Cidery with a cellar door

Visitors and tourists at the cellar door, pubs, bars and bottle shops, festival goers and online customers.

Cellar door tastings and bottle sales at retail prices, wholesale to venues, kegs for taps, and ticketed events or merchandise.

• Cider making and quality control
• Running a customer-facing venue
• Sales and relationships with venues
• Budgeting and stock planning

• Planning permission and zoning for a cellar door, check with your local council
• Producer and on-premises liquor licensing differs by state, check the details
• Alcohol tax: check with the ATO whether wine equalisation tax (and any producer rebate) or excise applies to your cider, as it can depend on the product and its alcohol content, and whether you need to register
• Responsible service of alcohol training for staff serving tastings
• Workers compensation insurance once you hire, plus public and product liability cover
• High setup costs and seasonal cash flow, so keep a buffer

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around $60,000 to $250,000, depending on your site, pressing and fermenting equipment, packaging and tasting space fit-out. Setup costs are high, so keep a cash buffer.

Check planning permission and zoning with your council, and producer and on-premises liquor licensing for your state. Also check alcohol tax with the ATO, responsible service of alcohol training for staff, and insurance.

Estimates suggest monthly revenue is typically around $6,000 to $30,000, depending on visitor numbers, venue sales and online orders. Allow at least about 30 hours a week, and expect seasonal swings in cash flow.