Economics of 'going pro'.
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- Hillbilly Popstar
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Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
I like the grill idea.
Another way to keep the lights on that I am interested in is to have your distillery double as an event center.
Make everything attractive with a bright and shiny still front and center in a warehouse/hall with lots of shiplap and rustic looking reclaimed building materials, all on a decent sized piece of property where you grow your own sugar cane, corn, and various fruits for seasonal offerings.
Host and cater wedding receptions, offer liquor packages, give property tours, host distillation classes and clubs.
Another way to keep the lights on that I am interested in is to have your distillery double as an event center.
Make everything attractive with a bright and shiny still front and center in a warehouse/hall with lots of shiplap and rustic looking reclaimed building materials, all on a decent sized piece of property where you grow your own sugar cane, corn, and various fruits for seasonal offerings.
Host and cater wedding receptions, offer liquor packages, give property tours, host distillation classes and clubs.
"Making likker with a hydrometer and thermometer is like measuring the length of a 2x4 with a clock"
Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
The problem I have with selling my enjoyment to others is now I'm subject to their opinions and critiques. That sucks the enjoyment out of it for me and it becomes like a job and a chore.
I love to fish and I'm decent at it. When I take someone and we don't catch fish, I'm stressed and they are disappointed. It's called fishing, not catching. I feel this way when I'm giving away my enjoyment for free. Could you imagine trying to run a charter service where your lively hood is at stake?
Even if I made the best liquor in the world that stress would fold my business not my shitty liquor that I enjoy.
I love to fish and I'm decent at it. When I take someone and we don't catch fish, I'm stressed and they are disappointed. It's called fishing, not catching. I feel this way when I'm giving away my enjoyment for free. Could you imagine trying to run a charter service where your lively hood is at stake?
Even if I made the best liquor in the world that stress would fold my business not my shitty liquor that I enjoy.
You could write a book on the stuff I don’t know
- jonnys_spirit
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Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
There's a local craft distillery that has a 250 gallon still, maybe six 250g fermenters, and a mash tun that accommodates 250g mash... They do whiskies, gin, and a nice sorghum rum... Been opened a few years now and seem to be doing well..
Small tasting bar at the front and a nice sized still house room.. Not sure where they keep their barrels but they have a few barrel racks in the distillery. Not really enough for aging production..
That level of production, floor space, and material handling is a full time job for a small handful of staff.
My preference is hobby stilling not professional.. I don't want to mash every day and still four to six days a week lol...
At a hobby size scale - 6 cases a month bottle proof = approx 2x 50g barrels/yr or completing approximately four large batches every month or one batch every week not to mention obtaining the materials, mashing, fermenting, and disposing of the waste... Two years minimum of that for barrel aged whiskey and preferably more like 4+ yrs..
Cheers!
-j
EDIT:
By that napkin math with a 15g still you can generate about 50k/yr gross revenue and a 250g still can approx that much per month... Work 12hr days six days a week and maybe double it.
Small tasting bar at the front and a nice sized still house room.. Not sure where they keep their barrels but they have a few barrel racks in the distillery. Not really enough for aging production..
That level of production, floor space, and material handling is a full time job for a small handful of staff.
My preference is hobby stilling not professional.. I don't want to mash every day and still four to six days a week lol...
At a hobby size scale - 6 cases a month bottle proof = approx 2x 50g barrels/yr or completing approximately four large batches every month or one batch every week not to mention obtaining the materials, mashing, fermenting, and disposing of the waste... Two years minimum of that for barrel aged whiskey and preferably more like 4+ yrs..
Cheers!
-j
EDIT:
By that napkin math with a 15g still you can generate about 50k/yr gross revenue and a 250g still can approx that much per month... Work 12hr days six days a week and maybe double it.
