Our customer service is industry leading, we are small enough where I still directly reply to emails...Yet we’re also large enough to have the capital to grow to the scale where we can provide real value to our customers.
— Brian Tennis
Founder of Hop Alliance
NORTHERN MICHIGAN HOPS COMPANY BLOSSOMS INTO INDUSTRY LEADER
BY Jon Becker FOR mibrew trail
Michigan furniture manufacturer Herman Miller, but was drawing inspiration from a man he calls his hero, Larry Mawby, a Northern Michigan agricultural pioneer—and a fine winemaker to boot.
Tennis wanted to find out if the fertile grounds of the Leelanau Peninsula would be conducive to growing hops.
“I figured if Larry was crazy enough to plant grapes here, I would try to follow in his footsteps and plant hops,” Tennis said.
Farming is often a multi-generational family way of life where knowledge, experience and hard-knocks lessons are passed on from generation to generation. That’s not the case here though.
“I’m a first generation farmer with no background in agriculture,” Tennis said. “Hops were really the first plant I ever grew on a commercial scale. When we planted the first commercial certified organic hop yard in Michigan it was more of an experiment to see if we could successfully grow hops on the Leelanau Peninsula.”
ack in 2008, IT Specialist Brian Tennis had an idea that had nothing to do with computers. Tennis was working at
B
Two college buddies turned-entrepreneurs, Dane Bosel (left) and Andy Clouse, began their quest to produce quality homebrews as students at Northern Michigan University, first brewing in Clouse's apartment and post-college in Bosel's garage.
Tennis’ experiment was proving to be successful and he was faced with a decision.
“The business grew to the point where I had to decide on a career path,” he recounted. “I chose hops over computers.”
He then formed Hop Alliance in 2010 to process his own hops, as well as hops grown at other reputable farms across Northern Michigan. The company is based in Omena (Leelanau County) with offices in Wixom and Livonia, a footprint that has seen it evolve from humble beginnings to become one of the largest independent hop suppliers in the country. It also has the distinction of being the oldest hop operation in Michigan, according to Tennis.
The Distant Whistle Brewhouse is known for its Pale Ales and IPA's, Loyal customers point to the brewery's ability to consistently produce a quality beer and its large selection of rotating taps as but a few of the reasons they keep coming back.
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By Mike Lerchenfeldt for mibrew trail
Project. These microbreweries are two different and separate companies but same ownership. She splits her time equally between both locations. As their first and only female brewer at these popular microbreweries, she is said to be a breath of fresh air in the world of craft brewing. These are two of the best places to be in the Metro Detroit Area to meet up and lap up a beer. They both have great atmospheres and plentiful beer selections made with tasty local ingredients.
They are perfect spots to go to after the Detroit Lions let you down. Rain or shine – it’s always pouring. In two vibrant communities, she helps brew beers for the masses to experience. Being able to create something out of raw grains that people can enjoy is a great feeling. Her favorite beers on tap are low ABV and crisp. They have clean, easy drinkability for a hot or cold day. Perfect for Michiganders who never know what to expect weather-wise, and perfect for health conscious, outdoor runners like Sudduth.
Two former Northern Michigan University classmates and friends have turned a youthful hobby into a successful business in the village of Vicksburg, located in Kalamazoo County. Dane Bosel and Andy Clous are equal partners in The Distant Whistle Brewhouse, a small batch craft brewery they opened in August of 2016.
Clous was a home brewer in college and when he and Bosel both later moved to the Kalamazoo area, they remained friends and, after brewing some batches in Bosel’s garage, the two began to entertain serious thoughts about taking their passion for craft beer to another level.
“Andy had all his homebrew equipment from college but he was in a one-bedroom apartment. That was kind of cumbersome,” Bosel said. “I had a garage and those first batches turned out well. Then we started thinking about how we could sell our beer.”
The dream, though, got bogged down with “all the red tape, paperwork and waiting” involved in meeting all of the licensure requirements to open a brewery.
B
Two college buddies turned-entrepreneurs, Dane Bosel (left) and Andy Clouse, began their quest to produce quality homebrews as students at Northern Michigan University, first brewing in Clouse's apartment and post-college in Bosel's garage.
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Hop Alliance has a smaller structural footprint than many of its competitors. Tennis views this as a competitive advantage.
“We can be nimble enough to rapidly adapt to market conditions. We lean heavily on just-in-time logistics. We also don’t have enormous overhead and we don’t build up years of stale inventory.”
Nobody’s success story is strictly a solo venture and Tennis is quick to give credit where credit is due.
“The Hop Alliance would not be where we are without my business partners from Streetcar Ventures, Michael Collins and Michael Chetcuti,” he said. “They are among the most talented and brilliant people I know. Plus, they are a hell of a lot of fun and great people.”
