About Cork & Tap Excursions

We’ve had hundreds, if not thousands, of new followers since starting operations in mid-May of 2021, so we thought it might be a good time to reintroduce ourselves to all our new followers. My name is Mike Garbrandt and I am the owner of Cork and Tap Excursions, LLC.

I spent about twenty years, after graduating from Ohio University, working in various account management and supervisory roles with several organizations. I was laid off in late 2020, after new laws went into effect that wiped out my role at an energy efficiency consulting firm. Through the roles I’ve held, I developed a passion for providing people with the best possible experiences and planning events at my previous employer gave me the foundation to start out on this adventure. All of this coupled with the help of a friend who had been talking to me about this idea for several years and his blessing to take it and make it my own and a financial boost from my Mom, I created Cork and Tap Excursions, LLC.

Cork & Tap Excursions, LLC officially started in 2021 providing safe and reliable transportation between wineries and breweries in different parts of central, East central, and Southeastern Ohio. Since we started, we have gotten to know more than 200 of you personally and helped you create memories, laughs and lots of good times. Today, we are doing that and helping plan life changing events while out giving our guests the opportunity to experience fine Ohio Wines along with stunning vistas of the rolling hills of Ohio’s Appalachian region and beyond. We also have a strong desire to help our customers appreciate all the great wines, beers and spirits that the crafts people at all of our stops create. They truly are gifted at their craft and encourage everyone to experience their talents.

I do a lot of the stuff you see out in public and online, but I wouldn’t be where I am today without my team at home. My wife Wendy, who I have been married to for 20 years creates lots of great ideas for me that we execute every day and some of you get to converse with her via messenger when I am unavailable, in her “free time” she is a high school teacher. My daughter Libby who is a sophomore at the College of Wooster, taught me almost everything about setting up my business page on Facebook and constantly encourages me to not make slide shows. My son Michael is in fifth grade and does a lot of grunt work getting the van ready for trips and making sure the seat warmer works in the front seat.

I am grateful for all the support from our past customers and followers who share, like, and comment on all of our posts. We are excited to see what 2022 has to offer and meet all of our new customers and welcome back some of our previous customers and to roll out some exciting partnerships with lodging and destinations in the very near future!