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tristan1220

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I want to start marketing my cider. Start putting it into stores, bars, etc.

Has anyone done this? Have you had good luck?
 
Do a search on here. This comes up maybe one or two times a month. The reality of the cost and trouble stops most people, some make a go of it.
Selling cider would be harder than beer simply because you only have one product, it's not a mainstream product and unlike beer, it's hard to make your cider stand out from others that may be available. It can be done, but it's not easy.
You need to look up state laws to figure it out.

I can tell you that it will cost quite a bit to do. The dedicated commercial kitchen area is expensive on it's own. The licensing can be tough, depending on where you are, marketing costs money. Look up your state laws. Do a search on here and you might find someone who is in the same state as you and get good information.
 
Thanks! I've looked up my state laws (TX). It's cost about $4000 for a license. I work at whole foods so I'd have an in here. I have a marketing gimmick cooked up already that makes me stand out. All my friends LOVE my cider. I've had numerous tasting parties. It's just that $4000 is a tough one.
 
Thanks! I've looked up my state laws (TX). It's cost about $4000 for a license. I work at whole foods so I'd have an in here. I have a marketing gimmick cooked up already that makes me stand out. All my friends LOVE my cider. I've had numerous tasting parties. It's just that $4000 is a tough one.

The other thing to check is in some states, you can't self-distribute. In some states, like Wisconsin, you can self distribute if you're a certain size. Check that first, because it would not work if TX doesn't allow you to self-distribute. I assume that in TX, that ciders are considered a wine? If so, it would be easier to get started. Small wineries have different licensing laws and requirements.
 
I double check that cider is concidered a specialty wine. It is. What does that mean for me? How will that make it easier?
 
I double check that cider is concidered a specialty wine. It is. What does that mean for me? How will that make it easier?

A winery is easier to license in most states, and most wineries can self-distribute as well.

I know there are a couple of new wineries popping up in Texas. One is in Refugio and we stopped in there last spring. They buy fruit (just planted some grapes) and make wine and cider, and they have a little tasting room and they also can self-distribute. That's all I know about it, but I know if it was a brewery that they would have a million more hoops to jump through!

Maybe see if you can find out how to get the winery license, and then either a Tasting Room or distribution.
 
Check out http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/laws/texas_wine.asp

You would need winery license, bottling license, bonds, then distributing if you are into that. Label approval. Wet vs dry, does it need municipal vote for approval. Plus I believe TX, as in most states, requires that at least 75% of your fruit is sourced from within the state, can apply for exceptions. Then you get into if you want a tasting room, wine festivals, special events, etc.

And whatever you do, do not try to establish a following before you are licensed, that seems to be a common indicator for denial of application.

But the TABC can answer all your questions.
 
I want to start marketing my cider. Start putting it into stores, bars, etc.

Has anyone done this? Have you had good luck?

Have you been watching Moonshiners?! Ha just kidding:mug:
I give you credit for wanting to take the plunge. Good luck and go for it! People like me would support you.
 
I've looked into it here and it is very cost prohibitive to get going. That being said go for it and check out your local laws. Try to get a job at a winery where you may be able use their space for your product.
 
Follow you dreams buddy! However, if the 4K start up amount is your hurdle, then you should be aware that it'll cost you a lot more before you even sell your first drop. A cidery costs a lot in overhead. As saramc pointed out, there's a lot more to it than just getting the license. You can't just have a winery in your basement, you'll have to buy or lease some commercial space which will probably have to be modified to meet regulations. Equipment gets expensive fast as well since you can't turn a profit using 5 gallon carboys. Then there's the paperwork, taxes, and regulations which will take up as much of your time as actual production and a whole lot more I'm not going to get into now.

It'll be a lot of work, but rewarding when done. Talk to you local wineries and breweries about starting up, equipment, the market etc. People in this industry are typically very open and helpful. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

Good luck!
 