As an industry pioneer and leader, Hop Alliance has set a standard it attempts to live up to in every aspect of its operation.
“I truly believe we are unique,” he said. “You don’t see a lot of merchants carrying the selection we do and at the price point.”
Because there is no middleman, Hop Alliance is able to offer customers (or partners as Tennis prefers to call them) better prices.
“We work directly with the farmers,” he noted. “You also don’t see the customer service that we offer.”
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MIBREW TRAIL MAGAZINE
ISSUE 2, SPRING 2021
Our customer service is industry leading, we are small enough where I still directly reply to emails...Yet we’re also large enough to have the capital to grow to the scale where we can provide real value to our customers.
— Brian Tennis
Founder of Hop Alliance
This division of responsibility, Tennis added, has allowed Hop Alliance to expand, but has more importantly, allowed “us to be laser-focused on quality.”
Tennis has a message for beer enthusiasts: “Please keep supporting your local breweries, especially the ones that have a Michigan hop focus. They need you more now than ever.”
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“We will celebrate our 14th anniversary harvest this year,” he said. “We started as a first-time farmer operation that was set up as a co-op to help encourage the growth of the Michigan hop growing industry and to help smaller farms process and market their hops.”
Today the full-service hop merchant grows, processes and markets Michigan-grown hops to over 4,000 accounts nationwide. The company’s impressive emergence as an industry leader doesn’t mean it has outgrown its roots.
“We are still focused on helping fellow Michigan hop farmers and consider it an honor to work with them,” he said.
The company also sells smaller one-pound hop packs to home brewers.
Tennis wears the passion for what he does on his rolled-up sleeve.
“I love what I do,” he enthuses. “I believe this passion translates throughout our organization. Our focus on Michigan hops is also something we love to boast about. We helped start the modern hop industry here and still grow and process over 20 Michigan-grown hop varieties.”
Hops are the flowers, or cones, of a plant called Humulus lupulus, a member of the Cannabaceae family. They are a bittering,
flavouring, aromatic, and stabilizing agent in beer. In other words, they provide beer flavor, aroma and preservation.
Hop Alliance prides itself on customer service and has assembled a team dedicated to this core principle. It employs a full-time hop yard manager and a logistics team that “excels at what they do,” Tennis said.
If you reach out to Hop Alliance you’re likely to reach the boss, founder and owner Tennis, not an automated recording with multiple prompts that, naturally, don’t provide the answers you’re seeking.
“Our customer service is industry leading,” he said. “We are small enough where I still directly reply to emails and phone calls and provide quick solutions. Yet we’re also large enough to have the capital to grow to the scale where we can provide real value to our customers. The fact that we have a dedicated full-time hop yard manager and a logistics team allows me to solely concentrate on procuring hops and brewer outreach.”
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Tennis’ experiment was proving to be successful and he was faced with a decision.
“The business grew to the point where I had to decide on a career path,” he recounted. “I chose hops over computers.”
He then formed Hop Alliance in 2010 to process his own hops, as well as hops grown at other reputable farms across Northern Michigan. The company is based in Omena (Leelanau County) with offices in Wixom and Livonia, a footprint that has seen it evolve from humble beginnings to become one of the largest independent hop suppliers in the country. It also has the distinction of being the oldest hop operation in Michigan, according to Tennis.
Hop Alliance has a smaller structural footprint than many of its competitors. Tennis views this as a competitive advantage.
“We can be nimble enough to rapidly adapt to market conditions. We lean heavily on just-in-time logistics. We also don’t have enormous overhead and we don’t build up years of stale inventory.”
Nobody’s success story is strictly a solo venture and Tennis is quick to give credit where credit is due.
“The Hop Alliance would not be where we are without my business partners from Streetcar Ventures, Michael Collins and Michael Chetcuti,” he said. “They are among the most talented and brilliant people I know. Plus, they are a hell of a lot of fun and great people.”
As an industry pioneer and leader, Hop Alliance has set a standard it attempts to live up to in every aspect of its operation.
“I truly believe we are unique,” he said. “You don’t see a lot of merchants carrying the selection we do and at the price point.”
Because there is no middleman, Hop Alliance is able to offer customers (or partners as Tennis prefers to call them) better prices.
“We work directly with the farmers,” he noted. “You also don’t see the customer service that we offer.”
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We spoke with owner and brewer Patrick McGinnity about what it’s like to run a brewing business so distant from the mainland.
READ MORE
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Three “merry band of misfits"—have meshed their personalities and skills to be a perfect fit for Pigeon Hill Brewing Company.
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CHICAGO NATIVE KATIE LYNN TO THE RESCUE
Katie Lynn may not sport a cape, but as far as a Traverse City brewery owner is concerned the longtime food and beverage professional is in a class by herself.
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BREWING: AMERICA'S
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KATIE LYNN TO THE
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