Private wine storage service

Wine collectors in condos and apartments without space, restaurants short on stock room, and people with wine they are ageing for later.

Monthly or yearly storage fees per case or per locker, plus handling fees for pick-ups and deliveries. Some owners later add bottle sales or sourcing, where local rules allow.

• Careful record keeping
• Knowledge of how wine is stored and aged
• Trust and discretion with clients' valuable bottles
• Customer service

• Rules on storing or handling alcohol vary by province, so check with your provincial liquor regulator before taking any bottles
• Commercial general liability plus insurance covering stored stock against spoilage, theft and power failure
• Equipment failure or a power cut can ruin wine, so plan temperature monitoring and a backup
• Municipal zoning and any rules for the unit you lease
• Selling wine is a separate matter and usually needs its own licence or authorization, so check before you offer it

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around $12,000 to $55,000 CAD, depending on the size of your unit, the climate control and monitoring you install, and your lease. Plan for a backup in case of equipment failure.

Monthly revenue is estimated at typically around $1,500 to $7,500 CAD, depending on how many clients you store for and which extra services you offer. That is revenue before rent, equipment and insurance costs.

Rules on storing or handling alcohol vary by province, so check with your provincial liquor regulator before taking any bottles. Also check municipal zoning, insurance for spoilage and theft, and whether selling wine needs its own licence.