Years 1 through 3 sales

[souschefdude]

Kevin, the issue of equipment capacity is huge and the variables are many.

I'm attacking the same issue from the labor side of it not equipment. If I have equipment that can accomplish X gallons in an eight to ten hour shift, based on five days a week, I can at least double capacity by running two shifts a day, still allowing four to eight hours a day for cleaning and maintenance. Adding the idea of a third shift becomes exponentially challenging. But two seem realistic.

Assuming initial funding isn't the issue, then, I don't believe stills, bottling and packaging are the limiting factor...I think fermentation is. How much fermentation can you afford and warehouse to feed a still?

Looking at it from the labor side. You say you are a small group of people? How many? Everyone keeping there "other" job? What do you expect as a salary as part time or full time? How fast do you have to make a profit to satisfy your need for salary? In the long run, people are going to cost you a lot more than equipment. And rent...I've seen small distilleries in boutique locations paying $6,000 a month for rent!

If I were looking at it from sales, how much can you guarantee to sell? Yeah, I don't know either...

I can estimate my production rates from X equipment. I can not estimate sales of a given product.

I recently toured a bunch of distilleries and my questions to each were "How long have you been in production?", "Have you turned a profit?" "Are you glad you did it?"

I would like to hear those answers.

[JohninWV]

Teton vodka giving SOLID advice!