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i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred
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i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred
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- IMALOSERSCUMBAG
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Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
I like this idea if I were ever to start another business. The issue I have is do I want to run a business with employees and have to cover overhead and turn a profit to live off? My other thought is to get to a point in life where I don't need the income to live and can make and sell liquor legally at a break even or make a little profit that goes back into the business.Hillbilly Popstar wrote: ↑Mon Mar 14, 2022 3:54 am Lately I have been considering the possibility of running a pub, but rather than then distilling spirits to sell on store shelves have your pub only serve cocktails made with your own spirits. The still can even be a showpiece for customers to look at when they come to drink. Obviously you wouldn't be able to run the still During business hours there would be a lot of other red tape to figure out but it seems it could be a decent business model.
Let's face it, I like the F the government aspect of doing this so I may never want to pay Caesar his due.
- shadylane
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Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
Going Pro would mean working full time.
I'd start by making whiskey and wheat vodka.
The Fients would get redistilled for making gin.
I damn sure wouldn't be buying GNS.
I'd start by making whiskey and wheat vodka.
The Fients would get redistilled for making gin.
I damn sure wouldn't be buying GNS.
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Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
Agreed. I take so much pride in my product.. It is my art.. I don't think I could live with myself knowing I am purchasing someone else's GNS and labeling it as my own.
"Making likker with a hydrometer and thermometer is like measuring the length of a 2x4 with a clock"
Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
I've been running a small craft distillery on my property for about four years now. It's a great business and we have loads of fun - but, it is hard work. We've been profitable since day 1 and the margins are superb. In four years we've become one of BC's top distilleries and the largest producer in our geographic region and we sell hundreds and hundreds of bottles every weekend. We sell everything we make. It's hard to keep up. We started with 200l mashes and now we produce about 3000l of mash every eight days or so. It cost us about $750K to get up and running and so far we've served over 20,000 customers and sold over 2 million dollars worth of product. BC is the best jurisdiction in NA to be a craft distiller. Few taxes and lots of freedom to work and create. I'm very pleased with our decision to build this place. Would I recommend the business? It's depends. Our operating environment is much more challenging since covid and there are so many producers of all kinds of booze - that you would have to be very sure of your audience before proceeding. The trick to succeeding in the craft distillery business is to make something people want more of. So simple, yet so challenging.
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Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
Hi, Glenlyon, and congratulations on your success.
It would be interesting to know more about your equipment.
And your type of product,
Geoff
It would be interesting to know more about your equipment.
And your type of product,
Geoff
The Baker
Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
Our building is 950 sqf. About 600 of which is distillery production area and the rest is tasting room, bathroom and small kitchen. We have seven stills ranging from a 40L Chinese cheapo still to a 500l computer controlled rectifying still with a variety in between. We started with the cheapo and a 140 L still from Affordable Distilling Equipment. To this day the tiny 40L still is the single most profitable piece of gear I have ever owned - we use it to make our gin.
We do several vodkas ranging from our house vodka to a sophisticated Polish vodka and a killer espresso vodka.
We do more than a dozen gins - some are available all the time and some pop up once or twice a year.
We do a bunch of fruit and cream liqueurs and I play with spirits from all over the world - many of the ideas I've learned about on this forum. One of our most famous being the Mexican Pechuga we did. Shocking! Yet, our audiences love it and will pay $40+ for a 375 ml bottle.
Currently we have about 45 products registered with the LCB.
With the exception of some part time weekend sales help all the work is done by my wife and I, including managing the farm aspect of our place.
What's really interesting about our distillery is that it's hard to get to. First you have to either be on the coast or travel here. (Only accessible by ferry or seaplane.) Then you have to travel up some very dubious country roads, then our driveway disappears into an ominous darkness. Yet, at the top of the driveway the reveal is spectacular. The adventure is the draw, the experience is the pay off the bottle(s) of booze is(are) the souvenir. It's what our customers want more of.
The customer experience is warm, comfortable, humorous, and our clients love talking distilling/spirits with an actual owner/distiller which, is quite rare at other establishments. We're open Thursdays through Sundays from noon to five in the summer and noon to four in the winter. The rest of the time we spend producing, marketing, bottling, delivering etc. Today I'm making Limoncello and tomorrow we start on our seasonal Blackberry Vodka. Yummy!!
