Journey Construction Group partnered with St. Julian Winery & Distillery, Michigan’s first and longest-running craft distillery, to modernize and expand multiple facilities while preserving daily operations.
Founded in 1921, St. Julian continues to grow its network of local growers and tasting rooms across Michigan. As their operations expanded and technology evolved, they needed a construction partner who could move quickly, solve problems, and work around active production and hospitality environments. Journey completed three separate projects for St. Julian and continues to serve as their trusted partner in construction.
With over a century of winemaking and distilling history, St. Julian faced several challenges:
- Aging spaces that needed to support modern winemaking and distilling technology
- Growing customer demand across multiple tasting rooms
- Ongoing production that could not stop
- Hospitality spaces that needed to remain safe, welcoming, and operational
The challenge wasn’t just building—it was building without slowing down business.
Journey approached each project with a problem-solving mindset, coordinating construction work around production schedules, retail hours, and seasonal customer demand.
Cedar Rock Renovations:
Journey completed renovations to update existing spaces while maintaining operations, ensuring the facility could support innovation while honoring St. Julian’s long-standing traditions.
Union Pier Tasting Room Expansion:
Journey most recently completed an addition and expansion of the Union Pier tasting room. This included expanded retail space to improve guest flow and patio expansion to increase capacity during peak summer season. Construction was phased and completed quickly to minimize disruption.
Paw Paw Distillery Renovation:
At the Paw Paw Distillery, Journey completed renovations incorporating modern technology. The renovations brought an increase in production efficiency, improvement to safety, and continued growth of distilling operations. Despite tight timelines, the project was turned over efficiently while maintaining active operations.
Across all three projects, Journey delivered construction solutions that supported St. Julian’s growth without interrupting production or customer experience.
Results Included:
- Updated spaces designed for modern winemaking and distilling
- Expanded hospitality areas to serve a growing customer base
- Increased production efficiency and safety
- Zero operational downtime
- A continued partnership built on trust and performance
