Orchard Country Winery and Market received the Door County “Entrepreneur of the Year” award Wednesday at the Stone Harbor Resort in Sturgeon Bay. The business was established in 1985 by Bob Lautenbach, but the Lautenbach family has been planting, harvesting and producing quality fruit products in Door County since 1955. When the original market was destroyed in a fire in 2005, the Lautenbach family used the event to reinvent itself and, over the past five years, has experienced great financial growth. So much so, that a major project is planned for this year, expanding the market by 5,000 square feet. The “Entrepreneur of the Year” award celebrates those individuals who have taken the initiative to start and grow a successful small business in Door County last year’s winner was AJ Frank, owner of the Door County Trolley Company. The award was handed out during the annual investors meeting of the Door County Economic Development Corporation.