Here's a fantastic idea for you Tristan....! Why not find other people, like people say on a brew forum, who are interested in doing the same thing. Maybe they produce some good cider as well and would be interested in going into business with you to split all the costs... Of course that means profits would be split to but I think it would be a easier way to go. Why don't you transfer to the whole foods here in Monterey California and you and I will open a cidery :)
I'm joking but not really... Lol..
This is something I really considered for a while now and I think having a partner would be easier then not having one.... Two Brewers means that there should always be time to have one brewer on the floor, The other in the office...
And I already have two ladies that come and work for us... One in the tasting room and one who would be a rep and travel California and sell our product. And she's good too, she can sell water to a fisherman....
 
Thank you guys! I found out that in Texas Cider is considered a specialty wine. So a winery permit is $851. Much less than the 4k.

After i get the permit, what's the next step? Do I find a kitchen space to brew in? Or....
 
After all this talk of opening a cidery I decided to look into it further.... It is not nearly as difficult as a brew pub or an actual brewery as LeBreton said...
I need a fermenting partner for the Monterey Peninsula area!
Someone come on down and let's make some brew!
 
After i get the permit, what's the next step? Do I find a kitchen space to brew in? Or....

Actually, you get the winery set up first (tanks, hoses, floor drains, pumps, etc). Then apply for the license once you are in compliance. No need for a kitchen unless you're serving food.

After all this talk of opening a cidery I decided to look into it further.... It is not nearly as difficult as a brew pub or an actual brewery as LeBreton said...

I was talking about a cidery actually, not that I see much difference, building either one from the ground up is a pretty daunting tasks IMO.
 
After i get the permit, what's the next step? Do I find a kitchen space to brew in? Or....

Talk to the health department and find out what the commercial kitchen requirements would be so that you can start to figure out those costs.
I'm not completely sure, but I think the local health department would be the enforcement agency on that so they are the one to talk to.

After that I would start figuring out the cost of the equipment you would need to brew a batch size is that you would need.
Check the price on wholesale bottles, caps and labels while you're at it.

After that I'd figure out the cost of materials, Then you can start figuring out what you would have to sell it for to make a profit.
 
BadgerBrigade asked me a question via PM earlier today and I'd thought I'd post my reply here since it's pertinent. Hope that's ok with you BB!! :eek:

As someone who works in the industry here's my very basic understanding of the legal process of opening a cidery. DISCLAIMER **I work in cider production and R&D and luckily do not do the paperwork**. Obviously, each step is much more detailed and this deals only with the licensing/legal issues and not the business side, but it's a start.

Basically, you have to deal with all 3 levels of govt. First you need to get a cidery/winery (depending on the state) production space which is zoned correctly by the local govt. Then once you're all set up with equipment and in compliance/code you can apply to the state govt. for your licence. Once you start selling cider you must collect the correct taxes and give them to both the state and federal govt.

Contact you state ABC authority for your state regs. While the TTB is the main federal agency you're have to deal will, along with the dept of agriculture (state and/or fed). They can get you started in the correct direction and provide you with the specific informational.

probrewer.com can be a useful resource too.
 
What scale cidery are we talking about here? Will you press apples or source juice? Can you even source enough juice for a commercial operation? Will you contract long-term with one or more orchards, or purchase whatever year-to-year on open-market?

I live and work in the Finger Lakes (NY) in the retail wine store. There's a lot of wineries (and a few hard cidery producers) in the area and more each year--some very small in production (500 cases or less annually). So, it is doable. But there's also a lot of resources available (grape growers, orchards, bulk juice) and public awareness about local wines in my area. Is there a market for cider in TX or wherever?

I'll mention, our store carries several NY cider producers (including Bellwether, where LeBreton works) and cider sales are a small fraction of our retail sales. The market is growing, but the local hard cider producers have been investing considerable effort and resources into promotion. Trust me, hard cider does not sell itself. You'll spend far more effort promoting/selling cider than making it.
 
BoomerCreek said:
BadgerBrigade I live in Santa Cruz. I can see you across the bay on a clear day. Lets start a cidery.

Don't tease me bro.... I have been looking seriously at this....
 
Wineries can be easier to license than breweries or distilleries but in Ct a majority of the juice you start with has to come from fruit you grow. Hence the farm-winery label. I don't think there are any wineries here that import all their juice but I know of one cider press that sells hard cider to. but grows no apples.
 
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