Fresh Beer Growlers & Local Wines Will Soon Be Added to Manistee Spice Destination
Deanna Marsh and Dorrett Kata, co-owners of Northern Spice Co. at 378 River Street, Manistee, have made it their mission to use the freshest spices and herbs to infuse every meal with great taste and high quality. Now, their mission has bridged to beverages that are in frequent alliance with spices: beer and wine!
Armed with business school savvy and years of incubation in farmer’s markets, the business now encompasses 30 natural proprietary spices, all hand blended daily. Their business has evolved into retail, wholesale, mail-order (see killer gift baskets) and private label offerings, supported by an eager willingness to sample, sample, sample to ensure spices hit the savory bullseye.
As one customer put it after smelling a spice: “This one knows its way around a ribeye!”
Deanna Marsh and Dorrett Kata pose with Laura Galbraith (front), president of Venture North, the nonprofit lender who provided capital for the new beer coolers, display units and more — Fresh, hand-blended spice mixes run the gamut from sweet to savory to spicy and even include a special “Sullivans” (“good on everything”) blend, the proceeds of which go to benefit local charities.
“Stop by to smell, taste and enjoy!” says Deanna Marsh. “Bestsellers include our Manistee Steak Seasoning, Holy! Hamburger, Simply Three, Pure Maple Sugar BBQ Rub, Blacksmith Bayou Blackening and 1871 Pork/Poultry BBQ Rub. But you must swing in to taste and capture the essence of the spice that will make the most of your meal.”
Dorrett Kata serves as corporate Spiceologist and makes the most of state-of-the-art spice mixing and preparation facilities.
“We do everything fresh with no harmful MSG or fillers,” Kata says. “We pride ourselves on producing spices with 100 percent consistency. Our research of herbs and spices is an endless labor of love – all centered on healthy options for making every meal taste better!”
Warm up your tastebuds by going to northernspiceco.com to scan the offerings, including their Spice of the Month Club and monthly spice feature. Website recipes span the globe of palates, including Grilled Cheese with Sriracha Salt, Cornell Chicken Marinade, Maple Bacon Summer Slider and Two-Step Pumpkin Spice Latte.
And now, with help from Venture North Funding and Development, Northern Spice Co. is bringing a new beer and wine cooler on board with a mission of filling growlers with special on-tap brews and offering wines of local origin that fit well with various spices. Venture North, a nonprofit provider of low-cost capital and no-cost business consulting, provided capital for beer coolers and display units, beer and wine inventory and working capital for liquor license purchase and related fees.
“A strong business supported by a great business team,” said Steve Brower, Venture North lending specialist. “This is an ideal expansion of their already flourishing company. They will also create two new part-time positions to help with the expansion of their product line.”
“We appreciate Venture North’s support for the growth of a successful small business on Manistee’s River Street, the heart of downtown,” said Laura Heintzelman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Manistee County Community Foundation (MCCF). “Their social mission to lift up people and businesses in underserved markets is a great fit with our vision of a community where everyone can thrive. We have expanded the positive impact of both organizations by working together.”
In 2024, the MCCF made a $250,000 loan to Venture North through the Foundation’s Impact Investing Program to help build a small business loan fund for Manistee County. Impact investments are investments made with the intention of generating both a social and financial return.
More enticing smells can be found right next door to Northern Spice at Alpine Chocolat Haus, also owned by Marsh and Kata! — Steve Brower and Laura Galbraith of Venture North join Deanna Marsh (center) during a visit this summer — A view of the Manistee River Channel, as seen from a room at the Manistee Inn and Marina, also downtown and also managed by Marsh and Kata.
“It’s a logical extension for us,” says Marsh. “Growlers enable our guests to enjoy fresh-made local beers at home without a loss of carbonation. An excellent choice at a reasonable price for beer lovers. It’s also a really good way to support local breweries – the product they make and the jobs they offer.”
The bigger picture is this.
Marsh and Kata are also co-owners of Alpine Chocolat Haus next door, with its own “chocolatemeister” – Bruce Brown, owner of the “parent” Chocolat Haus in Gaylord – who crafts extraordinary chocolates of every style and filling accompanied by a magnificent selection of ice creams and ice cream deserts, wonderous gift baskets and house-made dipped apples. The chocolate creations know no bounds and include seasonal favorites like chocolate covered strawberries and mandarin orange slices plus – wait for it – a big, beautiful chocolate bunny around the Easter holiday — a steal at $250.
The duo also manages Manistee Inn and Marina, also connected to Northern Spice, with 14 docks on the Manistee River Channel that provide easy access to Lake Michigan waters, a treasure for anglers who prowl the Great Lakes for trout and salmon. Seven fishing charters are also berthed at the docks, offering charters for everything from Chinook and Coho Salmon to Steelhead, Lake Trout and more. The Inn has 25 rooms that each sleep 1-4 people, are pet-friendly and come equipped with all of life’s necessities, including fridge and coffee maker.
“We are blessed with wonderful, hardworking team members,” says Marsh.
“We have something for everyone 12 months out of the year,” said Marsh. “We can also help people explore our beautiful town and our bounty of natural resources. It’s a great time to be in Manistee – we love it!”
For media inquiries:
Contact: Tim Ervin - Ph: 231-794-0089 - Email: timervinassoc@gmail.com
For a .pdf version of this story, click here.