Schnaubelt Distillery / Old Noyo Ice Company

Overview

Schnaubelt Distillery occupies one of Noyo Harbor's more interesting surviving working buildings.

Before spirits were produced here, the structure was the Noyo Ice Company, remembered as the harbor's first icehouse. Its original job was essential: provide the ice and cold-storage support needed to keep fish fresh as they moved from boats to buyers.

After the icehouse years and a long quieter period, the old building found another working life as Schnaubelt Distillery.

Location

The building stands at 32425 N. Harbor Dr. in Noyo Harbor.

Its location placed the ice company directly within the fishing fleet's network of docks, processors, boats, storage facilities, repair operations, and other businesses needed to keep the harbor functioning.

History

Eugene and Rosamond Thompson established the Noyo Ice Company as the first icehouse in Noyo Harbor, reportedly building the operation from the ground up.

Ice was critical infrastructure in a commercial fishing harbor. Before modern refrigeration became commonplace aboard boats and throughout the seafood industry, dependable ice helped protect the catch from boat to processor or market.

Rosamond Thompson continued operating the Noyo Ice Company until 1976, when it was sold to the Grader family.

The property also had a workshop side. Community memory recalls quarter-midget race cars and even an airplane being built in the shop area. The handprints of an owner's daughter and paw prints of the family dog are also remembered as still being preserved in the concrete.

By 2018, the old Noyo Ice House was described as a historic harbor warehouse that had sat unused for years as plans moved forward to convert it into a distillery and tasting room.

That redevelopment eventually produced Schnaubelt Distillery, giving the old industrial building a new purpose without erasing its harbor history.

The Building Today

Today Schnaubelt Distillery produces and bottles spirits in the historic icehouse.

The change from ice production to distilling is substantial, but the building remains an active working structure rather than simply a preserved artifact.

The Schnaubelt name carries its own connection to Noyo Harbor, with community memories pointing to the family's long involvement in local fishing.

Community Memories

Local recollections connect the building and the Schnaubelt family with generations of Noyo Harbor fishing and the more improvised character of the old working waterfront.

One childhood memory recalls the property as a hiding place for magazines taken from the nearby Salmon Inn.

More recent comments focus on the distillery itself, including its vodka and its connection with drinks served at The Wharf.

Together, the memories show a building that has crossed several worlds — commercial fishing, mechanical projects, family life, neighborhood mischief, and eventually craft distilling.

Timeline

Early Harbor Era — Eugene and Rosamond Thompson establish Noyo Ice Company as Noyo Harbor's first icehouse.

Icehouse Era — The company provides ice and cold-storage support for the commercial fishing fleet.

Workshop Years — Quarter-midget race cars and an airplane are remembered as being built in the shop area.

1976 — Rosamond Thompson sells Noyo Ice Company to the Grader family.

Later Years — The former icehouse enters a quieter period and eventually sits unused.

By 2018 — Plans move forward to convert the historic Noyo Ice House into a distillery and tasting room.

Current Era — Schnaubelt Distillery begins a new working chapter inside the old icehouse.

Present — The historic building continues in active use at 32425 N. Harbor Dr.