West Fork Whiskey Expanding to Westfield
(rendering courtesy of West Fork Whiskey Co.)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndianapolis based-West Fork Whiskey Co. is planning an agritourism facility near Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield. The distiller is investing $10 million into building a 35,000-square-foot facility, which it says will create 52 jobs by 2024.
West Fork has designed the 12-acre agritourism destination to include a 5,000-square-foot event center, a 4,000-square-foot restaurant, retail space, a cocktail lounge and more, all centered around highlighting Indiana agriculture and artisanal products.
Plans call for the first phase to break ground in 2021, with the potential for other outdoor amenities and expanded acreage in the future. The new facility marks the company’s second location after opening a downtown Indianapolis tasting room in 2017.
West Fork says it plans to begin hiring for the new jobs next spring.
“We’re looking to change the regional and national perception of Indiana as a whiskey producing state while creating an approachable and interactive experience,“ said Blake Jones, co-founder of West Fork Whiskey Co. “This project is an incredible opportunity for our team to provide visitors a complete whiskey experience beyond our downtown tasting room, which will include facility tours, tasting classes, and a variety of educational components.”
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered West Fork up to $450,00 in conditional tax-credits based on job creation, and the city of Westfield is also considering additional incentives.
“We built Grand Park to create a commercial tax base and when companies, like West Fork, decide to invest here, it shows this strategy is working for our city,” said Westfield Mayor Andy Cook. “We want innovative and community-minded companies, like West Fork, to bring their energy to Westfield. I am excited that they want to grow roots here.”