Check out our instagram at @bruinwooddistillery and our website at bruinwood.com
We do several vodkas ranging from our house vodka to a sophisticated Polish vodka and a killer espresso vodka.
We do more than a dozen gins - some are available all the time and some pop up once or twice a year.
We do a bunch of fruit and cream liqueurs and I play with spirits from all over the world - many of the ideas I've learned about on this forum. One of our most famous being the Mexican Pechuga we did. Shocking! Yet, our audiences love it and will pay $40+ for a 375 ml bottle.
Currently we have about 45 products registered with the LCB.
With the exception of some part time weekend sales help all the work is done by my wife and I, including managing the farm aspect of our place.
What's really interesting about our distillery is that it's hard to get to. First you have to either be on the coast or travel here. (Only accessible by ferry or seaplane.) Then you have to travel up some very dubious country roads, then our driveway disappears into an ominous darkness. Yet, at the top of the driveway the reveal is spectacular. The adventure is the draw, the experience is the pay off the bottle(s) of booze is(are) the souvenir. It's what our customers want more of.
The customer experience is warm, comfortable, humorous, and our clients love talking distilling/spirits with an actual owner/distiller which, is quite rare at other establishments. We're open Thursdays through Sundays from noon to five in the summer and noon to four in the winter. The rest of the time we spend producing, marketing, bottling, delivering etc. Today I'm making Limoncello and tomorrow we start on our seasonal Blackberry Vodka. Yummy!!
Check out our instagram at @bruinwooddistillery and our website at bruinwood.com
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Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
Is this conjecture/anecdotal? Because it’s hard to believe without hard numbers. Also “I know a guy” or “this is what happened to me” doesn’t count as proof that this statement is true.LWTCS wrote: ↑Sun Mar 13, 2022 10:44 am It could be viable with a hobby outfit if you didn't give up your day job and didn't expect any sales to support all the overhead associated with above board production / capital expenditures.
Minimum size kettle to generate enough revenue to carry fixed costs associated with doing an above board business: 380L.
Minimum size kettle to generate enough revenue to actually be profitable running an above board business: 1000L.
Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
Here the economics are shit. As a startup, you've got gin, vodka, and coolers.
The government is basically the only legal buyer.
Trying to enter the business is crushingly expensive with so many barriers to entry that there are almost
no local distilleries. The existing ones predate the American prohibition and all made their original money
bootlegging from Canada to the USA.
It is impossibly shitty.
The government is basically the only legal buyer.
Trying to enter the business is crushingly expensive with so many barriers to entry that there are almost
no local distilleries. The existing ones predate the American prohibition and all made their original money
bootlegging from Canada to the USA.
It is impossibly shitty.
Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
Practical feedback from multiple sources that are in business.MereCashmere wrote: ↑Mon Jun 20, 2022 10:57 amIs this conjecture/anecdotal? Because it’s hard to believe without hard numbers. Also “I know a guy” or “this is what happened to me” doesn’t count as proof that this statement is true.LWTCS wrote: ↑Sun Mar 13, 2022 10:44 am It could be viable with a hobby outfit if you didn't give up your day job and didn't expect any sales to support all the overhead associated with above board production / capital expenditures.
Minimum size kettle to generate enough revenue to carry fixed costs associated with doing an above board business: 380L.
Minimum size kettle to generate enough revenue to actually be profitable running an above board business: 1000L.
Above board distillation for (net) profit has always been about exploiting economies of scale.
Trample the injured and hurdle the dead.
Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
you may not be aware that LWTCS and www.stilldragon.com are managed by the same human.MereCashmere wrote: ↑Mon Jun 20, 2022 10:57 amIs this conjecture/anecdotal? Because it’s hard to believe without hard numbers. Also “I know a guy” or “this is what happened to me” doesn’t count as proof that this statement is true.LWTCS wrote: ↑Sun Mar 13, 2022 10:44 am It could be viable with a hobby outfit if you didn't give up your day job and didn't expect any sales to support all the overhead associated with above board production / capital expenditures.
