What started as a retirement hobby has evolved into one of Georgia’s most celebrated craft distilleries, drawing thousands of visitors annually to a sprawling 70-acre estate in this rural railroad town about two hours south of Atlanta.
Erik and Karin Vonk, a Dutch couple who traded corporate life for farming, have built Richland Rum into a business that critics say produces some of the finest spirits available anywhere. Their journey began 25 years ago, rooted in Erik’s childhood memories of his grandfather’s lessons about rum production.
“He taught me as an impressionable kid and teenager the difference between rums made from molasses which is a byproduct of sugar making and rums made directly from fresh sugar cane,” Erik Vonk said.
The couple grow their own sugarcane on the estate, putting them among less than 5% of rum makers worldwide who use sugar cane juice instead of molasses. This distinction, the Vonks say, sets their product apart in a crowded marketplace.
“We are in the first real growth month,” Erik Vonk said, surveying the fields that supply their distillery.
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How the distillery produces its rum
The U.S. rum industry is experiencing what experts call a “rum renaissance,” with craft spirits gaining popularity nationwide. Georgia, in particular, has seen significant growth after legislative changes made production more viable.
Rum production in the state was essentially nonexistent until the turn of the century due to complicated liquor laws. A breakthrough came in 2017 when Georgia lawmakers allowed distilleries to sell their products directly from their facilities.
“Finally in 2017, the Georgia legislator allowed us to sell our own product in our own buildings,” Karin Vonk said.
The Richland distillery houses more than 1,000 American white oak barrels stacked to the ceiling, some containing rum that has been aging for more than a decade. The aging process is crucial to the final product’s quality.
“We always say the barrel decides when the rum is ready. It can be anywhere between six and 10 years,” Karin Vonk said.
Success didn’t come easily. The Vonks describe years of trial and error, with Karin noting “a lot of blisters” in perfecting their craft.
Distiller TJ Harris oversees the production process, which begins with combining 90 gallons of syrup with 500 gallons of water and six ounces of yeast. Fermentation takes seven to 10 days before the mixture moves to copper pot stills, where it’s distilled at 120 proof and transferred to barrels.
The operation’s reputation has attracted notable attention, including from former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who grew up in nearby Plains.
“President Carter and Ms. Rosalynn had so much interest in the process that then and there, we decided we were distilling a presidential barrel right there,” Karin Vonk said.
The couple acknowledges the challenges of combining marriage with business ownership.
“Starting a distillery is an enormous challenge. Combining the two is madness,” Erik Vonk said, laughing. “The fact that we’ve been able to do that and still are enjoying it every day — and still happily married — is remarkable.”
