Mike and Matt Walters boast that their business, Cocoon Brewing in Ledgeview, is more than just a place to eat and drink craft beer. It’s an experience.
“Cocoon Brewing is a toast to the collective moments of curiosity and adventure that shape us,” they say on their website, https://cocoonbrewing.com. “It’s an experience that allows us to reconnect with our sense of wonder and exploration. The Cocoon experience is designed to take you back to carefree nights with nothing on your mind but good friends and great conversation.”
For the thousands who follow them on Facebook and frequent the place regularly, that doesn’t appear to be an overstatement. The brothers, Matt, a pathologist for the Aurora system and area resident, and Mike, an architectural engineer living in Madison, have created a business that is unique to the area.
And it all started with home brewing.
Matt, left, and Mike Walters opened Cocoon Brewing Co. in 2023 in Ledgeview
Matt said, “I’ve always been interested in the food and beer scene. I applied for culinary and medical school at the same time, got accepted into medical school first, and went into medicine. But my interest in food and beverage never waned. When I moved to Green Bay for the pathology job, there weren’t many hazy IPAs and I am really into that style. So, I started to home brew.”
As his interest grew, he took a course in Milwaukee that took students through the process of brewing from barley to barrel. It was an intense entrepreneurship class designed to provide the basics for opening a brewery. The result was the opening of more than 15 breweries in the Milwaukee area, and Matt’s growing desire to do likewise.
He considered what it would take, and as part of testing his plan, entered a pitch event where he got up on stage and talked about the type of brewery he wanted to create. The idea was starting to become a possibility.
“I began to take this more seriously, and jokingly asked my brother if he wanted to be my partner in starting a brewery,” Matt said. “I thought he would say no, but he said, ‘OK.’”
The brothers tossed around ideas and began to develop a business model. Matt had completed the brewery course in 2018, and by 2019, they were writing a business plan. As they looked ahead to 2020 with plans to start construction, the initial timeline was derailed by the pandemic.
Cocoon Brewing Company beers
“We had a bank lined up for financing, and the bank called and withdrew the loan,” he said.
They spent months trying to find a new lender (Stephenson National Bank came through), and a new timeline was set. Construction began in 2021, and they opened in February 2023. Even with Mike living in Madison, Matt said his brother was fully engaged throughout the entire process. With his background in architectural design, Mike dealt with contractors and building plans.
Matt found the land as he was driving around the east De Pere area. When he discovered the 4-acre site, he said it just felt the right place for a brewery.
He said, “The Costco area was blowing up and a new bridge is planned for that area that will give another big thoroughfare. When I saw the land, I stopped, and then just jumped in.”
The site was designed to be a destination where people would want to come and spend time. A landscape designer from Madison helped bring the vision to life; a vision that is unlike what most people have seen.
There is an outdoor stage for events, a taproom serving wood fired pizzas and beverages, a games area, Adirondack seating under string lights, a large patio, and four “cocoons.”
Matt said, “The little ‘cocoons’ were part of our vision. These small cabins were an evolving concept that we had for quite a while. We thought of it as a northeast Wisconsin cabin experience. It is a space where you can hang out.”
The small buildings are themed. The brothers took two each and designed them. They are available for rent by small groups. They have dedicated Wi-Fi, streaming TVs, and Bluetooth audio for viewing and listening. They can be reserved on the website.
The business name, part of the unique character of the brewery, harkens back to the brother’s history. They grew up on a lake in northeastern Wisconsin and one of their hobbies was collecting butterflies that were entered into competition at the county fair. When it came to selecting a name, they thought back to their fascination with nature and the part their collection played in that.
“These formative moments had a lasting impact on our perspectives of the world,” Matt said. “On a practical note, when we looked at names, there were so many breweries in the country that we wanted to find something that was unique.”
Part of the butterfly collection is on display in the taproom. As the brothers continue to work at their full-time jobs, they also stay very active in the business. They have weekly meetings, often on Zoom, with the managerial staff.
But even with that help, Matt is busy doing long-term planning, marketing, merchandising, brainstorming about the menu, and back-end financial reports. Mike is designing labels for beer while Matt names them. They use a packager in Milwaukee and do whatever they can within a space that now seems too small.
With a schedule that includes about 100 events a year (often in connection with local businesses like Uncle Mike’s Bake Shoppe), private parties, menu additions, and brewing, Matt says that the business is relentless in the number of things there are to do. There is no room for stagnation.
Every batch of beer is crafted to be unique with production limited to 10 barrels at a time. That allows for continuing new options of beer with creative names. Recent batches included Belfry of Brussels, Belgian; Pollinator, a hazy brew; and Southern Flannel Moth, a stout beer. For non-beer drinkers, there is an assortment of cocktails, wine, sodas, and other beverages.
The brick-fired pizzas, likewise, provide a unique experience. There are some of the traditional flavors, but the current menu also includes pickle, street corn, and summer peach pizzas. Items change regularly.
This has all resulted in a booming business and a need for more space. They want to have their own canning location and a production facility for more brewing capacity. Outside distribution is growing, and Cocoon beer is making its way into local stores. But much of the focus remains on the physical location and making it a place for adults and children alike.
Matt said, “It is our motto to keep things vibrant and analog — real world experiences where you can touch something and do things with other people and kick a ball with your kids and do things that are actually living.”
Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and past district director for SCORE, Wisconsin.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Cocoon Brewing offers taproom, games and cabins for private parties