Farm distillery using your own grain or fruit

Farm visitors and tourists, local restaurants and bars, specialty food shops, and provincial liquor stores where listings are possible.

Farm-gate bottle sales, tours and tastings where your province permits them, plus wholesale to venues and liquor boards. A story tied to your land can support a higher price.

• Farming or sourcing local ingredients
• Production and quality control
• Storytelling and local marketing
• Planning around seasons

• Federal excise licensing: check with the CRA about the spirits licence before producing
• Agricultural land zoning may limit on-farm processing or visitor sales, so check with your municipality
• Provincial rules on farm-gate sales and tastings differ, so check with your provincial liquor regulator
• Harvests and winter weather affect supply and visitor numbers
• Fire safety and storage rules for alcohol and flammable vapours, plus commercial general liability insurance

Our estimates put startup costs typically around $200,000 to $900,000, depending on your property, buildings, distilling equipment and licensing. Check fire safety and storage requirements early, as they can affect your setup and insurance costs.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around $5,000 to $25,000, depending on farm-gate visitors, local venue sales and liquor store listings. Harvests and winter weather can affect both your supply and visitor numbers, so plan around the seasons.

Check with the CRA about the federal spirits licence before producing. Also check agricultural land zoning with your municipality, provincial rules on farm-gate sales and tastings, fire safety and storage rules for alcohol, and commercial general liability insurance.