Hello from Winnipeg, Canada

[Jdegagne]

Hello folks south of the border!!

I am from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada and am thinking of staring a micro distillery here in the city I grew up in. I have been lurking around on this site for a while and like to read about everyone's start-up stories. I thought it was time I introduce myself. I do not have any agriocultural/distilling experience but after a trip to the East Coast this summer and experiencing my first Micro Distillery I became obsesed with the idea of starting one up in Winnipeg.

I am in the beginning stages of planning, planning, planning - discovering what I need to get started. My goal is to start small and grow in size. The plan is to have my ingredients sourced from organic prairie farmers. There are no micro distilleries here in Winnipeg so I don't have much to go by. The knowledge you guys are providing on this site is extremely valuable and great for someone just starting out. I hope to get to a point where I can distill a couple days a week, bottle and market the reset of the time - and make money doing it!!

Until then, I will continue to follow the forums on this site, ask lots of questions and welcome any suggestions/help or support I can garner to get off the ground.

Thank you all

JC

[Swede]

Hi JC,

Welcome to the forums. I'm a Canadian as well, and although I'm not a distiller, I have built some control systems for stills. There are a few small distilleries in Canada that I'm aware of, but none in Manitoba that I know of aside from the big Dieago plant in Gimli.

There is a small startup in Saskatchewan and a few on the west coast. I think that the Sask are members here.

When you start looking for equipment, you might want to check with Steve over at artisanstilldesign.com as he's a Canadian still provider.

[Waverley_Spirits]

Hello from Perth, Ont,

Hope things are progressing well with your distillery idea. I am working to establish a craft distillery in Perth, Ontario. The planning can seem endless at some points, but no doubt it pays off in the end. We are hoping to launch our first product sometime in 2013. Just working on the recipe now with some great partners in Michigan. If you're interested, follow us @waverleyspirits and like us on FB www.facebook.com/WaverleySpirits. Either way, good luck with your operation!

[Edwin]

The first steps on a very, very interesting journey, I am sure. Welcome and good luck!

Edwin