Five years after the pandemic, Michigan’s craft beverage makers are fighting to regain their footing as economic challenges hit discretionary spending, younger customers look for healthier alternatives and tariffs challenge an industry still in recovery.
At the Michigan Craft Beverage Summit, held this month at Lansing Brewing Co., cider makers, wineries, craft brewers and distillers gathered to tackle a wide range of issues their industries face and to explore new ways to grow.
For Jon O’Connor, co-founder and co-owner of Long Road Distillers LLC, issues like tariffs on aluminum needed to produce canned cocktails and economic pressures affecting customer spending are setbacks that keep him from immersing himself in his Grand Rapids-based operation…