Minimum size kettle to generate enough revenue to carry fixed costs associated with doing an above board business: 380L.
Minimum size kettle to generate enough revenue to actually be profitable running an above board business: 1000L.
He likely has a pretty good take on a info from large swath of crafties in the USA and Canada
I finally quit drinking for good.
now i drink for evil.
now i drink for evil.
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Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
“this is what happened to me” doesn’t count as proof that this statement is true.
Proof, maybe not. But 'been there, done that' is good enough for me in nearly every case.
I guess this is what academics say is 'anecdotal'.
It is also what courts listen to as 'a witness statement'.
Geoff
Proof, maybe not. But 'been there, done that' is good enough for me in nearly every case.
I guess this is what academics say is 'anecdotal'.
It is also what courts listen to as 'a witness statement'.
Geoff
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Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
Having done it, it’s not an easy task. I did a pretty detailed post on figuring costs and equipment sizes on the adi forum. The simple version is you can sell for about $100/gallon, gross margin is 60-70%. Fixed costs are what kill you. We were $60-70k per year fixed costs. Licensing, rent, advertising, software for reporting, etc. The reality is running a 300 gallon still and a 30 gallon still take the same manpower and time. You have to be big to make the numbers work.
For equipment sizing, figure a 10:1 reduction from mash to gallons to sell. It might be slightly different, but that will get you close. Take what you want to make, add that to your fixed costs, add 30% for materials, then divide by 100. That’s the gallons you need to sell. Make is even more so you have something to put away. For the first year double that number, then take that and divide by 52. That’s your weekly volume. Take that number X 10 or 5 if you are going to do 2 runs per week. That’s the size of your still. To feed that still you need 3-4 fermenters of the same size and a mash tun. Don’t underestimate how much time it takes to do things. You can’t run the still 4-5x per week on a consistent basis. Good luck.
For equipment sizing, figure a 10:1 reduction from mash to gallons to sell. It might be slightly different, but that will get you close. Take what you want to make, add that to your fixed costs, add 30% for materials, then divide by 100. That’s the gallons you need to sell. Make is even more so you have something to put away. For the first year double that number, then take that and divide by 52. That’s your weekly volume. Take that number X 10 or 5 if you are going to do 2 runs per week. That’s the size of your still. To feed that still you need 3-4 fermenters of the same size and a mash tun. Don’t underestimate how much time it takes to do things. You can’t run the still 4-5x per week on a consistent basis. Good luck.
Formerly
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Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
If you read the pro forums you'll see them say this a lot: A distillery is a marketing business that happens to sell booze. If you don't understand marketing and how to sell then regardless what product you have it won't matter. Starting any business is an insanely complex undertaking. Starting a heavily regulated and taxed business, like a distillery, is even tougher. If you're serious about starting a distillery business go talk to other small distillers, especially ones inside your state.
Most people here look at owning a distillery as a production problem. While it's part of it, that's only one of many parts. In business they call this the engineer's problem: You can make the most perfect widget in the world, but if you can't sell it then you won't be in business very long. You've heard "If you build it they will come" - that's 99% crap. If no one knows your product exists then they can't buy it. Word of mouth gets you somewhere but it's not far.
There's a lot of good booze out there. There's a lot of big companies out there. You don't have the situation like craft beer in the early days where big beer was bad or boring. Big name spirits are actually good. And they don't cost that much. For under $30 you can get a decent spirit, for under $50 you can get a really good spirit. In those price ranges you're going to have a hard time competing. "Well I'll charge $100/bottle" Good luck with that. You don't decide the price, the customer does. And if you charge more than the value the customer places on your spirit you won't be selling a lot - or any. The big companies can throw money at advertising campaigns and paying off bartenders. You won't be able to.
