Our family story originates, somewhat unexpectedly, in The Netherlands. Both born during the start of the Great Depression, Harry Westers and Johanna Petter spent their childhoods brought up during the height of WWII under German occupation. In 1945 at the end of the war, aged 15, they finished primary schooling and soon left to attend university in Amsterdam where they met for the first time. They married a couple of years later in 1952, and in 1958 they set out for the United States in search of greater opportunity. Aspiring for a career in his love of forestry, Harry eventually found interest in the area of fish biology. Graduating from The University of Michigan, he worked many years throughout the state as a leader in the industry. Eventually, in 1973 they settled in the small town of Rives Junction, on the property we now call home. Having loved his work, Harry continued in his pursuits by having a large 4 acre pond dug to further his research in the field. That same pond now serves as the center-piece of the entire property. Over the course of those many years Harry and Johanna welcomed 10 children together, 25 grandchildren, and too many great grandchildren, extended family, and new friends than can be counted.

Ever since it was first purchased, the property has been serving as the gathering place for many generations. It has thrown children’s birthday parties, family reunions and summer picnics; to later celebrate those same children’s graduations and even their wedding days. The property is imbued with countless stories of people's lives all intertwined into one place. Today the property is owned by Harry and Johanna’s son, Lloyd and his wife Wendy, who purchased a portion of the property in 1986, the same year they married, and began building their own home and family. In 2006, after a trip to the Niagara wine region with some family members, the dream of a small winery was inspired. Besides an obvious passion for wine, it was the joy of shared conversation and quaint yet stunning surroundings that led the two to believe they could take some of that home with them, and offer others a place for meaningful gathering as well.

In 2007, with the help of family and friends, they decided to plant a small one acre vineyard as a first step toward their goal. In 2015, after having owned a custom cabinetry company for over 20 years, Wendy and Lloyd decided it was time for a change, and thought of a new path that they believed could help further the long time dream of owning a winery. Having hosted a couple weddings on the property for family members, they felt they could open up that possibility to the public, an idea that would also allow them to combine their love of cultivating a beautiful property and hosting memorable events.

The idea for a wedding business was sparked, and in 2016 renovations began on transforming the cabinetry building into a fully operational wedding venue. To do so, an old Michigan prairie barn was torn down and the remnants were used to outline the venue's interior with rustic hand hewn beams and warm tones of natural wood; while the exterior was modeled after a traditional New-England style barn. The first renovations were completed by the year end 2016, just in time for their oldest son and his wife to be the first to get married at the venue in January of 2017. Soon after, in the spring of that year, the sense of gathering and celebration that started it all, was extended to share with others who dream of bringing families together and starting one of their own. Today as the wedding venue continues to fulfill its mission, the winery presses forward as well to reach the original dream. In 2021 the first grapes were purchased to begin wine-making, in the spring of 2022 we broke ground on a new building that will serve as the future site of our tasting room and cafe, and in January 2024 our first wines were put into bottle and labeled with the Westers Family Name. We yearn to see the winery fulfilled and extend our history to include more faces and stories with you.