St. Julian Winery gets $100,000 state grant

St. Julian Winery in Paw Paw is set to receive a $100,000 state grant to increase its efficiencies.

PAW PAW — One of Michigan’s oldest continuously operating wineries has obtained a $100,000 state grant to increase its wine production.

St. Julian Winery announced Tuesday it is in line to receive the $100,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The funding will be used to add a new centrifuge to improve the wine-producing process for the winery that makes a variety of award-winning wines that are distributed throughout the Midwest and United States.

“The extensive investments in winemaking equipment are game-changing for us during our most busy time of the year, increasing efficiencies throughout the winemaking process,” said Nanci Oxley, vice president of winemaking at St. Julian, in a news release. “We are excited that MDARD selected St. Julian to receive a grant supporting our investments. The new centrifuge for premium wine production will allow us to continue our passion for innovation in an increasingly competitive wine market.”

Centrifuges are machines with a rotating container that applies force to contents placed in the container, separating fluids from solids.

St. Julian’s current annual wine production is about 1 million gallons, and the centrifuge will serve as a catalyst to increase the wine production volume and product distribution, Oxley said. Adding the wine centrifuge will increase premium wine production by 5 percent.

St. Julian often processes more fruit than they need for their branded wines, so excess raw product is distributed to other wineries for use in their production. Their current bulk customer list exceeds 100 wineries, but adding the premium centrifuge will grow the list with several new customers in the upcoming year, Oxley said. St. Julian also produces private label products for wineries, and the centrifuge will allow for these bottled products to be priced more economically, which will allow St. Julian to add new private label customers.

The grant for purchase of the new centrifuge will not only help St. Julian with its wine production, but help the Paw Paw environment.

Currently, 8,000 pounds of solid waste can be found in the local wastewater system after the current aggregate wine production process, each year. The new centrifuge will produce about 2,000 fewer pounds of solid waste, which will positively impact Paw Paw’s sewer water systems and reduce recycling costs at the treatment facility, said Will Joseph, Paw Paw village manager.

“We are continuously evaluating ways to improve the sustainability of our local utilities. We appreciate St. Julian’s forward thinking and that this grant will have the benefit of reducing their use of this village’s wastewater system,” Joseph said.

Market Van Buren, an economic development group that serves Van Buren and Cass counties, helped St. Julian Winery secure the grant.

“Market Van Buren’s support in applying for this grant was key to it being awarded, and we appreciate the expertise they bring in supporting local businesses to pursue grant opportunities, like this one,” Joseph said.

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