I'm working on starting an extremely small brewery, and running into a problem that I'm hoping some folks have ideas about.
Similar to a few "hobby" breweries in the US and especially Europe, my venture will by no means provide me (nor require of me) full time employment. The beers will be aged specialty offerings in big bottles, and production will start at less than 15 bbl/year.
The problem: by what mechanism can I actually sell the beer? The state I'll be brewing in (Vermont) allows self-distribution but it's not a big market, and further, the $1000 wholesaler's license would be a large fraction of projected revenue. I thought of self-exporting the beer to nearby states with larger markets (New York, Pennsylvania) but not only are the wholesaler license fees higher, you also may need office "premises" in some states.
Seems like my only real options may be to attempt to build the brand in Vermont, or attempt to find a national distributor who for whatever reason feels like messing with the beer despite the very small volume involved.
Any ideas? What am I missing? Thanks a lot for any suggestions.
Similar to a few "hobby" breweries in the US and especially Europe, my venture will by no means provide me (nor require of me) full time employment. The beers will be aged specialty offerings in big bottles, and production will start at less than 15 bbl/year.
The problem: by what mechanism can I actually sell the beer? The state I'll be brewing in (Vermont) allows self-distribution but it's not a big market, and further, the $1000 wholesaler's license would be a large fraction of projected revenue. I thought of self-exporting the beer to nearby states with larger markets (New York, Pennsylvania) but not only are the wholesaler license fees higher, you also may need office "premises" in some states.
Seems like my only real options may be to attempt to build the brand in Vermont, or attempt to find a national distributor who for whatever reason feels like messing with the beer despite the very small volume involved.
Any ideas? What am I missing? Thanks a lot for any suggestions.
Comment