candgnews.com JANUARY 9, 2025 Vol. 44, No. 1
2025 Trax LT
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North revitalizing hockey program
26125 Van Dyke • Center Line (Just south of 696 on Van Dyke) (586) 754-7000 • www.edrinke.com
*995 down with Lease Conquest. 36 month lease. 10,000 miles per year, plus tax, title, plate. Pricing is based on select model vehicles while supplies last. See Salesperson for details. Expires 1/10/2025.
0060-2502
Velvet Peanut Butter makes smooth transition to new owner BY K. MICHELLE MORAN kmoran@candgnews.com
METRO DETROIT — A Detroit lunchtime staple is coming back home. Atwater Brewery founder Mark Rieth, of Grosse Pointe Farms, has purchased Velvet Peanut Butter and plans to bring production of the beloved sandwich spread back to Detroit. Rieth closed on the purchase Jan. 2. Rieth, who sold Atwater to Molson Coors in 2022, has been in the brewery and beverage industry for more than 25 years. He laughingly admits that buying a peanut butter business “was never in the forefront of my mind,” but he grew up eating Velvet Peanut Butter and, coincidentally, was from a family of three boys, not unlike the Velvet logo that features three boys to represent the brand’s classic tagline, “Fresh. Pure. Delicious.” Rieth said he intends to bring production of Velvet back to Detroit. A Livonia plant “shut down many, many years ago — probably 40 years ago,” Rieth said. Under a previous owner, production moved to Georgia, which is the largest producer of peanuts in the United States. “One of the biggest things is, it’s an iconic Detroit brand, like Better Made,” Rieth said. “That’s
Grosse Pointer Mark Rieth, who is well known for his work in the beverage industry, has recently purchased Detroit-born Velvet Peanut Butter. He plans to bring production back to Detroit. Velvet Peanut Butter was started in Detroit in the late 1930s.
See VELVET on page 4A
Photos provided by Velvet Peanut Butter
Lions, Tigers and ponies to peacefully coexist during Woods’ sports-themed Winter Fest WOODS — Grosse Pointe Woods is kicking off its 75th anniversary year with an annual event designed to chase the January blahs away.
An estimated 600 to 800 Woods residents and their guests are expected for Winter Fest, which will take place from noon to 3 p.m. Jan. 25 at Ghesquiere Park, behind the Woods City Hall complex. During a Jan. 6 Woods City Council meeting, City Councilwoman Angela Coletti Brown — the council liaison to the Citizens’ Recre-
ation Commission — said this event has been going on for about the last seven years. The Citizens’ Recreation Commission organizes Winter Fest. “This will be a big event,” Coletti Brown said after the meeting. “And it’s really the first public event in the See WINTER FEST on page 5A
Our Saturday Market Has Over 60 Vendors!
AVOID CABIN FEVER! We are open and heated for a great shopping experience! Come join the fun.
316 E. 11 Mile Rd. Just East of Main St. • Royal Oak • 248-246-3276 • ROMI.gov
0327-2502
BY K. MICHELLE MORAN kmoran@candgnews.com