rumfarmer

It has been a very long road, but I am finally in business and got my first little blurb. The local Honolulu Magazine is doing a feature story that will run in the Fall, but this one isn't bad. I am just wondering what we can all do when the press embellishes? Do you just leave it alone? My issue is primarily the inaccuracy of the amount of the world's rum made as Agricole vs. Molasses and Refined Sugar. I suppose it sounds more interesting to say that 99% of rum is made a different way than I do it, but Agricole is probably more like 3%-5% of the market. Thoughts? http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/Biting-Commentary/June-2014-1/Ko-Hana-Hawaiian-Agricole-Rum/

I wouldn't mess with it if you like it the way it is.

Kō is the Hawaiian word for sugar cane. Hana is the Hawaiian word for Work. Since we exclusively grow only native Hawaiian sugar cane, we decided to call it Kō Hana, the work of the cane. We would have just called it Kō, but the trademark was already taken by a whiskey maker. All of the names of our products are Hawaiian words that describe the contents. For example, our white agricole rum is called KEA, which means White in Hawaiian. Our barrel select product is called KOHO, which means choice, select, or vote in Hawaiian. Our cask strength product is called KOA, which means strong or warrior in Hawaiian. I think keeping to a theme is essential in branding. If you want to create something iconic, it better be consistent.

People do the date thing to capture demographic data. Yes, people can lie, and, yes underaged people just fill in the date with something over 21. But, studies actually show that people will put in their real year of birth when asked. If capturing this is important to you for marketing, then do it. I just go with the yes/no. Getting the full date of birth is silly and an unnecessary hassle.

I just have cane juice data or I would be glad to help. I am wondering, however, why you don't just mix the two together than take a new Brix or specific gravity measure from the combined wash. You should be able to extrapolate from there based on your findings. If all else fails, just experiment.

That is the caveat to my above post. If you can work directly with a factory and make a site visit, your luck in China increases tenfold. iPhones are put together in China, so anything is possible. But, Alibaba has never been good to me.

Avoid. I have nothing but bad experiences with Alibaba and any Chinese manufacturer on there. They promise you the moon and guarantee everything, but when the wheels fall off, you have no recourse. Cheap is cheap and you get what you pay for. My advice, find a manufacturer that has local support. I have spent more money replacing bearings and re-welding than the original cost of one of the machines I got on Alibaba. It will end up costing you more than you saved very quickly. My biggest issue was with a cane mill. The Chinese mill was 1/3 the cost of the US made one. The nice guy in Texas was right when he said "you best buy three then, son." I am now in the process of getting a PO for the US made mill. What a waste of time, money and energy. Just my 2 cents.

We have a 399K BTU boiler and it triggered all kinds of inspection headaches. I think our total cost for the boiler with install was probably close to $30K in the end. We tried to do it ourselves but once the boiler inspector gets involved, everything changes. On this one, I would actually budget to have it done by one qualified installer. That way you also have support. This is one place where if I had it to do over again, I would pay more. The boiler really is the heart of everything you do.

Nice job.

Looks great! Nice job.

I have had my DSP for almost 2 years and I have yet to sell a single bottle, let alone a case of anything. But, I hope to get to a 3000 case threshold in the 4-5 year timeframe. This is not generally a fast launching business, in my estimation.

Check me out. All I do is rum

Looks amazing

Manulele Distillers is a true farm-to-bottle rum distillery on the Island of Oahu. We grow all of our own sugar cane, harvest it, crush it, ferment it, distill it, barrel it, and bottle it all in one place. We are just beginning our early production on a 600 gallon still build by Artisan Still Designs making Hawaii's only true Agricole Rum. We are in the process of getting our tasting room cleaned up and ready for tours of the entire operation. We are looking for a motivated individual to become the distillery manager. This person will oversee the cane harvest and follow the cane all the way to the bottle. A background in fermentation and distilling is a must. College degree in a field related also required. We are in for exciting times. All the pieces are in place, and we need the right person to help us with the execution of the dream. Rather than list all the required skills, PM me and we can talk. If you seem like a strong candidate, we will fly you out here and show you around. But, moving will be on your own dime. We are fully capitalized, but still a startup. Salary with performance bonus based on sales and growth. Possible equity stake after 2 years. Check out our Facebook in my signature to see what we have accomplished so far. Aloha.

I know you don't want to spend money on commercial software, but this is an area that you should actually buy. I use the package from Whiskey Resources. Donald is a great resource and he has flexibility in working with small distilleries to customize something to your needs. Yes, you can re-intent the wheel and then give it to Dave, but think about the time and energy that could be spent making products or marketing them. http://adiforums.com/index.php?showuser=6209

Tell your friend to use 33% for the wholesale markup and then another 33% for the retail markup as a place holder. I think the average generally lands around there. Of course, they will take as much as they can, and larger markups are possible. But, I know of at least a few with markups in the mid to low 20% range.

I guess this means we little guys have arrived. The big guys are copying us now.

Having just done the San Francisco World Spirits Competition this year, I concur with Jake. The lack of any real feedback is of little help to a craft distillery. I want to know what they think, not just the color of the medal they give you. Too bad we missed the ADI one. I will do some more and give my feedback, but I think I would skip SFO unless you are just looking to put a little medallion on your bottle or web site.

I have a 600 gallon still, but only a 399K BTU boiler. After months of trial and error, I believe the 1000 BTU per gallon stated above by Steve is correct. I have taken to running my still under-charged to 400 gallons and it runs amazingly well. If I put 600 gallons in it, all hell breaks loose. The boiler runs too hard trying to get up to temperature. The pressure maxes and out you just never want to run anything at redline for hours and hours. Get the highest BTU boiler you can afford, and don't go below 1000 BTU per gallon. My first upgrade at the distillery will be a bigger boiler. For now, the 400 gallon runs make fantastic rum and my distilling days are fast and efficient.

Looks nice.

I use exactly the same equipment and am very happy with it, too. Would highly recommend.

Don't try to reinvent the wheel. This forum is about as good as you will find for information. Sure a lot of people will hold back advice so you overcharge your still and push your wash up the column wondering what the heck is going on...I've heard that can happen to some people...but I digress. Just find a good mentor, and spend a few bucks on good consulting unless you really have time to make all the mistakes without going into bankruptcy. Be creative and maybe don't quit your day job too early. I am open to sharing and always have felt competition makes us all better, but I am no mentor. Every day is a learning day for me. If I have just one day where nothing goes wrong, I will likely drop dead of a heart attack. Ask questions and ignore the people who treat you like you don't belong. Just being here and trying makes you an equal. Good luck, and feel free to ask me anything you want. Aloha, Robert

Thanks for the clarification Roger.

Listen to Sherman. Get him out early and often and it will save you a ton of headaches in the future. Whatever you are doing, there is a good chance a lot of it is just wrong. Sherman will get you righted. I have also worked with Donald and can tell you he is also an essential ingredient. The TTB reporting is way easier when streamlined.

I don't do a stripping run for my rum production. I use freshly pressed cane juice between 16 and 20 Brix. This gives between 8.5 to 11.5 ABV wash when I get a good ferment. I do a single run on my 4 plate, side mounted column and my yield is between 10% to 14% in proof gallons. I have yet to fully charge the still with a 700 gallon run, but those numbers have been consistent on the 300-400 gallon runs. I am still working on my cuts, and I might be a little heavy on the heads, but these numbers seem way off from what I am hearing from Lenny and Roger. The still I got from Artisan Still Designs runs great and is super efficient, but I seem to be outputting twice what I should by the above numbers. Any thoughts out there? P.S. Time is really money out here in Hawaii. LP costs $5.80 a gallon!