Why shouldn't a brewery be able to do the same?
Because a brewery is not a clothing line, there are many other considerations besides distribution that differentiate the two.
If I wanted to start a brewery as a home based business why can't I?
You could, it would be similar to the same process as starting a restaurant as a home based business. You would have to apply for zoning changes, provide adequate facilities and pass the various inspections. It has been done before; albeit primarily in states that allow self distribution.
If I wanted to start a brewery be selling to friends and family and growing by word of mouth, why can't I? I do I have to go from nothing to playing in the big leauges immediately?
Essentially this is what you do, distribution contracts are not all or nothing. The local brewery here in town for example started at one account, then two, then three and so on. Now they can be found in pretty much all of the decent, and half way decent, bars in town. When they are not sold out of their products.
I don't. This doesn't make any sense to me at all. I don't see what your point is or what you are trying to get at.
Jeremy
Let me set up an example here. Let's say I wanted to start a microbrewery (not a nanobrewery... a microbrewery.) I go out and a find the space, a nice commercial/industrial warehouse space. I buy a 15bbl brew house, 4 15bbl fermenters and bright tanks and start building. Eventually I am ready for market and hire a small staff, maybe one or two other people. We keg 10bbl of each batch and bottle the remaining 5.
Now, lets say I am in a state that allows self distribution. I have two options. I can buy a LARGE refrigerated truck and have one of my employees a dedicated sales/delivery person (this means going to each account once or twice a week for orders and once or twice a week for deliveries.) Alternatively I can work with a local distributor, preferably one who has a good reputation for craft beer and they can do that leg work for me. I can then have dedicated help in the brewery for things like cleaning, tours, sampling, etc.
But for the sake of this example lets say I go the self distribution route. A year passes and there is demand for my beer in other markets, including markets several hours away and in other states. Now my options become expanding my self-distribution network two interstate commerce (which requires a much different set of legalities when compared to intrastate) or going with another distributor. I choose to go with another distributor at this point.
I am now a part of the three tier system, and chances are my distributor will be tied with either ABI or MillerCoors. The three tier system, and in a way, BMC, have now expanded the beer selection for people in another market.
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Without the local ABI distributor I would not be able to get Victory or Southern Tier, without the MillerCoors distributor I would not be able to get Avery, Dogfish Head, Lagunitas, etc. The three tier system has made beer in North Florida tolerable and has given, at least this city, enough knowledge to support a brewery.
Do I think breweries should have a choice? Absolutely. However, when comments like this come up:
They're lobbying aggressively to maintain the three tier system that reduces the amount of choices available to consumers at retail by crowding out competitors.
An accurate representation of the facts should be given. The three tier system helps brewers, large and small, get in to markets they would not otherwise feasibly get in to, and as a direct result, grow.
BTW, ABI and MillerCoors each belong to two brewing lobby groups. One of which is the Brewers Association. In fact, they pay BA dues for EACH of their breweries and for the Craft Brewers Alliance (Widmer, Redhook, Kona, Goose Island) locations seperately. So just as strong as the "big brewer" lobby is in one direction, they support the people who lobby in the other direction as well.
Crack open a Bourbon County Stout and toast it to the company that made it possible for you to drink it outside of Chicago... AB-InBev.