Is it impossible to start a craft distillery? No. Is it extremely difficult? Yes.
Most people here look at owning a distillery as a production problem. While it's part of it, that's only one of many parts. In business they call this the engineer's problem: You can make the most perfect widget in the world, but if you can't sell it then you won't be in business very long. You've heard "If you build it they will come" - that's 99% crap. If no one knows your product exists then they can't buy it. Word of mouth gets you somewhere but it's not far.
There's a lot of good booze out there. There's a lot of big companies out there. You don't have the situation like craft beer in the early days where big beer was bad or boring. Big name spirits are actually good. And they don't cost that much. For under $30 you can get a decent spirit, for under $50 you can get a really good spirit. In those price ranges you're going to have a hard time competing. "Well I'll charge $100/bottle" Good luck with that. You don't decide the price, the customer does. And if you charge more than the value the customer places on your spirit you won't be selling a lot - or any. The big companies can throw money at advertising campaigns and paying off bartenders. You won't be able to.
Is it impossible to start a craft distillery? No. Is it extremely difficult? Yes.
Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
Good point Christian.
I'm on the road at the moment. Made a pit stop into a winery in Mississippi ( one, if not the poorest states in the union).
They have evidently been in Business for 30 years. Selling wonderful bottles of superbly made Muscadine wines.
10 bux. Naturally I bought a case.
Easily an $18 to $24 bottle in my neighborhood.
Can't out price your market if your marketing reach only extends to the end of the neighborhood.
I'm on the road at the moment. Made a pit stop into a winery in Mississippi ( one, if not the poorest states in the union).
They have evidently been in Business for 30 years. Selling wonderful bottles of superbly made Muscadine wines.
10 bux. Naturally I bought a case.
Easily an $18 to $24 bottle in my neighborhood.
Can't out price your market if your marketing reach only extends to the end of the neighborhood.
Trample the injured and hurdle the dead.
Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
the difference there is likely transportation and the difference in taxation between the states. likely no more $$ for the manufacturer. Definitely go where you are valued though!
and truer words have never been spoken.Single Malt Yinzer wrote: ↑Mon Jun 20, 2022 6:36 pm A distillery is a marketing business that happens to sell booze.
I finally quit drinking for good.
now i drink for evil.
now i drink for evil.
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Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
You’re joking right? Comparing an anecdote on a niche forum to a sworn witness statement? Or are you just another troll?The Baker wrote: ↑Mon Jun 20, 2022 5:44 pm “this is what happened to me” doesn’t count as proof that this statement is true.
Proof, maybe not. But 'been there, done that' is good enough for me in nearly every case.
I guess this is what academics say is 'anecdotal'.
It is also what courts listen to as 'a witness statement'.
Geoff
Good enough for you in most cases for you? That’s real sad man…I’m glad we don’t know each other in life then…
To the person that informed me that he is synonymous with still dragon, I was not aware, thank you; however I am not yet convinced of the original statement.
Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
Well then crunch your own numbers and come to your own conclusions.
Trample the injured and hurdle the dead.
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Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
What would Larry know, blokes only been in the hobby/industry 5 mins. .......I'm sure you have a much better grasp on whats what within the industry.
Id say there is a whole lot of stuff done by a lot of people in this hobby that you are as yet completely unaware of.
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Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
In another hobby I take photos. On a forum I was talking to a pro-photographer in Texas who seemed to have a perfect business. He was putting out high-quality work and seemingly getting to do what he loved doing. He once said that on a good day, maybe 10% of his time was spent doing photography and all the related stuff (choosing keepers, retouching work, prints etc). The rest was marketing and admin... mostly marketing.Single Malt Yinzer wrote: ↑Mon Jun 20, 2022 6:36 pm A distillery is a marketing business that happens to sell booze.
I think your statement is true for pretty much any industry and especially those with an element of aesthetics or taste.
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Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
Running a marketing company that sell alcohol - is a reality. If people aren't buying your product the stores won't restock, etc. etc.
