puff33m - 3/10/2024 13:47

When I was in Extension I got involved with some farm to distillery business. As I recall there must have been some legislative changes that allowed private label sales. I tried to work with the dept of AG and develop Fresh from Florida for craft beer and distillery. We were unsuccessful, but I moved on to private industry.

Today, I sell bagged corn and the dept of AG has seemed to got something going with fresh from Florida and I have distilleries calling for Florida grown corn.

As I remember, at the time I really thought the opportunity was in selling a value added, malted product. Seems like that's what the culture of these brewers and distillers was. Pick up a catalog order a tremendously expensive product.

I can already sell more bagged corn than I can handle, and these guys just want to pay market price when they figure out im already selling at a reduced price. Unless I achieve some fresh from Florida labeling or something that everyone doesn't have, that would let me markup my product over the local sales I already do.

I previously worked with this industry with oats for vodka, rye for whiskey, corn for whiskey, and we can easily grow barley as well, but I haven't ever had any to sell.

Does anyone have any thoughts on selling a value added product to this industry, malting, drying, and bagging. I guess that's my question. Or do I just sit back and sell a commodity in a 50# bag like they can use.


You can easily grow barley?

I did some research on it and it looked like southern Minnesota is two far south to grow good barley for beer making. I don’t know how Florida would work. I thought it would be nice to grow barley and make beer.