BPNC 7/24/08 11:46 AM Page 58
bpnc distillery
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BPNC Distillery operates out of a 40,000-square-foot dis-
tillery in Temperance, Mich. In addition to manufacturing
its own products, such as Tiki Rita Margarita and EDEN,
the company offers contract manufacturing services to
clients, which comprises 70 percent of its business.
BPNC Distillery has the ability to produce an average of
400,000 cases annually. Its goal is to be one of the
largest alcohol suppliers in the industry.
it grew to be carried in 25 states, as well
as the United Kingdom, Germany and
Holland. According to BPNC Distillery, it
has manufactured more than 40 million
Zippers shots.
Along with vodka-based shots and
new flavors and formulas for the Zippers,
BPNC Distillery has developed other
products. For instance, in 2005, the com-
pany introduced the Tiki Rita Margarita,
which is made with pure tequila.
In 2006, the company introduced
EDEN, a cocktail made with white rum.
“Created for the consumer who wants a
58 food and drink • fall 2008 • www.fooddrink-magazine.com
non-carbonated, lightly sweetened,
great-tasting cocktail, EDEN is cool and
refreshing,” the company says. “At 7.5
percent alcohol, the blue raspberry and
pink lemonade flavors have a smooth,
clean finish.”
Pearson says the company’s latest con-
tract products include its Apple Pie
Liqueur, which blends apples, cinnamon
and natural grain spirits, and Bohemian
Spiced Whiskey, a blended Canadian
whiskey. The company is also introducing
producing Cryptonic, a 70 proof green
lemon lime liqueur.
Breaking Barriers
As BPNC Distillery grew, it moved its
operations to a 40,000-square-foot distill-
ery in Temperance. Pearson shares own-
ership of the facility with his wife, Vice
President Molly Pearson.
There, the company not only manufac-
tures its own products, but also provides
its contract manufacturing services,
which comprises 70 percent of its busi-
ness, Brian Pearson says. BPNC Distillery
has the ability to produce an average of
400,000 cases annually.
Pearson says BPNC Distillery’s cus-
tomers often are entrepreneurs from the
restaurant and bar industries. Usually,
these clients “want to take that concept
that’s been working locally in their bar,
and they want to take it on a nationwide
level,” he says. For instance, Apple Pie
Liqueur is owned by Travis Hasse, a bar
owner in Wisconsin.
In addition to contract packaging,
BPNC Distillery provides brokering serv-
ices to help its clients get their formulas
and labels approved by federal and state
agencies. Pearson also sends samples of
his clients’ products to wholesalers to
generate interest.
“If I do [that successfully], I receive a
brokering fee and run the product in that
state,” he says. “We are allowing these
people, for a small price, to be able to
enter this market.”
Often, “There [are] a lot of people
with good ideas,” Pearson says. “The
barrier to entry [has] been distilleries
[that] have not wanted to participate
with these smaller contracts.”
Strong Fighters
Despite the hardships, Pearson has not
regretted his move into the distillery busi-
ness. “It’s a highly profitable industry,” the
former Marine asserts, noting that the
challenges have not scared him off. “I’ve
been unable to leave any fights in my life.”
He also enjoys working alongside his
wife at BPNC Distillery. “She started
[here] when she was just 21,” Pearson
remembers. “She’s been in New York in
the dead of winter, trying to sell [gel-
atin] shots.”
While he brokers and sells all of BPNC
Distillery’s brands to wholesalers, “My
wife brings in all the contracts [and] gets
them to the point where we’re ready to
bottle,” Pearson says. “[She’s] just been
extremely strong.”
“My goal is to be one of the largest
suppliers of alcohol beverages in the
industry,” Pearson says. The company is
preparing to expand its facility by 40,000
square feet to make room for 1,000 pal-
let positions.
This will allow BPNC to store alcohol
for clients who do not have the room,
Pearson says.
In addition, while the company pro-
jected that it would have eight new
contracts this year, it has already
exceeded that goal.
“We’ve already got 30 halfway through
[this] year,” he reports.