I look at marketing like a fisherman. Marketing is defining your fishing grounds and the type of fish you want to catch. Advertising is your lure and your sales are the fish you catch.
The better you are at finding the fish, the more successful your distillery will be.
I look at marketing like a fisherman. Marketing is defining your fishing grounds and the type of fish you want to catch. Advertising is your lure and your sales are the fish you catch.
The better you are at finding the fish, the more successful your distillery will be.
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Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
I’m just a hobbiest distiller, so I’m certainly not qualified to comment on the “economics” of “going professional”. But, it would seem like the explosion of home and hobby distilling would impact the market of commercial “moonshine”.
With the popularity of do-it-yourself products, who would pay for it off the shelf? This could affect your entry into the business because “the fish aren’t there any longer”, using glenlyon’s analogy.
Similar to the craft beer markets in the early 1990’s, it did catalyze the markets with interest in the new products. But soon many new producers jumped into the “get rich quick” arena and the competition saturated the market. Many start-ups didn’t make it. Only those that had deep enough pockets, or were funded with enough capital to expand and market their craft beers succeeded. And even then, the major breweries would often “acquire” the successful competition to “buy their marketshare”.
The craft distiller’s markets of today are traveling the same path. If you can’t capitalize your start-up adequately, then you may have a short existence in the industry. And the bigger (more successful) craft distilleries will be acquired by the majors in time as well.
However, with the wave of interest it craft spirits, the shelves are filled with a variety of products for the ever-educating consumer, ie - now we KNOW what good liquor is, to the extent that the competitive forces will quickly shut down the less than “top shelf” producers. The business will get very tight for the new guys and the “small batch” producers will find it hard to sustain a marketshare.
Good luck with your venture. It’s a very competitive business to get into.
ss
With the popularity of do-it-yourself products, who would pay for it off the shelf? This could affect your entry into the business because “the fish aren’t there any longer”, using glenlyon’s analogy.
Similar to the craft beer markets in the early 1990’s, it did catalyze the markets with interest in the new products. But soon many new producers jumped into the “get rich quick” arena and the competition saturated the market. Many start-ups didn’t make it. Only those that had deep enough pockets, or were funded with enough capital to expand and market their craft beers succeeded. And even then, the major breweries would often “acquire” the successful competition to “buy their marketshare”.
The craft distiller’s markets of today are traveling the same path. If you can’t capitalize your start-up adequately, then you may have a short existence in the industry. And the bigger (more successful) craft distilleries will be acquired by the majors in time as well.
However, with the wave of interest it craft spirits, the shelves are filled with a variety of products for the ever-educating consumer, ie - now we KNOW what good liquor is, to the extent that the competitive forces will quickly shut down the less than “top shelf” producers. The business will get very tight for the new guys and the “small batch” producers will find it hard to sustain a marketshare.
Good luck with your venture. It’s a very competitive business to get into.
ss
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Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
Starting any kind of business is hard work and each comes with their own pros and cons. I do agree there will certainly be a collection of distillers that are going to fail, especially, this year with the rising cost of money, real estate, labor, packaging, marketing... aya! It's enough to drive you to drink!
I think the distilleries that will suffer the most aren't the small guys like us, but rather the mid-list distilleries with expensive leases and high labor costs. Finding affordable, reliable, reasonably intelligent labor these days is very challenging.
Whether or not anyone decides to start a distillery - I would say our biggest shock came in the general overhead. It was and continues to be, much higher than expected. Even a small place like ours, still needs to buy bottles, take out advertising, pay taxes and it all seems to happen over and over again so managing your money is very important.
What makes distilling the perfect business is that it's all cash - legally we can not sell alcohol unless we've been paid for it. Therefore, no waiting on accounts. So at the end of every month there are no accounts receivable and no accounts payable. Beauty.
In good times people like to drink and in bad times people like to drink. There are always fish in the sea. The trick is knowing how to catch them. When we first opened we had a lot of older customers. Now we are seeing a much larger percentage of new younger customers who are very keen.
