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Startup Tasks and Sequence


Burley Farms

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I was wondering if some of those that have been through, or near, the process of setting up a distillery would summarize the high-level tasks involved with setup and the sequence in which they should be completed. For instance, if these were the tasks: business plan, LLC, TTB, State license, local approvals, construction of distillery, purchasing a still, etc., is there a more optimal sequence in which they should be completed? I imagine that there are some "gotchas" that can/have been experienced in this process.

From what I can gather, it looks like it takes around two years to get into production.

Maybe there are some good external sources on this topic you could recommend.

I plan on operating in NY.

Thanks!

Brett

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Brett the answer to this mystery is....."Yes". All of the above. Fact is that you have to get your Fed Basic Permit before anything else, and in order to do that you have to have a built, operable distillery ready to go. That means you have to order your stills about 4-6 months in advance of the time when you exect your facility to be ready for installation. Suggest you begin your permit process at the Fed and contact the still maker you are going to use and begin both processes at once. By the time your stills are ready you may be ready to submit your application with all the accompanying documentation.

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Dear Brett,

We still have seats open for our Fall Distilling Workshop in November.

You can find more information about it here:

http://www.kothe-distilling.com/en/news-a-...l-2008-workshop

This might be a good starting point for you.

You can also give me a call at 571 278 1343 and we can chat some more about your project.

All the best,

Robert

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Brett,

There are no external sources that address the business and licensing aspects of this...only the production.

Some of these can and should be done in parallel.

(1) Business Plan - determine the dynamics of the business - is there a buisness there? Do you have enough money?

(2) Design your products. It doesn't make sense to build a plant until you know what you'll produce. It doesn't take a bad-ass Vendome vodka still to make moonshine. You may be able to network with existing DSPs to get help with the product liquid design. Then there's the bottle, the label, etc. Do the design work up front...it will help in the long run.

(3) Begin thinking about your marketing plan. Work with prospective partners starting now.

(4) Local Approvals - network with friends. Speak to an architect, a planner, the fire marshall, etc. Is your activity permitted per zoning, or do you need a special use permit? Use this input to select your location. Most have chosen to NOT occupy the first place they thought of. Some jurisdictions offer a plan approval inter-departmental meeting with zoning, fire, etc. The output of that meeting is a list of requirements for the site. This list avoids the last minute show stoppers we've all heard about.

(5) Instantiate the company anywhere along here. It's not too important until you start spending big money, or start asking for big money from others.

(6) Design the physical plant to understand what you really need in terms of space,

(7) then find the locaton that fits your needs. Don't lease something and then try to get approvals and build a plant - that will suck for sure.

(8) When you have the location selected, an approved occupancy, and a plant design that makes sense, you might be able to file your TTB and State applications. They may inspect before issuing, but you can get the process started at this point. You'll need insurance, bonds, etc. too.

(9) Begin building the plant. The still will take 6 months or more. The bottles can take that long too.

(10) Once you have your DSP, submit your formulas and labels.

(11) Produce the product.

(12) Sell the product.

Good luck,

Will

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Dear Brett,

We still have seats open for our Fall Distilling Workshop in November.

You can find more information about it here:

http://www.kothe-distilling.com/en/news-a-...l-2008-workshop

This might be a good starting point for you.

You can also give me a call at 571 278 1343 and we can chat some more about your project.

All the best,

Robert

Hello Robert,

The workshop looks great. I have a few questions, but I will more than likely sign up tomorrow. It may make the Cornell workshop I'm taking in December a bit redundant, but the more I can immerse myself in this topic the better.

I'll give you a call.

Thanks,

Brett

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