The biggest plan B of them all: the NHC microbeer business

[admin]

Ok, this is a Plan B to the time-share arrangement in the other post.

€10k gets you in, 10 people required, so it's still a €100k budget.

Difference is you're buying a tenth of a business that brews develops, brews, packages, markets and distributes beer. i.e. you're buying a tenth of a complete business.

But, you need to contribute some of your time too. It could be one day a fortnight, but it could be more, and some of it won't be glamorous. Using a Flying-V as a mash paddle is very rock and roll, but someone needs to do a soil rinse too. That's not cool.

Thoughts?

[Eoin]

That certainly sounds more sensible.

[brenmurph]

So if the business produces a line of beers that can be sold commercially and maybe a small profit on top of covering all the overheads, could we then brew our own batches on our own time and  sell them ourselves for a personal profit?

Would our own individual beer production be all legal say from a customs tax and licencing laws angle?

[brenmurph]

Also Tube, wat size of gear  & batches have u in mind? normal home brewer 40 pints.......... O Haras a probably a thousand pints where would we fit in?

[Spud395]

I think Carlow are 30HL (3,000L)

You'd want to be looking at least at a 10 HL plant but I think way bigger if you're going to have that many involved and want more than pocket money from it

[brenmurph]

Theres a ton of other small markets untapped, food fairs/ festivals, marquee based parties ( 21st's and so on), local pubs who will sell a dozen a week and so on.

I know fellas who spend 4 grand on a set of golf clubs and gear and then have to pay green fees, travellin costs and so on. I also know people who payed 2-5000 on a share in a racehorse and lost their ass with vets and training fees.  I'm not sayin I'm ready to just throw 10g your way but i'm interested in principle and like the idea, as mentioned in previous post as long as there is still a homebrew club who will promote real beer as a nutritious product as well as a great hobby, Id be welcoming to the idea of a real brewery that would potentially:
1
make a profit or at least break even and cover all the
standing costs then allow us make some beer for private sale
2
Possible integrate a club headquarters/ school
3
allow non- owners a little involvement e.g. maybe brew school, brew tours, brew days, internship, work experience
4
Ultimatly just like camra has, continue promote real beer

[Spud395]

You will need an different licence to sell beer to the public than to brew and sell to trade.

Breweries cant even sell beer from the brewery to the public.

[brenmurph]

Pity they wouldnt just scrap all the red tape on drink.
U can buy as much stomach cancer causing painkillers, diabetes causing sugary drinks and white bread and toxic pizzas and other junk food killing everyone with heart disease but beer get all the bad press and has such silly restrictions. Hows about we lobby the government to quit the bull and free up real beer as a nutritious health giving food!

[DEMPSEY]

O'Hara's are getting bigger as this thread progresses,I think its 65HL, 6500L.
The way I would see this as working is to establish it as a brewery with agreed brands to be produced. The members are all shareholders and are all active in the production of the beers. One area that would need to be clear is who or whom are going out to the market place to SELL the beer.

The brewery must be seen as a wholesale producer and must be able to make an operating profit itself. If shareholders want to produce special brews and sell them on their own,no problem,they buy them wholesale from the brewery and sell them on. You can do this anyway by going to any current brewery with your recipe and get it brewed. 

[UpsidedownA (Andrew)]

What about a co-op warehouse/shop that would pay the duty bond and handle online sales, relations with pubs and beer distributors and that sort of thing allowing members to produce and bottle their homebrew on their own but providing them with a legitimate route to market? That might be cheaper than 10k per investor because you wouldn't be buying equipment you'd just be buying your way through the red tape. Individuals would get profits off their own beers less whatever charge the co-op levies for the facility.

[DoWn2DiE]

You will need an different licence to sell beer to the public than to brew and sell to trade.

Breweries cant even sell beer from the brewery to the public.

You'd need an on-licence or an off-licence. Although they're very cheap at the moment with all the closed pubs, and now is really the time to buy.

Any idea on how much a license would be selling at fairs and stalls etc?

[CARA]

BUMP

[Padraic]

I still like this idea, even though it will be very hard to administer!

[Will_D]

Does this thread not give us any ideas??

http://nationalhomebrewclub.ie/forum/index.php/topic,1955.0.html

10K is a BIG ask but sure why not ask the "cloud" or is it "crowd"

We first need the paperwork, licenses, ElfnSafety, Food regs, Waste disposal regs etc, Then we need a building and PP for the brewery.

AFAIK: A brewery could be no bigger than my 5 gallon set up!! Unlike distillation there is no minimum or maximum size!

We can start brewing with say a 200L Braumeister set up (10 K or so) ( or even our little HB set ups )

The kit can grow as we expand!

[brenmurph]

if der was a pub witth a grand yard & rear access with a very good outbuilding how much red tape is der to get brewing comercial on dis premises?