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HONEYDEW MEADERY
BUSINESS PLAN
April 10, 2014
Lewis Clarke –
Marcus Aurelius –
OMMITTED FOR STEALTH
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 1
CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT
The undersigned reader acknowledges that the information provided by Honeydew
Meadery in this business plan is confidential; therefore, the reader agrees not to disclose it
without the express written permission of Lewis Clarke or Marcus Aurelius.
It is acknowledged by reader that information to be furnished in this business plan is in all
respects confidential in nature, other than information which is in the public domain through
other means and that any disclosure or use of same by reader, may cause serious harm or
damage to Honeydew Meadery.
Upon request, this document is to be immediately returned to Lewis Clarke or Marcus
Aurelius.
___________________
Signature
___________________
Name (typed or printed)
___________________
Date
This is a business plan. It does not imply an offering of securities.
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT...............................................................................................................1
TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................................................2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY..................................................................................................................................4
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS.....................................................................................................................................5
INDUSTRY TRENDS.......................................................................................................................................................... 5
The Mead Industry..........................................................................................................................................................5
The Cider Industry ..........................................................................................................................................................6
The White Wine Industry.............................................................................................................................................6
PORTER’S FIVE FORCES MODEL ................................................................................................................................... 7
CUSTOMER ANALYSIS....................................................................................................................................8
Facebook Data-Mining (Primary Research).......................................................................................................8
PRIMARY MARKET: MEAD DRINKERS......................................................................................................................... 8
Mead Consumer Survey (Primary Research)......................................................................................................9
SECONDARY MARKET: CIDER DRINKERS.................................................................................................................... 9
SECONDARY MARKET: WHITE WINE DRINKERS.....................................................................................................10
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS............................................................................................................................ 11
DIRECT COMPETITORS .................................................................................................................................................11
IN-DIRECT COMPETITORS ...........................................................................................................................................12
COMPETITIVE OBJECTIVES ANALYSIS........................................................................................................................13
HONEYDEW’S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE................................................................................................................13
STRATEGIC GROUP MAP ..............................................................................................................................................14
COMPANY AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTION............................................................................................ 15
COMPANY DESCRIPTION ..............................................................................................................................................15
PRODUCT 1: APPLE/PEAR CYSER..............................................................................................................................15
PRODUCT 2: DRY MEAD...............................................................................................................................................16
MARKETING PLAN....................................................................................................................................... 16
FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH.........................................................................................................................................16
THE STRATEGY ..............................................................................................................................................................17
Product Quality .............................................................................................................................................................17
Customer Involvement...............................................................................................................................................18
Creative Advertising....................................................................................................................................................18
TARGET AREA................................................................................................................................................................18
OPERATIONS PLAN ..................................................................................................................................... 19
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE...................................................................................................................................19
JOB DESCRIPTIONS........................................................................................................................................................20
WORK FLOW..................................................................................................................................................................21
Rolling vs. Bulk Fermentation................................................................................................................................22
PRODUCTION SCALABILITY..........................................................................................................................................23
ADVISORY BOARD .........................................................................................................................................................23
HUMAN RESOURCES BUDGET .....................................................................................................................................24
PROPERTY SELECTION .............................................................................................................................. 25
PLACE OF OPERATION & LOCATION ..........................................................................................................................25
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 3
ANALYSIS OF OPERATIONS AND PLANOGRAM..........................................................................................................25
REGULATIONS AND LICENSING............................................................................................................... 26
