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Craft Distillery

be considered in the budget.”

He adds that startup distilleries cannot ignore
safety costs. “Beverage distillation is an industri-
al process. As such, it has hazards that must be
considered. Grain dust is explosive, and alcohol is
flammable. There is also steam, compressed air,
cleaning chemicals and OSHA considerations. With
a good, experienced process engineer, the owner
doesn’t have to worry about these items. The pro-
cess engineer ensures that there are no surprises.
Similarly, a good architect will design the facility to
be both interesting and safe for visitors and distill-
ery personnel alike.

“Another often overlooked factor is the need for
quality project management. Your project will need
a champion, and the best champions are certified
by the Project Management Institute as Project
Management Professionals.”

A well-rounded team includes mechanical, elec-
trical and plumbing (MEP) engineers to design the
building systems. “You may also want specialists to
design event spaces, artistic elements, or unique
features,” says Archer. “The design phase is a very
collaborative effort between the owner, architect
and process engineer, so make sure that you’re
comfortable with the team you choose. There are
many who claim distillery experience, few who
truly have it.”

Symbiont Science, Engineering and
Construction, Inc.

SYMBIONT SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND
CONSTRUCTION, INC., helps both start-up and
high-capacity distilleries across North America
and the Caribbean. Headquartered in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, the company is celebrating its fourth
decade as a leading full-service engineering, design-
build, and construction firm. SYMBIONT’s team
and their innovative engineering technologies for
the spirits and beverage industry help distilleries
achieve their environmental and sustainability
goals. They prepare start-ups for potential expan-
sion and scalability.

SYMBIONT tends to work with growing operations
and larger facilities that typically have a bottleneck:
waste stream pitfalls, planning, and other concerns
that are necessary but not in the distillery’s realm
of expertise. SYMBIONT provides a diverse team

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