Also there is no upside to selling your business should that be a goal, unless you own the real estate it sits on.
I think the distilleries that will suffer the most aren't the small guys like us, but rather the mid-list distilleries with expensive leases and high labor costs. Finding affordable, reliable, reasonably intelligent labor these days is very challenging.
Whether or not anyone decides to start a distillery - I would say our biggest shock came in the general overhead. It was and continues to be, much higher than expected. Even a small place like ours, still needs to buy bottles, take out advertising, pay taxes and it all seems to happen over and over again so managing your money is very important.
What makes distilling the perfect business is that it's all cash - legally we can not sell alcohol unless we've been paid for it. Therefore, no waiting on accounts. So at the end of every month there are no accounts receivable and no accounts payable. Beauty.
In good times people like to drink and in bad times people like to drink. There are always fish in the sea. The trick is knowing how to catch them. When we first opened we had a lot of older customers. Now we are seeing a much larger percentage of new younger customers who are very keen.
Also there is no upside to selling your business should that be a goal, unless you own the real estate it sits on.
Renaissance Man
Licensed Craft Distiller
Licensed Craft Distiller
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- Master of Distillation
- Posts: 4666
- Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:48 am
- Location: Northern Victoria, Australia
Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
Or are you just another troll?
Nah.
Been on these forums for maybe twenty years longer than you.
Geoff
Nah.
Been on these forums for maybe twenty years longer than you.
Geoff
The Baker
Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
Another aspect of running a small distillery that perhaps doesn't have 'economic value', or is ever really talked about - is the actual experience of the work. Sure you gotta do paperwork and make the effort to get out and sell your product. But then again. This morning I was up at 3:30 - had the mash tun and stripping still filled and operating by four. It's cloudy and cool out, but inside the distillery it's warm and cozy. Low BG radio. The mash smells great. The fermentation tanks are bubbling away. There is a rich small of lemon in the background from the limoncello I was working on yesterday. It'll be a long day and I'll be tired at 9 when I wrap. But, it will have been a very enjoyable work day. Then, I'll again be rewarded when we open and our customers tell us how much they like our products. It's very genuine, good for the ego and is a fantastic motivator.
Renaissance Man
Licensed Craft Distiller
Licensed Craft Distiller
Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
The Baker wrote: ↑Tue Jun 21, 2022 6:37 am Or are you just another troll?
Nah.
Been on these forums for maybe twenty years longer than you.
Geoff
My first flute
My press
My twins
My controller
My wife tells me I fell from heaven covered in white. Why did they let me fall?
My press
My twins
My controller
My wife tells me I fell from heaven covered in white. Why did they let me fall?
- bluefish_dist
- Distiller
- Posts: 1502
- Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:13 am
- Location: Eastern Ia
Re: Economics of 'going pro'.
It’s a hugely rewarding business. Tasting events are a lot of fun. To see what you worked hard to make be enjoyed by others is rewarding. Unfortunately it’s a hard way to make a $$. Really wish there was some way to legally make and sell small quantities.glenlyon wrote: ↑Tue Jun 21, 2022 6:50 am Another aspect of running a small distillery that perhaps doesn't have 'economic value', or is ever really talked about - is the actual experience of the work. Sure you gotta do paperwork and make the effort to get out and sell your product. But then again. This morning I was up at 3:30 - had the mash tun and stripping still filled and operating by four. It's cloudy and cool out, but inside the distillery it's warm and cozy. Low BG radio. The mash smells great. The fermentation tanks are bubbling away. There is a rich small of lemon in the background from the limoncello I was working on yesterday. It'll be a long day and I'll be tired at 9 when I wrap. But, it will have been a very enjoyable work day. Then, I'll again be rewarded when we open and our customers tell us how much they like our products. It's very genuine, good for the ego and is a fantastic motivator.
Formerly
Dsp-CO-20051
Dsp-CO-20051