Our Mission
At Silver Hand Meadery, it's our passion to rediscover and reimagine, not just mead, but everything. Though mead is an old drink, we are not attempting to recreate what it once was. Our rediscovery of mead seeks to reimagine and reinvent mead, to bring it into current times, and make it relevant for today. We carry this principle of rediscovering and reimagining into the meadery in other ways. From the brick and corrugated metal on the walls, to the use of old barn wood and old doors to create our bar tops and tables, we want to use old things of beauty and give them a new purpose.
Our mission is simple: To create exceptional meads and unique experiences so that our guests can savor what is good together.
Our History
Glenn Lavender, Owner and first Meadmaker of Silver Hand Meadery, had a 12 year career touring North America and Europe with his Juno award winning band, Downhere. He spent a lot of time on tour reading beekeeping books and historical fiction novels by author, Stephen Lawhead. It was through his readings that Glenn discovered and developed a passion for the ancient drink of mead. He quickly learned how delicious and versatile this drink was, which inspired him to try his hand at making it. Glenn was pleasantly surprised with his results and decided to continue the craft of fermenting honey to make mead. With every batch, Glenn gained a deeper understanding for the process and enjoyed the whole experience.
In 2012, with growing families, the band decided to stop touring. Glenn, his wife Sherri, and their three boys moved from Cambridge, Ontario, Canada to Williamsburg, Virginia so that Glenn could pursue a job with a local church. Within their first couple of years living in Williamsburg, Glenn and Sherri decided to enter a few of their meads into the largest mead competition in the world, the Mazer Cup. They wanted to see what they could learn and, in the process, their entries ended up winning two awards. This exciting surprise gave Glenn and Sherri the confidence and motivation to open a meadery of their own.
In 2015, Glenn and Sherri immersed themselves in research and planning. Glenn visited many other meaderies and took courses at the University of California Davis, which is the premier wine making and viticulture school in the world. This, coupled with their curiosity for the historic beverage, shaped the beginning of Silver Hand Meadery. The location was secured and in May of 2015 the former doctor's office underwent a major renovation to turn it into a meadery. Soon after, licenses were issued, renovations were completed, and by mid November of 2015, Silver Hand Meadery started fermenting its first batches of mead and excitedly opened its doors.
Meet our Ownership Team
CJ Straight (left) & Sam Straight (right) at 2023 Sugarbelt Mead Festival in Richmond.
Founder and co-owner Glenn Lavender established Silver Hand Meadery in 2016. For the first five years, Glenn guided the meadery’s growth and laid the foundation for its commitment to quality, creativity, and community. His vision continues to shape the culture and direction of the business today.
Sam and Chris (CJ) Straight joined Glenn as co-owners in November 2021, bringing their expertise to the build-out of the new Production Facility in Toano, VA. Sam’s background in the craft beverage industry informed the design and layout of the facility, while CJ, a Civil and Environmental Engineer (BS, Syracuse University), provided essential leadership in project management and contractor coordination.
From January 2020 through August 2025, Sam also served as Silver Hand Meadery’s meadmaker. With a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Rochester and extensive experience in fermentation, beverage manufacturing, and quality control, Sam introduced innovations that strengthened production practices. These efforts helped elevate Silver Hand Meadery to new recognition at the 2021 Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition, where the meadery earned six gold medals and two silver medals for mead—an unprecedented achievement at the event.