In 1987 Richard Teetsel started a small landscape company called Thunder Bird landscaping. The inspiration to the company name was after his favorite car the 1957 ford Thunder Bird. Although never having the opportunity to own his dream car it remained the inspiration to the company. In 2017 after
30 years in business Richard Teetsel closed Thunder Bird Landscaping and sold off the company to enjoy a hard earned and much deserved retirement.
In 2021 Richards son Derrick began to develop an interest in brewing and distilling. As he worked to help Cory Hightower get Dos Caminos brewery off the ground his desires to open his own distillery became more and more of a realization. Derrick struggled to come up with a company that would offer something that other local craft distilleries and large distillers alike could not offer. As he remembered back to his father’s time as an entrepreneur Derrick recalled how he always wanted to carry on the family business. However, Thunder Bird Landscaping was sold off and landscaping was Richard’s passion not Derricks.
The idea of reviving the thunder Bird name and re branding it as a Distillery was the only right decision. Derricks vision is to build a successful distillery that lives up to the quality and service that it was originally was founded on by Richard Teetsel. With his son, Cameron Teetsel, this father, and son
duo want to build a company worthy of the Thunder Bird name, build a legacy that Derrick can pass down to his children, and finally buy that 1957 Thunder Bird for his father.