Von Jakob Winery & Brewery

What Von Jakob Winery & Brewery does

Von Jakob Winery & Brewery is a privately held, family-owned agritourism and craft beverage producer founded by Paul and Rhoda Jacobs in 1997 in Alto Pass, Illinois. The company operates as Southern Illinois' only combined winery and brewery on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, producing estate-grown wines from 15 acres of Illinois vineyards (over 20 varieties, including the state's first White Oak Port and first estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon), eight styles of handcrafted beer plus seasonal batches (opened 2010), and hard apple cider from 20+ acres of Illinois Jonathan apple orchards (launched 2012). All wine production is consolidated at a dedicated manufacturing facility in Pomona, IL (established 2013), while the Alto Pass headquarters houses the tasting room, brewery, distillery, event ballrooms, and five-suite bed and breakfast across two cottages (Wine House and Port House). Revenue is generated through direct-to-consumer channels: on-premise tasting room sales of wine, beer, cider, and craft cocktails ($6-$13); Saturday distillery tours ($30 per person); private events and weddings in two ballrooms (Winery Ballroom over 5,000 sq ft and Brewery Ballroom over 2,400 sq ft) with in-house catering and event coordination (over 300 weddings since 1997); a five-suite B&B ($129-$149/night) booked through Webervations/eviivo; daily food service; and selective retail distribution of cider and bottled beer across Southern Illinois. The customer base consists of Shawnee Wine Trail tourists, wine and craft beverage enthusiasts, wedding and private event hosts, and overnight leisure travelers. Marketing is driven by Facebook, Twitter, Constant Contact newsletters, TripAdvisor reviews, Shawnee Hills Wine Trail cross-promotion, and weekend live music events.

Name

Von Jakob Winery & Brewery

Legal name

Von Jakob Winery & Brewery

Website

https://vonjakobvineyard.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Von Jakob Winery & Brewery is a family-owned Southern Illinois estate producer and agritourism destination on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, offering estate wines, handcrafted beer, hard cider, distillery tours, a five-suite bed and breakfast, and wedding/event hosting at its Alto Pass headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Winery and Craft Brewery

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Breweries (31212)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regional & National Breweries (THAFALAD), Cideries & Meadery Tasting Rooms (THAFALAI)

Keywords

• Estate winery production
• Craft brewery operations
• Hard cider making
• Wine tasting room
• Event venue hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

Alto Pass

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Wine Sales: On-site wine tasting room sales of over 20 award-winning wine varieties; bottles and cases available for purchase; wines available by the glass, flights, and bottle
2. Beer and Cider Sales: Handcrafted beers and hard apple ciders sold on-site; draft, growlers, crowlers; beers only available at brewery and select retail locations
3. Bed & Breakfast: Five bed and breakfast suites across two cottages (Wine House and Port House); rooms named after award-winning wines; includes complimentary bottle of wine and breakfast
4. Private Events and Weddings: Event hosting with two ballrooms (Winery Ballroom over 5000 sq ft, Brewery Ballroom over 2400 sq ft); in-house coordinator, chefs and wait staff; over 300 weddings coordinated since 1997
5. Food Service: Daily lunch menu and grill & pub offerings for visitors
6. Distillery Tours: Saturday distillery tours with spirit tastings at $30 per person; guided tours of distillation process
7. Cocktail Sales: Craft cocktails featuring house wines, spirits, and ciders at various price points ($6-$13)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Von Jakob Winery & Brewery produces and sells estate-grown wines, handcrafted beers, and hard apple cider from 15 acres of Illinois vineyards and 20+ acres of apple orchards in Southern Illinois. The integrated property includes a tasting room, bed & breakfast, two event ballrooms for weddings and private events, a grill & pub, and Saturday distillery tours, all located on the Shawnee Wine Trail.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Grand River Spirits: A locally-owned craft whiskey distillery in Carbondale, Illinois, featured on the Von Jakob spirits menu
• True Kinship
• Red Eye
• The Wine House
• The Port House

