Jacob Tschetter has been with Tuthilltown since July of 2022 and coming from a small town himself, he was eager to build roots within the community. Naturally, he’s extending his outreach where the history of Hudson Whiskey and Tuthilltown first began, Gardiner NY. With many plans in the works this year, including a weekly Farmers Market that will premiere April 29th, we sat down in an interview with Jacob for a sip of what’s to come.
Picture provided by Tuthilltown
What spurred the initiative for a farmers market?
I grew up in a small farm community and I used to come up here to go rock climbing. I started off as our brand ambassador, and the company really enjoyed the work that I had done. I saw a leadership opportunity up at the distillery and was hoping to give folks the opportunity to support each other in a symbiotic way.
“A large part of what I believe in is building community, I’m not doing this to make a bunch of money.”
At the core and the crux of this market is to build a great community. I want local vendors to be part of this, I want my team members to be able to say they want to hang out on site, and I want to literally be able to cater to our neighbors.
Tuthilltown Spirits has generously offered GAB Members a free spot at the April 29th market, and sign up can be found here: https://app.anyroad.com/tours/farmer-s-market/s-9aee61bc
Jacob Tschetter, speaking at last year’s August Mixer
What are some other plans to come?
We’re looking to start doing live music on site again and even correlate that with the farmers market. We recently moved the visitors center down to the Gristmill- I knew how much the town loved that place, so I made some major repairs for it to be an experiential space. I’m working on our site to make some really cool distillery only spirits that folks can enjoy, and the upstairs will be an event space again. I’m also hoping to have items on consignment to have at the Gristmill and visitors center eventually.
And if anyone remembers movie nights in the park, we’re also working on bringing movie nights back to the field. I’m serious when I say we welcome all opportunities to host fun, engaging events, and even have a crafters series in the works.
“I hope to make the community we’re building thoughtful, affordable and accessible.”
Do you have any new spirits in the works?
We have two exciting and new Hudson Whiskey innovations in the works, and we’re making some new liqueurs, but I can’t tell you what they are yet. We’re also moving to make some canned cocktails. All good things!
Reflections at last year’s Gardiner Association of Businesses Mixer
We’re glad that you’re here! What has your experience been like at Tuthilltown Spirits?
I’ve been in this position since July and it’s funny, I originally worked for an agency with the company and saw a really good opportunity to make something great happen at the distillery.
“I looked at all the different kind of work I had done and I feel like it really brought me to this place.”
A lot of the skills I developed over time, and it felt like everything had built to this point when this role came up. I wanted to come on site to be an advocate for the team members here, be an advocate for the community, and for our neighbors. I believe in this place. This was right.
And if members of the community have an idea, have them reach out, my door is open.
To learn more about Tuthilltown, visit them here: www.hudsonwhiskey.com/en-US/distillery/
Interested in learning more about the Gardiner Association of Businesses and the benefits of becoming a member? You can explore member benefits and sign up for membership here: www.gabny.com/join