The unforgettable moment the Valparaiso community has been waiting for years has finally come. On Saturday, October 14, Journeyman Distillery officially opened the doors of its new Valparaiso location, The American Factory, with a grand opening celebration that left everyone excited about the city’s future.
“We've been working on this project for five years, so naturally as we got close to opening we knew we had to hold a big celebration. In the distilling and hospitality industry pretty much all we do is throw parties for people. We’re excited to finally throw our own,” said Bill Welter, founder of Journeyman Distillery.
Welter first decided to open up a second Journeyman location in 2017 when he realized that he wanted to find a way to bring his business back to his roots.
“Valpo is my hometown. I was born here, I grew up here, and I’ve spent the better part of my life here. My family has been operating businesses in Valpo since 1972, so there's a history and a legacy here that I felt was important to add to,” said Welter.
There was no better way for Welter to honor his family’s and Valparaiso’s history than by choosing to bring new life to the old Anco factory that has been vacant since 1984.
“I don't think we would ever build a new building. The idea of bringing something back to life while incorporating all the stories that come with it is at the centerpiece of what we're doing. There aren’t many old factory buildings like this around anymore so when we found this one in Valpo, my hometown, it was natural,” said Welter.
Before construction even began, the community and city were eager to welcome another local business in with open arms. Welter received so much feedback and nearly all of it was nothing but kind words of support and encouragement.
“Bill Welter is from Valparaiso, grew up in Valparaiso, and is returning to his hometown as a successful entrepreneur. His story, like many other success stories around Valparaiso, should be celebrated and welcomed in our community. Bill is bringing not only Journeyman Distillery to Valparaiso, but they are also bringing a brewery, restaurants, a banquet venue, and so much more. It will be a destination in the Midwest that will attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to the greater Valparaiso area. This distinction makes it unique in our community and one that will strengthen other businesses and the community as a whole,” said George Douglas, director of development for the City of Valparaiso.
At the grand opening, the community’s excitement about the new distillery only grew. The day began with a moving ribbon-cutting ceremony. Several city leaders, including Mayor Matt Murphy, came out to help cut the ribbon on the city’s newest addition.
“The Journeyman project truly represents what is good and right in our country and in our community. Transforming a vacant building from an eyesore to a destination. Preserving good things that last. Bringing out the best in spaces -- and in each other. The warm spirit of hospitality. Jobs for generations. I think that’s the success of our downtown and of our city – preserving what’s good and building on it to serve the future. I hope that the Journeyman project inspires others and reminds the community that much planning has gone into downtown," said Murphy.
After the ribbon-cutting, the real festivities began. People from all over the Region flooded into downtown Valpo to see for themselves the transformation of one of Valpo’s oldest buildings. Everyone couldn’t help but stop dead in their tracks and gape open-mouthed at the beautiful venue.
“Watching the transformation from the old factory into the Journeyman campus has been especially gratifying for me personally. I am so excited for everyone to experience this magical wow factor when they step inside for the first time,” said Douglas.
Once people got over their shock, they had a wonderful time tasting all of Journeyman’s countless food and beverage options. To make the grand opening celebration even more exciting, the Journeyman team released a brand new popcorn whiskey in honor of Orville Redenbacher. The team created the whiskey with popcorn instead of regular corn and worked with ConAgra to get a limited agreement on the rights to use Orville’s image to decorate the bottles. This brand-new flavor will only be available at The American Factory.
Welter was proud and relieved to see everyone enjoying themselves. The road to get there had been long, but one look at everyone’s smiling faces made it completely worth it.
“This process has definitely taught me perseverance. There were plenty of opportunities where it would’ve been easy to give up. Between the pandemic, high inflation, and a lot of people not wanting to come back to the hospitality industry after COVID-19 it’s probably been one of the most challenging periods in American business history. I’m relieved and excited to have this location ready,” said Welter.
The city is equally proud of everything the Welter family has accomplished and looks forward to doing everything it can to support them moving forward. There are already plans in place to connect the area around The American Factory to the rest of downtown.
“What we see today is a project that will serve our community so well, welcoming each other and visitors to our community, providing jobs, revitalizing an extension of our downtown. We look forward to seeing the Journeyman project spark enhancements in a part of downtown that we call the transit-oriented district, near the ChicaGo Dash bus station. We look forward to adding a lighted pathway to connect this district to Lincolnway in the near future,” said Murphy.
The grand opening of The American Factory was truly a remarkable day not just for the Welter family, but for the future of the Valparaiso community. The Journeyman team is grateful for everyone who has supported them throughout the construction process and can’t wait to begin serving the Region.
“The people of Valparaiso have been so supportive, Valpo’s leadership has been incredible, our team has been so invested in bringing this to life--we're just so grateful to all the people who have chosen to see this project to completion,” said Welter.
To everyone who missed this weekend’s celebration, don’t be shy to come on out and see for yourself everything that Journeyman Distillery has to offer. It’s not often that a building with such a rich history gets a second chance at life, let alone the chance to become a locally-owned business that will bring the community together for endless years to come.
“I think it's going to be worthwhile to come down to Valpo and see the building come back to life for the first time in nearly 40 years,” said Welter.
To learn more about Journeyman Distillery and its new location, visit www.journeyman.com.
