Tucked away in a delightfully shaded, quiet corner of Downtown Kalamazoo, and just a stone’s throw from PFC Natural Grocery & Deli, is a little old building, with a large (much newer-looking) addition adorned with a giant green garage door. You may not realize it, but the door is the giveaway to its namesake: Green Door Distilling Co.. 

Founded in 2014 by Josh Cook and Jon Good, the distillery is known for their spirits like whiskey, gin, honey whiskey (with local honey) and an award-winning vodka. And at this point in time is the largest still within 100 miles. Adding a unique approach to their bar and drinks, they have mixologists on staff handcrafting menu drinks with the most local, or in some cases, exotic ingredients, some they even pull from their little garden in their outdoor area (the basil was beyond exquisite to smell the day I visited). It’s a place dedicated to flavors and the quality of something simple, while trying to keep as local with ingredients as possible. They are all truly dedicated to the craft.

Things quickly changed for the distillery this year when COVID-19 hit.

Like many other service-oriented institutions in the Kalamazoo area, GDD had shut down due to the state’s orders in mid-March of this year. And when they shut down, it quickly became an incredibly crucial time to figure out what to do with their business, along with how to take care of their employees.

Meanwhile the nation was facing a national shortage of a lot of things, including hand sanitizer. As hand sanitizer is part alcohol, GDD saw an opportunity to help, and once Michigan regulatory bodies gave the thumbs up, it was time to contribute. 

The effort was truly a community action, something honestly notable of the Kalamazoo area. A local brewery donated their stale beer to GDD to use for the sanitizer efforts, helping speed up the process of creating denatured alcohol for sanitizing ingredients on their end as well, and other businesses would chip in for bottles, labels and more. 

A first batch of 3,000 bottles of “Green Door Distilling Co. Hand Sanitizer” made its way to different areas around town, focusing on essential services, like hospitals, and at-risk businesses as well. Bronson and Meals on Wheels were just a few of the many beneficiaries of their new product.

The same handcrafted care employees put into their drinks went into every bottle of hand sanitizer. Everyone was happy to contribute and help out, but also have a way to stay afloat financially. And GDD did put in the effort to try and keep their employees taken care of through the shutdown with a little extra money provided through an online fundraiser of which owner’s matched.

Jake Lenz, a Mixololgist at GDD, had only been with the distillery a few months before things closed. Due to the nature of his start date, and Michigan’s unemployment rules at the time, he was initially denied unemployment, and was unsure and quite nervous about what his next step would be. But the production of the hand sanitizer granted him enough stability that unemployment wasn’t needed. 

“Josh came up with the sanitizer thing, and I started working 40 hours a week. I had three weeks where I did 60 hours. And it was just like, a blessing in disguise. Everything was shut down, but I was working more hours now than I was before. I was able to get by … and help out in any way I could. I don’t know where I would have been had I not had this job.”

Jake on his own was responsible for nearly 10,000 bottles of hand sanitizer that would be distributed or purchased, not only in the area, but to different states. People would even travel just to get the sanitizer.

In June, restrictions would ease on establishments, and GDD had a new challenge to face: reopening.

Their Tasting Room General Manager, Matt Gaipa, had quite the challenge coming into his new role during the pandemic, all coinciding with the time of their true reopening to the public. 

“A pandemic is not something you really plan for. The problem too is just everything rapidly changes. I do a lot of reading basically every week. I check CDC guidelines, things like that. I try to use all the recommended cleaners. The challenge is just keeping people safe while still having a fun environment as well.”

And their other major task aside from keeping their patrons and staff safe was, “How do we keep it fun?” 

Things have eased a bit for the distillery as things have opened up a little more. During the warmer months, they embraced a quaint, but seriously socially-distanced “garden” seating area — with tables quite distanced (beyond the six-feet recommendation) from one-another and a cute little stand outside the tasting room designated as an area for drink orders, as patrons were not allowed in the facility. In September they opened limited indoor seating (as Michigan legislation still limits those numbers), with outdoor music and a limited Jazz brunch offering.

A curbside service also allows patrons interested in a bottle of any of their spirits from the Barrier Ridge Bourbon to their award-winning Get Lost Vodka, purchase without risking themselves

or employees.

As they’ve opened the indoor portion, large plastic guards (like many other businesses) stand tall around portions of the bar to keep the mixologists protected, and the capacity is still naturally lower than it would normally be, but it is all in the name of protection, safety, and of course, still keeping it fun.

It is beyond a trial to get through everything changing in this pandemic, especially in the service industry, as every open drink and downed mask is a risk, but  GDD has successfully taken it on, one day at a time, adjusting as rules change and working hard in ensuring the safety of their visitors and employees. 

As we enter the more chilled days, GDD’s Facebook is already decorated with cozy fall drinks awaiting to warm you up and satisfy your tasting pleasures — safely.  At the time this was written, Green Door Distilling Co. is currently opened Thursday and Friday, 5-9 p.m., and Saturday, 3-9 p.m. 

Be sure to stay tuned as new spirits and flavors are to debut this holiday season.

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