HOLLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — One family has opened up a new brewery in the space formerly occupied by Hopland Brewstillery in Holland Township, bringing a familiar touch to the business. Sisters Laurel and Jessica Ringling, along with their parents, Mary and Lee, are lifelong residents of the community. They're now at the helm of Leigh's Brewing Company.
Eight years apart, the sisters share the middle name "Leigh."
"I wanted a sister so bad, so I was so excited when she finally came along," said older sister Laurel at Leigh's Brewing Company on Monday.
"Laurel was my hero growing up, but obviously, being so far apart in age, there was, you know, only so close that we could be," said younger sister, Jessica. "So, that's also why it's so cool that we're able to do this together, because it kind of really connects us a lot more."
The sisters draw inspiration for the brewery from their own experiences as a family, particularly with their dad.
"He came here when it was Big Lake, and he was a regular. Then Hopland took over, and he was a regular. And he always was saying, 'It would be so cool to own a place like this, so cool,'" said Laurel.
They aim to rekindle the community atmosphere reminiscent of the past.
"Our focus is on building that community aspect that was before, when our dad was coming and would take us," Jessica emphasized.
The brewery industry is currently facing some challenges, including rising costs.
Scott Graham, Executive Director of the Michigan Brewers Guild, noted, "I think we're seeing craft beer sales slow down, and we've seen costs go up, everything from labor to raw materials, rents, you name it, costs are up."
However, Graham also mentioned changing consumer preferences, saying, "I would say that people who like to go to a brewery also like to go to a small distillery. They like to go to a winery. I think they really like to have the varied experience."
Laurel and Jessica are addressing these trends by diversifying their offerings.
"We make our own beers spirits, which we're really proud of, and then we will have our own wines coming soon," said Jessica.
"We have amber ale, oatmeal stout, porter. We're working on a Mexican lager, some IPAs. It's a process to get it out, and in the meanwhile, people are drinking it. So, we really want to get up our variety. Have something for everybody eventually," Laurel added.
Steven Siddall, founder of Hold MI Beer, has been monitoring the state's brewing scene for 18 years. He said it's all about adaptability.
"We need to keep it alive. And the only way we can do that is continuously adapt to the changing markets," said Siddall. "I think breweries are going to be successful by catering to their local clientele and drawing people in, just by word of mouth, and, you know, making great beer."
Laurel and Jessica are happily embracing this challenge.
"I felt the pressure, but I think we've realized we just need to make it our own. And if you provide a good product and good customer service, that gets you a long way," Laurel concluded. "It's a little more personal, because there's usually one of us here, and so there's not a lot of breweries you can go to and sit down and actually talk with the owner and give your suggestions or input and feedback."
"We've been having a lot of the old usuals come back, express how they, you know, kind of felt that absence of having the place to go to," said Jessica. "So, we do have some of the old bartenders that have joined us. We are so thankful that they're here with us. They are amazing, amazing people, and they were really a big part of what made the last place so great."
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
