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Hello from Washington State


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Hello all!

My name is Ryan and I have been lurking for a long time and I thought It was time to finally said hello.

I am a Mechanical Engineer by training and for the last eight years my specialty has been food and beverage process integration and design. The majority of my experience has been in the craft brewing industry. 

I am currently living in Naches Wa, just outside Yakima right in the heart of Washington's apple region and have 10 acres of property right along Hwy 12.

I am currently doing my due diligence into opening a small craft distillery on the highway frontage of my agricultural property, focused on making new and exciting things out of the abundance of apples grown near me.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this forum. It is truly a wealth of knowldge.

 

Ryan

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Thanks Alex. 
I am still working on those details but I will probably buy a small ready made unit to get started and then come up with an expansion plan consisting of some home built equipment and purchased components that are just not cost effective for me to produce. I am working with a greenfield project so I plan on sizing the building to have space for growth and space for additions in the future for additional growth. I really like the idea of using a stripping still and polishing still for maximizing output with minimal labor. I am also a big believer in data logging and automation to help with labor requirements and being able to run the equipment in a very consistent repeatable manner. In my previous experience I have done some work with continuous stripping stills and vacuum distillation for the separations of cannabanoids and I would love to dive into using that technology for beverage production down the road but I don’t think it is feasible for me at time of startup. I plan on starting up as a one man operation, so it will be a lot of boot strapping. Lucky for me I am also a decent tig welder and fabricator so I am capable of a lot but it all comes down to time and opportunity cost. 

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I wish you the best of luck on your journey.

There are only two companies in the USA that make continuous columns. One of them has been making the same model (construction) for 100 years already :) Only different sizes :)

I see that the alcohol and whiskey industry is very conservative. Everyone is satisfied with the "big shining tanks" of steel and copper. Nobody thinks that you can get three times the distillation rate from the same place in the room.

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