskey out of our beer
mash. Just more brown liquors, as we feel
that’s the trend.”
“We came out with moonshine last year,” he
continued. “We’re looking to just stay ahead
of the game and stay current and come up
with new and unique things.
The strong family lineage pushes Door Pen-
insula forward. As the current owner, the
younger Pollman still remembers his early
days at the winery in 1993 as well as the rise
of not just the grassroots wine movement led
by his parents but the winery as a whole. And
while they can’t always see eye to eye, variety
is the spice of life – and for the Pollman’s and
Door Peninsula Winery – the secret to their
success and longevity.
“We have all different ideas,” he said. “When
my family gets together we have all different
thoughts and we go against each other all the
time, but this is what’s worked for us over
time. We’re not always on the same page, but
we talk and work it out and pull the trigger
on things.”We haven’t had many mistakes
and most things have been successful.”