Small-Batch cidery or meadery

Visitors to a tasting room or farm stand, local restaurants and bottle shops, and customers at farmers markets or events where your state allows sales.

Bottle and glass sales at the tasting room earn the most per unit. Wholesale to shops and restaurants adds volume at lower prices, and seasonal or limited releases can support higher prices.

• Fermentation and quality control
• Sourcing fruit, juice or honey from local suppliers
• Labeling and packaging
• Storytelling and local sales

• Federal permit from the TTB and a state license, and the rules differ for cider, mead and wine, so check which category you fall into
• Federal and state excise taxes, plus label approval requirements, which can take time
• Rules on tastings, farm sales, farmers market sales and shipping are set by each state, so check before planning your sales mix
• Zoning, agricultural and health department rules for the site, plus any water or wastewater requirements
• General liability and product liability insurance, and liquor liability if you serve on site
• Seasonal fruit supply and spoiled batches can hurt cash flow, so keep a buffer

Estimated startup costs are typically around $40,000 to $200,000, depending on your site, fermentation and bottling equipment and how much cash you keep as a buffer. Seasonal fruit supply and spoiled batches can strain cash flow.

Monthly revenue is estimated at typically around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on your sales mix of tastings, local restaurants and shops, and what your state allows. These are revenue figures, not profit.

Check the federal TTB permit and your state license, since rules differ for cider, mead and wine. Also check excise taxes, label approval, state rules on tastings, farm and market sales and shipping, zoning, health rules and insurance.