Founding Members Crew, early supporters of Coffin Rock Distillery
The Founding Members Crew is for people who want to be involved in building Coffin Rock Distillery in York, Western Australia.
This is not a mailing list and it is not a discount club. It exists for people who want to contribute time, skills, effort or support and be recognised for helping turn a rundown farming shed into a working distillery.
Coffin Rock Distillery is being built slowly and deliberately on a rural property outside York in Western Australia. Before the doors open, before the bottles are on shelves, there is a long stretch of work that never gets seen. Planning, clearing, infrastructure, fit out, trials, mistakes, fixes, and decisions that shape what this place becomes.
The Founding Members Crew is invited into that phase.
What the Crew is about
Contribution before consumption.
This crew is about contribution before consumption.
Members are not buying a finished product. They are backing the process. Helping build something real, local, and long term, and being part of its story from the start.
That contribution can take many forms. Time on site. Skills and labour. Advice. Resources. Support. Advocacy. Showing up when things need doing. In some cases, financial contribution in place of hands-on labour.
What truly matters is involvement and a willingness to have a go, not how flashy or public that contribution is. Sometimes all someone has to offer is an idea that changes how things are done.
Ways you can contribute
- Time on site during build days.
- Skills and labour, hands-on help when things need doing.
- Advice and practical perspective that improves decisions.
- Resources and support that move the build forward.
- Advocacy, sharing the project with the right people.
- Connections, introductions, and local know-how.
- Ideas that change how things are done.
- Financial contribution in place of hands-on labour, where appropriate.
What members get back
Recognition reflects involvement over time.
Rewards are earned, not promised upfront.
Founding Members are recognised for what they contribute and how they contribute. That recognition may include priority access, early releases, limited runs, invitations, acknowledgements, and experiences that will never be available to the general public.
Some rewards may exist early. Others will only make sense once production is underway or the distillery opens. The value builds over time, just like the spirits.
Founding Members get a closer look behind the curtain. That includes updates on progress, decisions, setbacks, and wins. Equipment choices. Design thinking. Trials and experiments. What works, what fails, and why.
Recognition may include
- Priority access when bookings and releases open.
- Early releases and limited runs.
- Invitations tied to milestone stages.
- Acknowledgements based on real contribution.
- Experiences not available to the general public.
- Build updates, decisions, setbacks, and wins.
- Behind-the-scenes detail on design and equipment choices.
- Trials, experiments, and what we learn along the way.
Not for everyone
Intentionally limited, built for the long haul.
The Founding Members Crew is intentionally limited.
If you are looking for quick rewards, discounts, or something polished and finished, this is not it.
If you like seeing how things are built, want to contribute meaningfully, and value being part of something before it is cleaned up and packaged, you will fit right in.
Good fit if you
- Want to be involved early and stay engaged as the build evolves.
- Care more about contribution than perks.
- Like learning how things are built and improved over time.
- Are comfortable with a project that is still in progress.
- Value local, long-term outcomes over fast wins.
- Can show up in whatever way you can, when you can.
- Enjoy practical updates, not polished marketing.
- Want to be part of the foundation, not just the opening day crowd.
The long view
Support the slow build and the people behind it.
Coffin Rock is a long game.
Spirits take time. Infrastructure takes time. Reputation takes time. The Founding Members Crew exists to support that slow build and to acknowledge the people who helped make it possible.
Years from now, when the distillery is operating, the stills are running, and the first spirits are leaving the warehouse, Founding Members will know exactly where they fit into it. Not as customers, but as contributors.
What to expect over time
- Build progress updates as major decisions are made.
- Milestone moments as the site takes shape.
- Behind-the-scenes detail on trials, fixes, and improvements.
- Recognition that reflects real involvement and impact.
- Opportunities that make sense as the project evolves.
- A founding chapter that closes once the doors are open.
- Ongoing acknowledgement that does not expire.
- A clear place in the Coffin Rock story, from the beginning.
Join the Founding Members Crew
Expressions of interest will open soon.
This is built through conversation and genuine alignment with the build phase, not automatic sign-ups or open links.
When the expression of interest form goes live, you will be able to submit your details and, if it feels like the right fit, receive access to the private community channels and build updates.
In the meantime
- Read the Crew FAQ below for how it works.
- Join the Founding Members Crew list for the expression of interest launch.
- Stay connected for build updates and milestones.
Founding Members Crew FAQ
Clear answers on involvement, recognition, and how the process works.
Coffin Rock is not offering equity, ownership, or profit-sharing arrangements. In future phases, there may be structured opportunities to participate in specific barrels or production runs. These would be separate from the Founding Members Crew and will only be introduced once properly defined.
Any financial support provided during the establishment phase is treated as support for the Founding Members Crew and the development itself, not as an investment or entitlement to business profits. In other words, you are helping build the distillery, not buying a seat in the boardroom.
There is no minimum threshold and no attendance sheet. Some members will be deeply hands-on during the build. Others will step in at key stages or contribute in more focused ways.
What matters is showing up in whatever way you can and staying engaged as the project evolves. This is about building something together over time, not clocking hours.
That is completely fine. Not everyone can be on site every weekend, and not every contribution happens with tools in hand. Advice, perspective, connections, and well-timed ideas can move a project forward just as much as physical labour.
The door stays open. You contribute when you can, and that contribution becomes part of the build.
Recognition reflects involvement over time and the impact of what you contribute. Some moments of recognition may come during on-site build days, events, or milestone stages as the project progresses.
Because this is an active build, certain rewards or acknowledgements may be tied to being present during key stages. Others will unfold later as the distillery takes shape.
Nothing here is transactional. It is about being part of the journey as it happens.
No. There is no requirement to contribute financially. Time, skills, ideas, support, or simply being involved when possible are all valid forms of contribution.
At times, certain rewards or gestures may be handed out during on-site build days or milestone events. If you cannot attend, that does not exclude you from the journey. Where practical, there may be opportunities to access or purchase items you missed, so being absent on a given day does not close the door.
You are stuck with us for life. If you were part of the build and early phases of Coffin Rock, that contribution becomes part of the distillery’s foundation and part of its story. It becomes part of yours too.
This is not a temporary badge or a subscription that expires. There are no ongoing payments or obligations. Founding Member status reflects when and how you showed up during the formative stages, and that recognition remains long after the doors open and the stills are running.
The Founding phase exists during the build and early establishment of Coffin Rock, when the groundwork is being laid and the character of the distillery is still being shaped.
Once the doors are open and the stills are running, the Founding chapter closes to new members. Those who were part of it remain part of the foundation, and that distinction does not reopen later.
Expressions of interest will open soon.
When the form goes live, you will be able to submit your details and, if it feels like the right fit, receive access to the private community channels and build updates.