Youngblood Winery, a family owned winery in Ray Township, is the recipient of a $55,000 expansion grant from the state of Michigan, obtained with the help of the Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development (MCPED).
Dave and Jess Youngblood applied for the grant through the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, which partners with Macomb County to visit the vast agriculture and food manufacturing businesses. The Youngbloods were approved for the grant to expand their production facility. The expansion will allow them to process more grapes, since the output in grape yield is much higher now that their plants are maturing into their productive years. The new facility will be part production, part private event space for things like graduation parties and weddings.
"Jack Johns has been guiding our business towards success from day one. He continues to be just a phone call away and the support he's given us through the Macomb County Planning and Economic Department is unmatched,” Jess Youngblood said. Whether it was connecting our business to the Department of Roads for freeway signage approval, Public Works and the Health Department for a wastewater permit for our new production facility or encouraging us to apply for the COVID-19 relief grants offered to businesses in our community, Jack has always pointed us in the right direction and kept us up to date.”
When working with our Business Development team, your business will be connected with service providers, grants and programs that can help your business grow. The Youngbloods are growing their businesses by using the resources available to all food manufacturing businesses in Macomb County. If your business can benefit from grant funding, networking events, workforce needs and training, reach out to one of the only counties in Michigan to have a designated food and agriculture specialist on its Business Development team.
Your food and agriculture resource at MCPED is Jack Johns. He can be reached at 586-469-6293 or jack.johns@macombgov.org. Visit business.macombgov.org/Business-Home for additional information about the department.
To learn more about the MDARD grant that the Youngbloods applied for, visit Michigan.gov/MDARDGrants.
