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online software for TTB compliance


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My younger brother is a web developer and talented programmer.

For myself, my career outside of our distillery business is that I am Microsoft database developer.

So the two of us are working together to design a package of web forms and software to track everything required by the TTB for a distillery.

Our other brother (the distiller) is tired of doing everything by paper.

Everything would be web based, time stamped and stored in an online database, so you don't even need to install anything.

You could enter it from a tablet, web browser, etc, click save, done.

We are designing these for our distillery to help our brother (the distiller) and make everything easy for him and our staff at Grand Teton Distillery.

But then it occurred to me that a lot of other people might want access to a simple tracking system that will fulfill all TTB requirements for data that needs to be recorded.

So just to determine interest, please speak up here on the following:

1) Stupid idea? Good idea?

2) Let me know what data you think would be important to track. You might mention something we have not yet considered.

3) What would be a reasonable price?

Thanks,

James

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Probably definitely nice for a great number of people. Distillery Solutions is already doing this. I have been building one just for myself as well in PHP and mysql and really have to say it is worth a great deal because it is so much easier to stay organized. As you get bigger too and have other people distill for you it should make it easier to monitor things. What would people pay, not sure; what is it worth, a great deal. Good luck.

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James, I suggest you get in contact with "Meercat" = Harvey from AlcoDens and design your recording to link to his program then there is no need to do any calculations, just enter the measurements.

I am considering getting a programmer friend to do the same for me but our record keeping for Australian Excise is quite different from yours.

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The pricing is the real key. The Distillery Solutions cost, last time I checked, was several thousand for the initial fee, then $500 per month forever after. Plus, all data was hosted on their cloud, which means you have to rely on them for backing it up.

If the price is reasonable (say, $500) and the functionality is good and it's a self-hosted solution, you might have something.

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I would agree that $500 seems reasonable, but you still need to have a "local" copy of it on your machine and be able to print. If for some reason you cannot connect to the internet when TTB wants to review your records you would be screwed. Back up to the cloud is a nice feature,

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I agree that something in the thousands of $$$ is too expensive if that is where Distillery Solutions is.

We have not even calculated costs, but my initial estimate is that it would be a few hundred dollars. It really depends on how many we are likely to sell.

We are going to do a basic system for ourselves just because we have the skills to do it.

Then I will post some screenshots of it to gauge interest from others.

If there is interest, we will commercialize it.

Please share your requests on what you think would be useful to track. You may mention something we have not thought of.

Thanks

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I would agree that $500 seems reasonable, but you still need to have a "local" copy of it on your machine and be able to print. If for some reason you cannot connect to the internet when TTB wants to review your records you would be screwed. Back up to the cloud is a nice feature,

"The cloud" always scares me. Personally I'd prefer to have backups on my own drives and a cloud service. If the cloud server crashed or the host company went out of business it could cause a lot of problems. At home I keep my data backed up on multiple computers and then multiple drives put in small fire safes which are put inside larger fire safes. It's a bit ridiculous, but my data is safe from just about anything short of a direct nuclear blast ;)

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I can't speak to price not can I speak to what elements should be included as I am still aways off from applying for my DSP. That said I think something electronic, and as close to idiot proof as possible, would be a fantastic thing! Please keep us posted. I'd definitely be interested in something like this when I open up.

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I concur with Jedd. Distillery Solutions seemed like a good thorough package but the cost was waay beyond the affordable level for myself and other small start ups I am surmising. Not having it "in house" and in the cloud also scared me as did the reoccurring fee structure. If I'm a betting man, a well though out comprehensive software solution that covered the basic TTB reporting elements would be really well received if it were priced right and user friendly.

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I would pay $500 or more for a locally stored, periodically updated system. I looked into distillery solutions as well, but the price is brutal for folks like me who started with a small budget. The monthly subscription is the killer. I am not particularly concerned about the cloud as long as there is local back up.

If you create this product, I will happily buy it from you.

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Yes. and yes.

The two systems I've seen, Whiskey Resources and Distillery Solutions looked great, but were both in the multiple thousand dollar range. I've got a paper system that took me a weekend to set up, is a bit clunky, but gets the job done. I would happily pay a more modest price for a well thought out system. Put me on your list.

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Count me in as an interested purchaser. Also, I think a $500 annual subscription fee isn't out of line, especially if you plan upgrades/additional functionality.

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It seems to me that you face three problems.

The first is the wide variety of products that distillers produce. This adds bulk to any record system. Consider all of the cells that you find on the three TTB operational reports. If you automate a system, and want to be able to generate those reports, you have to have a program that can accumulate all of that data and dump it into the correct cells. Next, there is the information that does not make it into the reports. You have the required gauge records, the proof and fill records, the dump and batch records, the bond account records, etc. The thing takes on a life of its own, especially if you add the quality control information that a distiller might want to keep for his own purposes. About that I know nothing.

Second, the number of records you must be able to produce generates a steep learning curve for the user. It almost demands that you provide a way that a distiller can pick out the records he needs, for the operations he conducts, and the transactions in which he engages, and ignore the rest. It is easier if the distiller can personalize the database. But, since you are selling the system, you want to ensure, perhaps through some sort of question and answer process, that the distiller actually keeps the records that are required, i.e.can identify and pluck from the system those records needed. Is it possible to create a modular system, where a distiller answers questions about what he does and then receives (downloads) only the records he needs? For example, could you produce a basic record module (gauge records, etc) and sell it for $200; a "vodka" module and charge $100 for that; a gin module and charge $100; a whiskey module and charge $275. Then a growing distillery could import and pay for additional modules as needed. That would reduce up front costs and perhaps make it easier to learn to use the system. That addes a fourth problem, which is obvious, but which I did not count in the beginning. Someone has to write the manuals. I don't know if any of this is feasible, It is just an idea of a possible way to keep costs down, keep the system manageable, simplify manuals, and create a system where the learning curve is less of an impediment to use.

The third problem is updating the system. For example, TTB is going to go, eventually, to a single operating report. Say you have 53 customers for the database you have developed to create three reports, each month.. You now must update that database to create one quarterly report. How long do you want to commit to remaining in the business of doing that?

Given the interest that people are expressing, I think that the problems create barriers to entry, but that the barriers create, in turn, an opportunity for those who can negotiate their way through the problems. A lot of this is probably obvious, but I think it is worth saying, just in case ....

Good luck..

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