It's all about nature, community and craft at The Workshop Brewing Company. Located on the edge of downtown Traverse City in the Warehouse District, live music, traditional craft beer and a revamped menu is proving to be a sustainable model for a brewery dedicated to honoring Northern Michigan's spectacular natural environment.
Katie Lynn to the rescue Jon Becker MIBrew Trail Chicago native Katie Lynn may not sport a cape or possess superpowers, but as far as a Traverse City brewery owner is concerned the longtime food and beverage professional is in a class by herself. Drawn by her passion for food and beverage establishments where music is a big part of the venue, Lynn left her corporate job in the Windy City to go to work for Pete Kirkwood, owner and founder of The Workshop Brewing Co., a Traverse City brewery whose entire business philosophy is tied to the region’s breathtaking natural environment. Lynn, the company’s assistant general manager, has only been there since September of 2020. But to say she’s had an indelible impact is like saying there may be some lakes and cherries around the Traverse City region. Lynn may very well be John Tapper-like, star of the television show “Bar Rescue.” This is not to say The Workshop Brewing Co., established in 2012, was mismanaged by any stretch of
the imagination. It’s just that stepping into one of the hardest hit industries during the pandemic, (in Michigan, no less, with its strict mitigation measures) and playing a lead role in figuring out ways to remain afloat when so many businesses were going under had to be every bit as challenging a scenario as celebrity bar-restaurant fixer Tapper ever faced. “Katie appeared in our moment of need — in the thick of the pandemic,” Kirkwood said. “She rolled up her sleeves, threw on a mask, and jumped in. I told her she was nuts to leave a good job to join us, but she loved our business philosophy so much that she did it anyway. Now she’s living the embodiment of that philosophy.” How big of an impact has Lynn had? “She saved my sanity this year, and she may well have saved our business too,” Kirkwood said without a trace of hyperbole. “She’s amazing.” The business philosophy Kirkwood refers to centers around what the company likes to call “Trifidelity.”
12 | www.MiBrewTrail.com
Said Kirkwood, “We call our philosophy Trifidelity because we are motivated by these three things: nature, community and craft. We are in business to preserve Northern Michigan’s spectacular natural environment, to reinforce Traverse City’s warm and vital community, and to honor traditional craft. We do not consider our business to be a success unless we are demonstrably doing all three.” Lynn comes from a tight-knit family. She said she is extremely close with her parents, Mary and Tom, and has an identical twin named Bridget and a younger sister, Maureen. When she decided to leave Chicago for Traverse City, it was a homecoming of sorts for the family. When Katie Lynn was 5, they moved to Chelsea when her father took a job there. The family had vacationed every summer in Petoskey and Harbor Springs, “so we were very familiar with Traverse City,” she said. “We always stopped there on our way home for lunch and a beer.” As much as the thought of living and working in Traverse City See Katie Lynn on 32
"Katie appeared in our moment of need--in the thick of the pandemic," said Pete Kirkwood, the owner of The Workshop Brewing Company. "I told her she was nuts to leave a good, steady job to join us, but she loved our business philosophy so much that she did it anyway. She saved my sanity this year, and she may well have saved our business. She's amazing."
MI Brew Trail | Spring 2021
