In 1998, twenty-three year-old Brian Pearson, former Marine and Presidential Guard, became an unlikely entrepreneur. His mother requested that he purchase gelatin shots for his sister’s twenty-first birthday party, and Brian saw potential in a gap in the market. Zippers Gelatin Shots were born from a family suggestion, and started in Pearson’s basement. Demand grew quickly and the company moved operations to a remote production facility that could better handle a larger production schedule. After manufacturing gelatin shots at the partnering facility, Pearson brought the operation back towards his hometown and opened BPNC Distillery. In that time, Brian met Molly, a new employee at the growing business.

Though the business was tested, Brian persevered and he and Molly, now his wife, became the youngest distillery owners in the nation. Through their experience and expertise they soon found another gap in the industry: contract packaging opportunities. The Pearsons opened the doors of BPNC Distillery to other entrepreneurs interested in the alcohol business. The first contracted product, Muddy-Gut Holler Moonshine, ran through the facility in Temperance, Michigan in February of 2007. Offering a wide range of services from product development to marketing, BPNC Distillery grew into its 40,000 square-foot facility, and by the end of 2007, and so did the staff. Employing five new full-time hires, the company moved into 2008 looking toward a very bright future.

BPNC had inquiries for 30-some new contracted products in early 2008, and introduced several new products at the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers show in Las Vegas that spring. Welcoming not only new products, but a new baby as well, Brian and Molly entered summer of 2008 by celebrating landmarks. BPNC became one of the first production facilities of its kind to receive USDA Organic Certification and received calls daily inquiring about the company and its contract bottling capabilities. With so much on the horizon, the company began investigating options for expansion. BPNC rounded out its first decade in business by completing production on its seventh contracted product and adding a new bottling line to accommodate the demand for production.

The company that started making gelatin shots in the basement has certainly matured. Brian and Molly Pearson have transformed BPNC Distillery into Temperance Distilling Company, named after the location of the new production facility in Southeastern Michigan. Positioned on 30 acres of land and tucked into the surrounding cornfields, the facility has plenty of room for expansion in the future. With USDA Organic Certification and a new winery permit, Temperance Distilling Company is on the cutting edge of a rapidly growing market and looks forward to nothing but success and longevity in the alcohol industry. This spring, TDC launched nearly a dozen new products at a convention in Orlando, Florida, with many others preparing for production.