Small craft brewery, cidery or distillery with taproom

Taproom visitors, local pubs and restaurants, and shoppers. Depending on the province, sales to shops may go through the provincial liquor board.

Taproom pours and packaged drinks sold direct make the best margin. Keg and can sales to licensed venues add volume. Merchandise and tasting events add a little more.

• Brewing, fermenting or distilling know-how
• Cleanliness and careful process control
• Sales and local marketing
• Basic bookkeeping and stock tracking

• Provincial or territorial manufacturing licences, and Quebec's own rules, which differ by region
• Federal excise licensing and duty through the Canada Revenue Agency, check what applies to beer, cider, wine or spirits
• Zoning, building, fire and health inspections for the unit and taproom
• Commercial general liability and property insurance, plus WCB/WSIB coverage once you hire
• Long lead times and high equipment costs before the first sale, so plan your cash carefully
• Selling homemade alcohol without the right licences is not allowed, so don't start selling early

Startup costs are typically around $150,000 to $600,000, depending on equipment, the unit and taproom fit-out. These are estimates, and lead times are long before your first sale, so plan your cash carefully.

Monthly revenue is typically around $10,000 to $50,000, depending on your province, taproom trade, keg sales to bars and whether you can sell cans or bottles. This is an estimate, not a promise.

Check your provincial or territorial manufacturing licence, and Quebec's own rules. Also check federal excise licensing and duty through the Canada Revenue Agency, zoning, building, fire and health inspections, and liability and property insurance. Selling without the right licences is not allowed.