Page 33 - Beverage MasterOct Nov 2020

Craft Distillery

waiting for the restrictions to ease up, hopefully in absence of roll-up or dock doors. How are you
a reasonable time. If you aren’t allowed to do that, going to move your glass, cans, grain, spent grain
then for now, at least, your storefront has to be and materials? Prepare for the cost of employees,
built around merchandising and awesome consum- rent, any leases, etc. You’ve got to stay aware of
er experiences. When I walk into your place, the long-term logistics for business expansion or the
customer experience should be your number one addition of future lines or products. Don’t layout
concern, followed by the tasting and the tasting your distillery in a way that restricts or financial-
room experience.” ly inhibits future growth and expansion. Safety is
another important area of concern, so it’s import-
Snyder believes in having something to show for ant to consult with engineers and architects that
your investment, so it’s best to purchase or lease- are familiar with and understand the workings of
to-own quality equipment. Financing can work, but a distillery and the relatable OSHA regulations.
the thing to remember is that, unlike the beer or Distilling and grinding your grain produces natural
wine industry, distilling equipment holds its value explosion hazards, so it’s critical to design your
exceptionally well. It won’t depreciate like other spaces accordingly.”
manufacturing machinery, so, many times, you’ll
get your full or near full investment back. With “As important as all these other things are, it’s
leases, it can be easier to have someone take over just so critical to stay in compliance with state and
the lease and be on your way. A lot of the equip- federal reporting regulations,” said Snyder. “It’s
ment for wine and beer can be interchangeable, so important to start your reporting and tracking
but distillery equipment is different. before you get audited. Choose a system similar to
Whiskey Systems that fits your needs and provides
“Little things that have big meaning for distilleries an audit-ready place to manage your records.”
can be overlooked if you’re not using engineers
and architects experienced in distillery design,”
said Snyder. “One mistake I see made a lot is the

Joe Kesteloot, Head Brewer, Peace Tree Brewing Co.

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