TEAM................................................................................................................................................................ 27
LEGAL STRUCTURE ..................................................................................................................................... 28
CRITICAL RISKS............................................................................................................................................ 29
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS................................................................................................................................. 30
RAW MATERIAL COSTS................................................................................................................................................30
IN-HOUSE VS. OUTSOURCING PRODUCTION.............................................................................................................30
DISTRIBUTION MARGIN ANALYSIS.............................................................................................................................31
BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS...............................................................................................................................................33
CAPITAL STRUCTURE....................................................................................................................................................33
Stage One: Outsourcing.............................................................................................................................................33
Stage Two: In-House Production Facility..........................................................................................................34
PRO-FORMA FINANCIAL STATEMENTS................................................................................................ 35
CASH FLOW STATEMENTS...........................................................................................................................................35
INCOME STATEMENT....................................................................................................................................................42
BALANCE SHEET............................................................................................................................................................43
EXIT STRATEGY............................................................................................................................................ 44
CONTINGENCY STRATEGY............................................................................................................................................44
FINANCIAL HARVEST STRATEGY ................................................................................................................................45
REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................................. 46
APPENDICES .................................................................................................................................................. 49
MEAD CONSUMER SURVEY RESULTS (PRIMARY RESEARCH) ...............................................................................49
FACEBOOK DATA-MINING RESULTS (PRIMARY RESEARCH) ................................................................................53
INDUSTRY TRENDS CHARTS ........................................................................................................................................53
MODEL OF BRAND EQUITY FOR WINE ......................................................................................................................55
WORK BREAKDOWN.....................................................................................................................................................56
JOB DESCRIPTION: MEAD CONSULTANT / BREW MASTER ....................................................................................57
JOB DESCRIPTION: BREW-HELPER (LABOR)............................................................................................................58
JOB DESCRIPTION: PRODUCT AGENT.........................................................................................................................59
WATERLOO ZONING BY-LAW......................................................................................................................................60
MANAGEMENT RESUMES.............................................................................................................................................61
BREWING EQUIPMENT COST BREAKDOWN..............................................................................................................63
IN-HOUSE VS. OUTSOURCING DETAILED CHARTS...................................................................................................64
ONTARIO WINE MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS .......................................................................................................65
130 FROBISHER PROPERTY LISTING .........................................................................................................................66
ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION....................................................................................................................................69
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 4
The millennial generation in Canada is showing a strong and
consistently growing trend towards buying sweeter, fruit-infused,
innovative, and more premium alcohol beverages. Honeydew
Meadery plans to provide just that; a honey wine product infused
with sweet Canadian-grown apples, a product currently not
offered anywhere in Canada. We will differentiate ourselves in the
marketplace through an endless pursuit of quality, extensive customer involvement and
catchy, creative marketing strategies.
The 19 to 24 age category in Canada has a growing interest in sweet white wines, sweeter
apple ciders, and innovative alcohol beverages they can experiment with tasting. In response
to this, our first product offering is a honey wine infused with apples, market-tested to meet
their exact desires for a sweet, interesting, and premium beverage. Our second product
capitalizes on trends in the 25 to 34 age category towards drinking semi-sweet white wines,
by offering a semi-sweet honey wine product at a fair price.
We will reach our customers by first introducing our product in the LCBO. We will
cultivate long-lasting and meaningful customer relationships through an extremely active
social media presence, one-to-one communication, positive on-site tasting experiences,
tasting events and an open-door, honest policy in doing business. We will produce our mead
first through outsourcing agreements to market-test our product, and later through a
company-owned fermentation facility with a focus on production quality and control. We will
build strong relationships with the farmers and apiaries (bee-cultivators) that supply our raw
materials by emphasizing their involvement in the entire process and in-turn promoting each
other’s products. Our products will be priced competitively with white wines and other
alcohol beverages whose sales we will cannibalize at $14.94 per 750ml bottle. Concentrating
on the facets of customer-involvement, innovation, product-quality, honesty in business
practice, and creative marketing will create the concrete foundation from which we will
nurture a long-lasting and sustainable competitive advantage.
Our team is comprised of two founders, Lewis Clarke and Marcus Aurelius. Lewis is an
avid mead-making hobbyist who has produced over 30 unique recipes himself. Lewis also
has a wealth of experience in the Ontario-based operations of a production facility, import
and export and contract-negotiation of sales to government organizations. Lewis brings with
him a network of sommeliers, craft-brewers, SME support staff and other mead-hobbyists to
the advisory board. Marcus has work experience in sales, project management, and
managing an online store. His experience and skills in planning and problem solving will be
a valuable asset to Honeydew Meadery.
