Editor's Note: The Eastern Echo staff is meeting regularly with interesting people both on and off campus. Engage in those conversations with us through our weekly Q&A report. This week, The Echo features two Ypsilanti natives who launched a local business based on honey wine.
Co-owners Jeff Fraser and Patrick Echlin introduced mead to the Ypsilanti area in 2018 when they opened Maniacal Mead Co., a first-time business venture for them both, on Ecorse Road. The two have been serving highly rated drinks and hijinks to the outer community for over five years. They also created their other business 738 Brewing Co. in Depot Town at about the same time.
Q: Can you tell me a little bit about you? How did you get into the alcohol business?
Echlin: I was born and raised in Ypsilanti. I did spend some time away, but family brought me right back to settle here. When I was off at Western Michigan University (in Kalamazoo, Michigan), Bell’s Brewery was right there (8938 Krum Ave. in nearby Comstock, Michigan). I went in, and I was fascinated by it and the whole process that put it together. I hadn’t tried anything related to homebrewing before, but I was enamored. Fast forward to 2016, and my partner and I began building the 734 Brewing Co. where we focus on a few different types of beverages. We finished setting up in 2018 and that was the start to our first business venture.
Q: So you started with 738 Brewing Co. How did you come up with the idea for a meadery?
Echlin: I was sitting at the former Cultivate working on some stuff for 734 Brewing Co. and that's when I met my business partner, Jeff Fraser. We got to talking and he told me about his dreams to start a company. I took him to my own brewery, showed him the dirt floor, and he asked if I wanted to try starting a meadery with him. I said sure and the lease was signed in 2018. Mead wasn’t anything special to me when I started 734, but when I was talking to Jeff, he told me he had some mead in his car that he’d made. In previous ventures with it, I’d written it off as something that wasn’t really for me and wasn’t my taste. We cracked his open and it dawned on me that I’d never seen what mead could really be.
Q: Are there any challenges you faced while creating your businesses?
Echlin: There were a lot of challenges, but I wouldn’t want to put them out there. With any heavy-regulated industry, there’s a lot of paperwork and lots of loops to jump through. Luckily, I had 734 already, so I was pretty prepared when I opened the meadery. In all honesty, it's starting to get pretty cramped production-wise at our current location, so we’re starting to look for ways to expand our footprint. For now, however, we’re focusing on maximizing what we have and spreading the word about our edge-of-town shop.
Q: What can customers look forward to? Any upcoming events?
Echlin: The first Thursday of every month we host an event called 'Thorsday' (get it?), where some of our customers come in dressed like Vikings, and we even drink our mead straight out of horns. It’s kinda quirky, but it’s fun. If you’re just coming in looking for drinks, we usually have about 18 different options on tap, and those flavors change week-by-week. It’s definitely worth stopping by, since there’s a good chance that you’ll be trying something new.
For those interested in checking out Maniacal Mead Co., the in-person location is 1497 Ecorse Road in Ypsilanti, Michigan. More information about future events and drinks for purchase can be found on the pair’s website at maniacalmeadco.com. To contact Maniacal Meadery, send an email to maniacalmeadco@gmail.com.
