For Jim and Jamie Walter, a father and son growing mostly corn and soybeans on a fifth-generation farm near DeKalb, Illinois, deciding to create a side business was a no-brainer. Due to Chicago’s urban sprawl, available land was becoming scarce, and they needed to find a way to support their operation.
“We were seeing a lot of rented acres that we farmed get developed for residential real estate,” he tells Davis Michaelsen on the latest episode of the Grow Getters podcast. “We needed to do more with fewer acres as the city continued to grow closer and closer to us.” After considering a few other options, they decided that using some of their crop to make whiskey was the best way to go.
“Rather than seeing urban sprawl as a threat, perhaps it’s an opportunity for us to create direct-to-consumer relationships and take advantage of the big population center that’s literally on our doorstep,” Jamie says. The Whiskey Acres brand was born. Of course, there was a lot of trial and error along the way and, since whiskey takes years to age properly, determining that an error had been made was a slow process.
But they persevered and are now producing a wide range of distilled products, using corn, barley and red winter wheat grown on their farm. The Whiskey Acres brand includes several types of bourbon, rye and even vodka. And, apparently, it’s good stuff. Their bottled in bond bourbon recently won a double gold medal at the San Francisco International Spirits Competition, among a number of other awards that have been bestowed upon their brands.
One key to their success is a farmer’s expert knowledge of the corn being used in the distillation process because they’re growing it themselves. This insider insight led to the brand’s motto: Great whiskey isn’t made, it’s grown. “Based on what we knew about corn genetics, we suspected that some corn varieties would affect flavor more than others,” Jamie explains on the podcast. “We found a rich palette of flavors in heirloom and specialty corn.”
These producers have learned through personal experience how to succeed and offer valuable advice to others thinking about a business of their own. “Don’t be afraid to follow your passion and your dreams, but don’t go into it willy-nilly,” Jamie says. “Spend the time to put together a plan. Do the research. And talk to people who have done it.”
Visit the Whiskey Acres website at https://www.whiskeyacres.com/info
EDITOR’S TAKE:
This takes drinking your way out of a problem to a whole new level. It also helps demonstrate the ingenuity, insight, perseverance and vision of farmers when faced with so-called adversity. This father-son team has tapped into a demand for locally grown products. People love to know the story behind their food and drink. That has led to another apparent success story! This goes to prove that doing your research and knowing what your customers want/need has an enormous payoff. Be sure to watch your email for some exciting news about a huge development aimed at helping you offer even more to your agricultural customer. This is really going to be big!
