For Joe and Alissa Zimmerley, Summer Lakes Beverage started with a simple idea to make something they would be proud to serve to friends and family. The husband-and-wife team, who met while working in the Twin Cities hospitality industry, began making fresh cocktail mixes at home for their own gatherings. Before long, friends and family started encouraging them to turn those homemade recipes into a business. And in 2018, Summer Lakes Beverage was born.
This year, Summer Lakes Beverage is opening the doors to its newest and most ambitious chapter at the Minnesota State Fair: the brand-new Summer Lakes Boat House. Located at the southwest corner of Randall Avenue and Underwood Street on the North End of the fairgrounds, the 2,700-square-foot Boat House gives fairgoers a new place to experience the Minnesota-based beverage company, with cocktails and mocktails, food, and live entertainment, all positioned on a 9,000-square-foot gathering space. For a company that began by making drinks for gatherings at home, it’s a fitting setting for a major milestone.
From a 20-by-20 Tent to a State Fair Destination
Summer Lakes Beverage’s story at the Minnesota State Fair began in 2019, when the company first appeared as a marketplace vendor in a 20-by-20-foot tent. Seven years later, the company will now occupy a significantly larger footprint.
The new Summer Lakes Boat House is the first new building constructed on the State Fairgrounds since 2018, transforming Summer Lakes from a small marketplace presence into one of the fair’s newest destinations. The space features outdoor seating and a stage that will host live entertainment all throughout the Fair. It’s also a reflection of how much Summer Lakes Beverage has grown as a company since launching in 2018.
Joe and Alissa came to Minnwest Bank in early 2025 and met with Derek Boeve with their plan to expand into the State Fair with the new building. It was a very competitive process, but ultimately, their plan was selected by the fair to move forward. Once Summer Lakes received the green light, Derek knew it was time for Minnwest to help get this incredible project to the finish line.
“This was a very unique experience as we had never worked with the State Fair before. It was fun to be involved, see everyone step up and work together from the Fair to Joe and Alissa to the Minnwest Bank team. With all the details required in this type of deal, Joe and Alissa’s diligence in the process helped make it go quite smooth.” Minnwest Bank Market President Derek Boeve says.
While the company has expanded its reach, its core philosophy remains at the center of the brand: making delicious drinks with real ingredients that can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere.
A Minnesota Business Built for Gathering
There’s a natural connection between Summer Lakes Beverage and the Minnesota State Fair. The company’s brand is rooted in the kind of casual gatherings that are familiar to Minnesotans, whether that be time spent with friends, or food shared around a table and drinks enjoyed on a warm summer day. And with the opening of the Summer Lakes Boat House, that spirit has a new home on the fairgrounds.
For Joe and Alissa, the journey from making cocktail mixes in their home kitchen to opening a destination on the fairgrounds represents a remarkable evolution for a business that began with encouragement from the people closest to them.
“I had grown up going to the State Fair, so it is really cool to help Joe and Alissa achieve their dreams of having the Summer Lakes Boat House at the Fair. That’s what community banking is all about.” Boeve says.
As thousands of fairgoers make their way through the gates, they’ll have a new destination to discover, and Summer Lakes Beverage will have an opportunity to share the brand it has spent the past eight years building. From homemade cocktail mixes to placements on store shelves across three states, and now from a 20-by-20-foot State Fair tent to a brand-new building on the fairgrounds, Summer Lakes Beverage’s story is one of growth without losing sight of where it started – bringing people together.
