Clarksburg wine destination Old Sugar Mill under new ownership. What to expect
When Michael Kooyman, owner of Clarksburg’s Old Sugar Mill, died last June, the future of the venue was cast into uncertainty. This was made even worse when the property went into foreclosure and the general manager left shortly thereafter.
In the ensuing months, the tasting room tenants pulled together to keep operations running smoothly.
David Ogilvie, co-owner of Clarksburg-based Silt Wine Co., is a longtime tenant, producing the company’s wine at the Old Sugar Mill’s facilities. He took it on himself to lead the charge to keep the Old Sugar Mill afloat.
“It’s not just about Silt. It’s about the community of Clarksburg. That building is important to our town and our local economy. My great-grandfather was involved in bringing that to Clarksburg for Amalgamated Sugar back in the ‘30s,” he said.
At the time, they thought they were in for a short transition, working with the building’s lender to get the property up for auction. It ended up being six months.
At the end of last year, Highland Pacific Capital LLC bought the property out of foreclosure. Woodland-based manager Jobin Randhawa said he saw the potential in the Old Sugar Mill and plans to restore it to its original glory.
Randhawa envisions a three-pronged approach to restoring Old Sugar Mill.
“First step is the tenants, getting their leases re-signed, but also just making sure they’re happy. They’ve stepped up and taken control of the property, and I want to turn them back into tenants so they can enjoy just making sure their businesses are thriving,” he said.
The next step is to bring back the events side of the business. Old Sugar Mill has historically been a popular destination for weddings, but bookings dropped off during the foreclosure.
“Some of them didn’t want to risk it, which is understandable,” he said.
The third step is to restore the custom crush facility. Again, during foreclosure, many wineries that had used the crush facility relocated operations due to perceived risk, including Ogilvie.
“I made a decision not to process anything at Old Sugar Mill in 2025. I did all my production at friends’ places in Lodi. It impacted my ability because I live in Clarksburg, not Lodi, so it’s put more strain on our business,” he said.
Ogilvie commends Randhawa for his proactive approach to bringing back Old Sugar Mill.
“They’ve been drinking from a fire hose learning about the place. They have taken care of a lot of the deferred maintenance and working with the county, taking care of PG&E and all the things,” Ogilvie said.
The custom crush facility and Clarksburg Wine Co.’s liquor licenses were held in Kooyman’s name. Randhawa is trying to get them transferred, but is simultaneously applying for new licenses as a backup plan.
“(Alcohol Beverage Control) says that there is a path forward, but, you know, just to be safe I wanted to also get a new license going, just in case suddenly the transfer stops,” he said.
In the longer term, Randhawa a vision for new opportunities, especially because of the acreage.
One possibility is converting the four-story sugar mill building, which is currently just used for storage.
“That has great potential to become either another venue or more smaller suites for artists,” Randhawa said. He notes that as the Delta Shores community continues to expand, communities like Clarksburg become less remote.
For now, that’s all just speculation. Randhawa’s first priority is on making the existing businesses successful.
“We’re really focused on just making sure Old Sugar Mill stays the Old Sugar Mill. There’s nothing I want to add that I don’t want to test first. If we do add craft beer, if we do add a distillery, is it going to hurt the tenants? Because I don’t want to bring it if it’s going to hurt them.”
Working with Randhawa has been a source of relief for the tenants.
“There was a worry that someone would come in and choose not to keep the production going or come in and turn into something completely different and kick out all the chasing rooms,” Ogilvie said. “We’re happy that the new owners have come in with the mind of building up and not tearing down. It’s exciting.”
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 10:16 AM.