Products and services

• Estate-Grown Wines Over 20 varieties of estate-grown Illinois wines produced mainly from 15 acres of Illinois vineyards, ranging from dark full-bodied reds to sweet dessert wines, available for tasting and purchase by the glass, flight, or bottle (and case). Includes notable offerings such as White Oak Port (first of its kind produced in Illinois) and Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (first grown and produced in Illinois, roughly 100 cases per year).
• Handcrafted Beers Eight styles of handcrafted beers brewed on-site at the Von Jakob Brewery, ranging from a crisp German Pilsner to a rich Chocolate Milk Stout, including the regionally-sourced So ILL IPA made with Cascade hops from Windy Hills Hops. Available on draft, in 64oz growler refills, and 32oz crowlers; in the process of bottling for wider Southern Illinois distribution.
• Hard Apple Cider Hard apple ciders made with estate-grown Illinois Jonathan apples, including flagship Streakin' Johnny Hard Apple Cider plus seasonal flavors such as Black Cherry and Mango Habanero. Available on-site by flight, glass, and growler; distributed to various retail locations throughout Southern Illinois.
• Bed & Breakfast Accommodations

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 weddings coordinated since 1997
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Grand River SpiritscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocally-owned craft whiskey distillery in Carbondale, Illinois. Featured on Von Jakob website with logo placement and direct link. Cross-promotional relationship within Southern Illinois craft beverage community.
• True KinshipminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCraft whiskey brand featured on Von Jakob website spirits menu. Part of Southern Illinois craft spirits community.
• Red EyeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMoonshine and whiskey brand featured on Von Jakob website spirits menu. Part of Southern Illinois craft spirits community.
• Windy Hills HopscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Illinois hops farm providing Cascade hops for So ILL IPA beer. Supports local agriculture and terroir-driven brewing using regionally-sourced ingredients.
• Shawnee Hills Wine TrailcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional wine trail organization. Von Jakob is a member, providing cross-promotional tourism marketing and visitor traffic from wine trail enthusiasts. Offers scenic views of Shawnee National Forest.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Lynfred Winery: Established Illinois winery with tasting room, bed & breakfast, and event operations outside Chicago — comparable Illinois estate winery offering wine, lodging, and event hospitality, but operating in a different (Northeast Illinois) regional market than Von Jakob.

Broad incumbents

• St. James Winery: Largest winery in Missouri with broad Midwest distribution, estate vineyards, and tasting-room operations — comparable Midwest estate-wine and tasting-room business model to Von Jakob, but at materially greater scale and regional reach.

Direct peers

• Alto Vineyards: One of the original Shawnee Hills Wine Trail members located in Alto Pass, IL — same town as Von Jakob's HQ — producing Illinois wines and tasting-room experiences at directly comparable scale and customer base.
• StarView Vineyards: Estate winery on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail in Cobden, IL offering tastings and event hosting — comparable multi-product estate winery with tasting-room direct-to-consumer sales in the same Southern Illinois agritourism market.
• Owl Creek Vineyard: Shawnee Hills Wine Trail winery in Cobden, IL producing Illinois estate wines and offering tasting-room hospitality — same regional trail membership, same Southern Illinois agritourism customer, comparable small-winery footprint.
• Kite Hill Vineyards: Carbondale, IL winery that is a Shawnee Hills Wine Trail member with tasting-room and event operations — same regional trail, same Southern Illinois customer base, comparable small-scale estate wine operation.
• Blue Sky Vineyard: Estate winery on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail in Makanda, IL producing Illinois wines from a comparable scale vineyard — most direct same-trail, same-state, same-category peer to Von Jakob's winemaking operation.
• Pomona Winery: Shawnee Hills Wine Trail winery based in Pomona, IL — directly overlaps both Von Jakob's manufacturing location in Pomona and the same Southern Illinois tasting-room and agritourism clientele.
• Hickory Ridge Vineyard: Shawnee Hills Wine Trail winery based in Pomona, IL producing Illinois wines for tasting-room sales — directly overlaps Von Jakob's Pomona manufacturing location, estate-grown positioning, and Southern Illinois wine-trail customer base.

Emerging players

• Cedar Ridge Winery & Distillery: Iowa-based producer combining estate wine, craft beer, and spirits under a single destination experience model — comparable multi-beverage vertical integration strategy to Von Jakob's wine + beer + cider + distillery-tour positioning, though at a different geographic and scale point.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VonJakobWinery
• Facebookfacebook.com/vonjakobvineyard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/von-jakob-vineyard

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Von Jakob Winery & Brewery