Hiatus Craft House was founded in 2022 as Banks and Baugher Craft Distillers. Dean Banks and Jeff Baugher made significant, lasting contributions to the start-up distillery before moving on to new adventures in 2024. Dawn and Dave Gross now own and operate the distillery and tasting room with an eye towards their philanthropic endeavors.

Born from a passion for making, a compulsion to create. Baking, cooking, canning, weaving, designing, fabricating, building, gardening, coding, optimizing, engineering, investing, giving, gaming, brailling, and now distilling. A culture of experimentation requires a tolerance for failure. Taking risks and making mistakes has been instrumental to the success of the founders.

After a string of successful startup companies and venture capital investments, Dawn and Dave shifted their focus to philanthropy. Their goal is to pay-it-forward by providing young entrepreneurs and those with special needs with positive, transformative experiences to help them achieve their potential. Through programming and giving, their non-profit, NewCo Foundation has provided millions of dollars for special needs populations and young entrepreneurs in Ventura County.

All profits from Hiatus Craft House are donated to NewCo Foundation. The journey is the reward. Thank you for letting us share our creations with you.