Is anyone else here running, or starting a meadery?

[Brad Dahlhofer]

I'm curious to see how many commercial meadmakers, or future commercial meadmakers there are on this site. It would be great to be able to discuss the challenges of going commercial with someone else. Also, if there is anything I can do to help you in your quest, I'm open about my experiences. I think if mead is ever going to get general acceptance in the marketplace, we must help each other build awareness and a high quality product.


Brad

 

[teljkon]

I have a question.What do you think your licensing costs were?? Both federal and state?? By the way the rabbits foot guy dose post on the board.
:happy10:

 

[Brad Dahlhofer]

I have a question.What do you think your licensing costs were?? Both federal and state?? By the way the rabbits foot guy dose post on the board.
:happy10:

The cost of the license is cheap. I think it was only $70 for the state, and similar for the fed. Dept of Agriculture was about $50. Every state will differ. I remember reading that in Colorado its thousands a year to renew your wine makers license.

The real cost is in obtaining a facility and keeping it during the year long process of getting the licenses. You can't produce until the licensing is complete, so you're basically paying rent on a facility you can't use.

 

[teljkon]

I can see where that would be costly.
:happy10:

 

[robodeath]

Me and a friend are in the very beginning stages, planning and such. We're in GA and so far the laws don't seem very friendly.

 

[akueck]

Oh how I wish I were!

If you don't mind me asking, what's a good number for cash-in-hand to cover starting costs? What was your time frame of setup & licensing, i.e. how long before you could expect to start selling product? How willing are banks to offer loans to this sort of business these days?

And finally, got any job openings?

j/k I'm not looking to leave CA for another year. Thanks for the info. Hopefully you'll be distributing to WI next time I visit my parents.

 

[Brad Dahlhofer]

If your parents are anywhere near Madision, WI then you should visit in August so you can attend the Great Taste of the Midwest. There's a ton of breweries, and a couple meaderies (including B. Nektar) attending this year. The event is Aug. 8th. Check out http://www.mhtg.org/great-taste-of-the-midwest.

Brad

Oh how I wish I were!

If you don't mind me asking, what's a good number for cash-in-hand to cover starting costs? What was your time frame of setup & licensing, i.e. how long before you could expect to start selling product? How willing are banks to offer loans to this sort of business these days?

And finally, got any job openings?

j/k I'm not looking to leave CA for another year. Thanks for the info. Hopefully you'll be distributing to WI next time I visit my parents.

 

[gavinonymous]

The cost of the license is cheap. I think it was only $70 for the state, and similar for the fed. Dept of Agriculture was about $50. Every state will differ. I remember reading that in Colorado its thousands a year to renew your wine makers license.

The real cost is in obtaining a facility and keeping it during the year long process of getting the licenses. You can't produce until the licensing is complete, so you're basically paying rent on a facility you can't use.

Licensing to manufacture wine in Ontario Canada costs $1200 (about $1000 US) for two years.

Our liquor industry is government regulated, wine is sold mostly in gov run liquor or beer stores. Wineries can open retail outlets, as can breweries - for meaderies there's a restriction that you need to own 100 hives in order to open a retail outlet. (I'm wondering if it's possible to buy hives and contract out to a apiary to run them)

Once you have a product made only then can you apply for a license. It must pass a detailed chemical analysis from the gov. lab to be approved. They need two bottles and it costs about $150cdn.

Even after you get a facility, order your equipment and materials, draw up a detailed business plan, including marketing, branding - you can't sell anything until you get a license approved. You need to show your business plan, and a floor plan they also do a criminal background check on you and any other corporation officers. That reminds me, there's the cost of incorporation, accountant, lawyer, banking fees just to be legit.

An incorporation costs about $1000 and a name search costs another $25

Yeh it's very expensive to start up, and risky at that; the payoff is owning your own meadery, being your own boss and contributing something useful and enjoyable to society.

 

[akueck]

If your parents are anywhere near Madision, WI then you should visit in August so you can attend the Great Taste of the Midwest. There's a ton of breweries, and a couple meaderies (including B. Nektar) attending this year. The event is Aug. 8th. Check out http://www.mhtg.org/great-taste-of-the-midwest.

Brad

Very close to Madison, about halfway between there and Milwaukee. Hmmm, my parents would love it if I visited. Perhaps I won't tell them why.

 

[ndbrewlady]

for meaderies there's a restriction that you need to own 100 hives in order to open a retail outlet

gavinonymous, what is their reasoning for this? And if that is the case do the wineries have to raise their own grapes?

We have a local winery here in Burlington, ND that useses local fruit to make their wines, they do raise grapes, but the apples, chockecherry, and other local fruit comes from the area.

 

[capoeirista13]

wow it sounds like its a lot more work to start up a meadery in Canada, or at least a lot more expensive! I wish there was a local meadery in PA, I'd love to taste a variety of meads that aren't of my own creation.

man I wish I knew about more people's meaderies from this site, that way I could have added them in to my paper!