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Scalawag

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Everything posted by Scalawag

  1. Hello, I am located in CA and available to discuss anytime. Just send me a message. Thank you.
  2. Flyhigher87 I don't currently sell me spirits into Europe but I have another business that does. I am very familiar with exporting into Europe and importing from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. If you would like to have a detailed discussion over the phone I would be happy to share what I know. Send me a personal e-mail if interested.
  3. I spent quite a bit of time working through the process only to find out that they use an online sales reporting tool (Nielsen) to determine if your sales are worthy of bringing it into their system. They were really clear that they don't bring in brands that are new. It was very disappointing that local spirits were not part of their decision making process.
  4. CaptnKB, When I read the code for our installation, my interpretation was that those seismic precautions were for items not moved on a regular basis. So, if you could argue that you rotate your stock or have to move the racks on a "regular basis" you may be able to get around it. Just A thought. Michael
  5. Fantastic well thought out and delivered reply. Seems accurate to me! Thanks....
  6. Some of the best advice I saw posted on this forum regarding start up was; Your starting a marketing company that sells booze. Locally that has played out exactly that way. You don't need to make good spirits to be successful, you need to sell lots of spirits to people that don't know the difference. If you can't survive two years loosing money you may want to try something else. I have always said that I am driven by passion and purpose not fame and fortune. Our focus has been to make the best spirits possible. Eventually that will win the day'. But not in the short run.UNLESS, you are a marketing company selling booze. If you make it they will come only works in the movies. If you love to make spirits, make spirits. If you love to make easy money, do something else. Its easy to make spirits. Its hard to make good spirits and even harder to sell it.
  7. I try to space them evenly apart from each other so that they get a more accurate reading. On my 500 gal tank I place them on opposite sides of the tank about 16 inches in from the sides.
  8. OOPs, ((drop in heater for 500 gal aquarium))
  9. I know this question was for Indy but since I was here responding I thought I would chime in........... Since getting my ferments down to 5-7 days I no longer need to agitate. When I did, I would pull the heater and replace when done.
  10. Hello Bull, I use one drop in heater for a 500 watt aquarium. Suspend it in the middle of the ferment along with the temp probe. The one I have has a thermostat I can set to 85 degrees. I use my gauging thermometer to test the temp in the ferment and adjust the thermostat accordingly. They have only been off a couple of degrees. I don't remember the brand but I purchased the titanium model so I would not run the risk of breaking glass in my ferment.
  11. Hello Bull, I'm checking back with you to see how your opening went. Did it live up to your expectations? What worked and what would you do different next time? I hope it went well and you're busily making booze. All the best...
  12. Here is the contact person that I use. Leonor Saenz | Customs Entry Writer Superior Brokerage Services 3405 NW 115th Avenue Doral, Fl 33178 Office: 305 594 9422 l Fax: 305 594 9522 lsaenz@sbs-intl.com www.sbs-intl.com
  13. Finally a question straight forward enough for lots of reply's... We put in a 4'' floor drain and wish it were 6". The other big issue for our municipality was what went in to it. So we put in a filter at the discharge and it captures all the solids that go into it and very little goes into their waste water treatment system.
  14. Mash, "If you can cut your sales by 4, double your timeline, triple your estimated costs and still make your business plan work then go for it, otherwise, I'd think twice." The above seems on target with my experience....Glad to hear you are starting to meet expenses. 5 products in a year seems like you have been pushing hard. We hope to accomplish something similar. Blue Star, how long before you figure you will have product on the market? Skaalvan, looks like things are moving in the right direction. Very glad to see it. MOOK, sounds like we are in very similar circumstance. Looks like rum is your sole product at this point? Whats next? Thanks for all the feedback...I wonder if any of the distillers that have been succeeding at this for a while will care to share any valuable nuggets of insight for us startups?? I would also like to say at this point, that I could not have gotten this far without help from a couple of key consultants along with my wife and friends. Thanks to all.
  15. I have been selling product for only 4 months and thought this would be a good time to check back in with this topic. We are selling moonshine and working on brandy and gin recipe. I'm curious to know three years later from the start of this thread, if anyone cares to comment on what it takes to make money in this industry. The answer will be different for everyone depending on their expectations but I suspect some are very satisfied with their performance and other are quite discouraged. Who is rocking it? Who is treading water and who is sinking? What worked and what didn't? Lots of new prospective distillers may want a reality check. I was told how difficult it would be and did it anyway. That's just the way I roll.
  16. Awesome....Welcome Back!! I've always enjoyed your posts,
  17. We are using aquarium heaters to keep our mash at a constant temp. Don't have the resources for jacketed tanks at this point, The heaters work very well in a closed tank. Not sure how hard they will have to work in an open top.
  18. One way to hold manufacturers accountable for what they promise is to have a contract that discounts the price for every week the equipment is delayed. If its going to be 10 months and not 4 just say so. No other industry that I know of would tolerate such poor business practices. My 2 cents.....
  19. I have been thinking about all the great ideas and was wondering how the grand opening translated into sales. Did sales in stores increase noticeably after the Event' and what was the response? All the best, Michael
  20. Hey Bull, sounds like a great idea and having fun too....I have friends in Baker, just down the road from you. I will let them know you're there and to come check you out. Michael
  21. Fantastic, thanks you both for all the great ideas. Your correct, only one crack at a grand opening. May as well do it the best as can be designed. Now I have more to consider... All the best, Michael
  22. Congratulations to all the fellow Grand Openings. Adam, thanks so much for the insight. Did you advertise to get that many people or do specials etc? I think the token idea is fantastic! Thank you. We have food businesses around us we know and are going to ask to have sample tables set up and do live music as well. We will only be charging for tastes, no cocktails. Did you do tours? How did that go? Thank you for your time and assistance. Michael
  23. We are considering a grand opening. Does anyone have any experiences that they would like to share about what worked or what to avoid. I did a search and was not able to find the topic addressed. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thank you.........
  24. Congratulations and best wishes for finding a good and competent applicant.
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