Fenton Winery & Brewery

What Fenton Winery & Brewery does

Fenton Winery & Brewery is a privately held, founder-owned craft beverage and hospitality operator headquartered on a 5-acre property in Fenton Township, Michigan. Founded in 2007 by Matt and Ginny Sherrow, the company runs three integrated production verticals under one roof: a craft brewery built around a 3-vessel, 7-barrel (217-gallon) electric brewing system (Brewmation/Stout Tanks), a winery with Italian stainless-steel tanks capable of producing 11,000+ bottles per batch and a 1,200-bottle American oak Foeder, and the Dream Machine Distillery featuring an iStill 200 hybrid still from the Netherlands. The product portfolio spans 13 rotating beer styles, 20+ wines, and a spirits line that includes vodka, gin, whiskey, bourbon, agave spirit, rum, and brandy.

Revenue is generated through a direct-to-consumer model centered on a public taproom and full-service restaurant (six days/week), complemented by all-inclusive wedding packages (accommodating 75-280 guests), private event venue rentals across four distinct spaces (Banquet Venue, Barrel Room, Taproom Section, Garden Patio), a $395 lifetime FWB Membership with recurring-equivalent benefits, on-site carryout/retail, and DIY wine-making experiences with custom labeling. Michigan's on-site production licensing requirement restricts beverage service exclusively to products made at the facility, anchoring the value proposition around the in-person destination experience. The company serves individual consumers, wedding couples, and private event hosts across Southeast Michigan (Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Flint catchment), with no retail distribution, no second location, and no institutional ownership.

Name

Fenton Winery & Brewery

Legal name

Fenton Winery & Brewery

Website

https://fentonbrewery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fenton Winery & Brewery operates a 5-acre craft beverage and hospitality destination in Fenton, Michigan, combining a brewery, winery, and distillery with a public taproom, full-service restaurant, and all-inclusive wedding and event venue serving Southeast Michigan consumers and private event hosts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Beverage Hospitality & Event Venue

NAICS

Distilleries (312140), Breweries (31212), Wineries (312130), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Distilleries (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spirits/Cocktail Bars Operated by Producers (THAFALAJ), Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG), Alcoholic Beverage Tours & On-site Experiences (Brewery/Winery/Distillery) (THAFALAK)

Keywords

• Craft brewery operations
• Craft winery production
• Craft distillery spirits
• Wedding venue hospitality
• Taproom restaurant dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Fenton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Beverage Sales: On-premise sales of craft beer, wine, and spirits through the public taproom. The vast majority of beer is sold in the taproom with occasional sales to local restaurants. Michigan licensing restricts service to only beverages made in their facility.
2. FWB Membership Program: One-time membership fee of $395 with lifetime benefits including discounted fills, wine pours, growler fills, free tastes, merchandise discounts, and member-only events. Payment plans available.
3. Wedding and Event Venue Services: All-inclusive wedding packages including ceremony, reception, catering, craft beverages, and coordination. Dream Package is the most popular offering. Also offers banquet venue, Barrel Room, Taproom section, and Garden Patio for private events accommodating 20-280 guests.
4. Wine Making Experience: Customers can create custom wine batches through guided selection, fermentation, and bottling process. Produces 30 bottles of 750ml custom wine per session.
5. Custom Label Wine: Personalization of wine bottles with custom label designs. No minimum bottle purchase required.
6. Food Service: Full-service restaurant offering handcrafted pizzas, sandwiches, shareable plates, salads, and desserts. Carryout ordering available through Heartland POS system.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fenton Winery & Brewery operates an integrated craft beverage production and hospitality destination in Fenton Township, Michigan, brewing craft beer on a 7-barrel electric system, producing over 20 wines from Italian stainless tanks and an American oak Foeder, and distilling spirits via the Dream Machine Distillery's iStill 200. The on-site public taproom, full-service restaurant, separate wedding and banquet venue, lifetime membership program, and DIY wine-making experience constitute its directly purchased offerings to Southeast Michigan consumers.

Product overview

Fenton Winery & Brewery is a multi-faceted craft beverage and hospitality destination comprising three distinct production operations (brewery, winery, and distillery) unified under one brand with Dream Machine Distillery. The company operates a public Taproom as its core hospitality venue, paired with a separate full-service wedding and banquet operation. The Brewery produces 13 rotating craft beer styles using a 7-barrel electric system, while the Winery creates over 20 wines from Italian stainless tanks and American oak Foeders. The Dream Machine Distillery produces spirits using iStill 200 technology. A la carte dining, a lifetime membership program, DIY wine-making experiences, and customizable event spaces (Banquet Venue, Barrel Room, Taproom Section, Garden Patio) round out the hospitality portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dream Machine Distillery: Craft distillery operation featuring spirits including vodka, gin, whiskey, bourbon, agave spirit, rum, and brandy, utilizing iStill 200 technology from the Netherlands.

Products and services

• Public Taproom
• Brewery (Craft Beer Production)
• Winery (Craft Wine Production)
• Dream Machine Distillery (Craft Spirits)
• Wedding Venue (All-Inclusive Packages)
• Banquet Venue / Private Event Spaces
• FWB Lifetime Membership
• Wine Making Experience
• Custom Wine Labels

Quantifiable outcome

• 100s of weddings hosted since 2015
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Short's Brewing Company: Bellaire, Michigan craft brewery with pub and event programming. Regional Michigan craft beer + on-site hospitality peer.
• L. Mawby Vineyards: Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan sparkling wine specialist with tasting room. Comparable regional Michigan winery producer but without the multi-beverage and wedding venue breadth.
• Coppercraft Distillery: Benton Harbor, Michigan craft distillery producing whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, and brandy with on-site tasting room. Comparable Michigan craft spirits producer with on-premise consumption.

Broad incumbents

• Bell's Brewery: Michigan craft beer pioneer (now part of New Belgium/Lion) with Eccentric Café taproom and event programming. A much larger craft beer incumbent whose taproom-and-event model informs FWB's brewing arm.
• Founders Brewing Co. Grand Rapids, Michigan craft brewery with large taproom and event space. Adjacent scale craft beer incumbent demonstrating what a more capitalized Michigan brewery-taproom can become.

Direct peers

• Black Star Farms: Suttons Bay, Michigan destination combining winery, distillery, inn, and farm-to-table restaurant. Most directly comparable multi-beverage producer with on-site hospitality and event venue in the Michigan craft segment.
• Journeyman Distillery: Three Oaks, Michigan craft distillery with restaurant, tasting room, and event venue on a restored historic campus. Directly comparable producer + on-site hospitality model with strong craft spirits focus.
• Round Barn Winery & Estate: Baroda, Michigan producer operating winery, brewery, and distillery plus an event venue with all-inclusive wedding packages. Closest comparable all-in-one beverage + event business model to FWB.
• Tabor Hill Winery & Restaurant: Buchanan, Michigan winery and brewery with full-service restaurant and event venue. Closely aligned model of wine + beer production paired with on-site food and private event service.
• St. Julian Winery: Michigan's oldest and largest winery, also producing spirits and sweet wines, with tasting rooms and event space. Comparable multi-beverage Michigan craft producer at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/drinkfwb
• Facebookfacebook.com/FentonBrewery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Fenton Winery & Brewery