Micro Distillers Insurance Solutions White Paper

[InsuranceMan]

Holy cow! This white paper has really stirred up a lot of discussion and questions from many forum readers, posters and lurkers!!! That is great, it is meant to make you think, make you question and make you more aware, so all-in-all it has done exactly what I was writing it to do. I just wanted to address a few key issues that seem to be at the heart of many of the conversations I have with folks in regards to my white paper, the insurance industry and what I am doing differently then everyone else.

　

I am NOT saying your coverage is wrong or your agent is wrong. A lot of people are now thinking they have been taken advantage of by their past agent or carrier based on the fact that they are now learning that they really may not have been covered appropriately up to this point in time. Others think their agent may have purposefully misled them into believing that they were buying the "best" coverage available. This is most likely not the case. More likely an explanation is that at the time in which many folks had bought their insurance it may have been the "best" thing out there or at least a good attempt. However, I have changed that for ever. What use to be considered the "Market Standard" and the form that everybody used to try to cover things correctly I changed to make it antiquated and something that still can be applied and used, but it is no longer the "best" thing out there. If you are wondering what I am talking about please do review the whitepaper attached to this posting. My product valuation is vastly different from the "standard" used in years past and is still currently being used by a majority of the companies and agents today.

　

As far as an agent purposefully misleading you, I certainly hope not. What it truly boils down to in my experience, and I have been doing this a long time, is that many agents just don’t know what makes distilleries and their products unique and how to correctly cover them and deal with the intricacies they present. Many agents I have dealt with mean well (I think) but they say things like, "Well, I have written breweries/wineries for a few years so I thought I would get into distilleries." Again, often times they just don’t understand the difference. Also, there are many agents who only write your distillery, or maybe a couple of distilleries, but often times they are generalists who write insurance on everything and anything without specializing or gaining the knowledge needed to really handle or understand your needs. I’m not saying that is wrong, but someone like me who writes distilleries on a national level and who has taken the time to developed a customized insurance program based on real needs seen from YOUR daily working distillery level just knows better as to what is actually going on, how to insure you correctly, as well as has a passion to do so.

　

Again, I am glad that this paper has had such an impact on folks and that there are that many of you out there thinking about your insurance now and asking questions. I truly feel that aside from your people and your product, insurance is a "top priority" focal point (or should be) for your distillery. Your people and your product are what make you successful but your insurance keeps those investments safe and protects you from losing everything. As always, please feel free to get with me to give me comments, concerns or simply ask questions. That is what I am here for. As well, my offer always stands to give a no obligation analysis of your current insurance coverage. If you don’t know what you have or if you are not sure if you are getting the straight answers feel free to reach out to me at any time on my cell phone at 307-752-5961.

[InsuranceMan]

I have heard from many folks that they have not been able to view my attached whitepaper if they are not a "member" that is logged in. I have had several requests to send it off to folks in a pdf format via email. If you are interested in reading the whitepaper but have not or for some reason do not want to email me your request I have it posted as well on my website. If you go to www.hublinden.com there is a link entitled "From Passion to Protection: Micro-distillers Insurance Solutions". Click on that link and you will then be able to read the whitepaper and see what my exclusive insurance program is all about. Thank you all again for your wonderful response, I am currently working with about 86 distilleries and adding more every day. I am so proud to be a part of this and bring my knowledge to all of you. Have a great rest of the week.

[InsuranceMan]

All,

It has recently come to my attention that there are quite a few of you who have not had the chance yet to read my white paper on craft distilleries (see the attachment in the original post above). I know there are a lot of new folks to the forum but for those of you who have also been around a while, this is something everyone can use to their benefit. If you have read other posts that I have started or contributed to you will know that I often say that insurance is often overlooked or is often at the bottom of peoples minds. We need to change that mindset. Insurance is there to protect your hard earned investment, time and passion. Give this a read not as a “sales tactic” from me, it is more than that. It is meant to make you think and hopefully spark a conversation with your insurance professional as to what you are actually covered for and what you may expect should you be faced with the unexpected. Ask them the hard hitting questions, this is your investment after all!!

Just because someone can issue a policy for your distillery does not mean they may truly understand your unique exposures and risks. Just because someone has written micro-breweries for years (my pet peeve) does not mean they can convert that knowledge into writing coverage on distilleries. Just because a carrier has a catchy shiny “program” name does not mean that it is covering you in the way that you truly need to be covered. Have the tough conversation with your insurance professional and make sure they know what they are doing and that they are doing the best job for you.

I appreciate doing business locally, but if you are the only distillery that someone provides insurance coverage for, the question needs to be asked, what do they really know about covering you correctly. You are not a normal “main street” business. You are unique, the industry is unique and the coverage provided to you needs to be unique. Make the call and make sure you are being treated and covered for your uniqueness!

[Wayward]

Aaron,

Are you able to write in Canada?

-Dave

[InsuranceMan]

Dave,

I know we spoke about this topic yesterday but I thought I would take to the forum as well to answer as the question does come up quite a bit as to where I write for clients. Currently my exclusive program is available to all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico. Canada is a bit of a different story due to the regulations not only in regards to international but as well in regards to provincial regulations. At this time my program with the agreed valuation and progressive valuation on aging products is not available in Canada, but I am working on making it available. I do have resources in Canada that can assist our friends to the north, but at this time it is on a case by case basis and the coverage is the coverage; no cool forms like I have. As things progress and steps are made to make this available I will keep you posted here on the forums.

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P.S. Do keep in mind that my program is not ONLY for aging products, I handle ALL products on an agreed valuation basis with no coinsurance penalties. I am the only one able to do this currently and I am the ONLY ONE that has a way to value the time element of products in the maturation process. I just wanted to clear that up. I write for all types of distilleries.