Starting the company requires an initial equity investment of $22,000. This will be
financed by Marcus and Lewis. An additional $85,000 is required in year two, in order to
open an in-house production facility. This will be financed with a combination of debt from a
bank and equity from family members. When outsourcing in the first year, the company must
sell 1754 bottles of mead to break even. When manufacturing in-house, 10,791 bottles of
mead must be sold in order to break even. It is forecast that the company will lose around
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 5
$4000 in the first year of operations. In years two and three, there is an expected profit of
around $19,000 and $64,000, respectively.
Mergers and acquisition are very common in the alcohol industry. As Honeydew Meadery
expands it will become an attractive target for a merger or acquisition. This is likely the most
viable exit strategy.
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
Industry Trends
The Mead Industry
There are very few statistics regarding international mead consumption, as the product is
somewhat niche. This analysis makes due with the available information. Andre Abi Raad,
production engineer and oenologue at Intermiel stated the following (as quoted in Cioletti,
NDA, 2006)
“Thirty years ago, if you talked to 10 people in Quebec, there were nine who
didn't know mead and one who did. Now, it's almost the inverse.”
Cioletti’s (NDA, prior to 2006) article suggests that there were roughly 200 meaderies
worldwide with 60 in the United States when the article was written. Cioletti also writes that
50% of those were launched within the past 5-7 years. Strong supplier growth suggests a
positive trend in consumption. Allen Breed (2010) writes that in the past decade, the number
of meaderies in the United states has tripled to around 150, again suggesting high supplier-
side growth. An article by CSP Daily News (2013) stated that there is an accelerated growth
of mead consumption in Canada. The article mentions there was an estimated four meaderies
in Canada in the mid-2000s. This number has now grown to over thirty (CSP Daily News,
2013). Megan Flynn’s article in Beer West Magazine wrote that in 2011 there were 150
commercial meaderies in the United States; she also writes that mead is making a comeback
(NDA, 2012).
An article by Rick Lyke (2007) of All About Beer Magazine writes that according to the
International Mead Association there are 100 United states meaderies up from 30 in 1998. 50
are traditional meaderies and the other 50 are typically wineries and breweries who use
honey in their products. He also writes that Bill Bailey of Desi Dew’s Meadery in
Rougemont, NC says mead’s challenge is one of public awareness, but that it’s awareness
has grown ten times since 2000. Lyke (2007) writes that the International Mead Association
estimates the commercial mead-making market in the US is a $20 million industry.
Summary
This data suggests that mead is a niche market segment that is on a strong upward growth
trend. Honeydew Meadery will be well positioned to capitalize on this growth in consumer
demand.
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 6
The Cider Industry
The cider industry has been analyzed because our apple cyser (mead made with apples)
will be positioned to cannibalize sweet cider sales. Canadean’s (2013) high-level market
research report contains significant analysis of the cider industry in the United States, which
is comparable to the Canadian market. First, the report asserts that the cider market is
experiencing strong growth in the double-digits similar to the craft beer market. 2012 growth
was predicted to be 30%. Imports account for 20% of cider-consumption. Prices have
increased 4% on average due to premium offerings, which account for one-quarter of overall
sales (Canadean, 2013). Some brands like Crispin, Canadean asserts, have seen over 300%
sales growth over the 2011-2012 years. It is postulated that growth in the market is driven by
product innovation (Canadean, 2013).
A Food and Drink Business (2012) article posted that cider sales grew 50% in Q4 2011 in
Australia. Cider makes up 2% of Australia’s alcohol market and 12% of the UK’s alcohol
market (Food and Drink Business, 2012). Cider is said to have kicked off in 2004 and is the
only alcohol category to have remained in constant growth since then in the UK. It is
predicted to grow another 45% through 2012-2017 (Food and Drink Business, 2012). One
brand, Magners was a small brewer in 2005 and now controls 7.5% of cider sales in the US
(The Economist, 2012). An article in TIME by Brad Tuttle (2012) suggests that cider has
seen astronomical growth following the boom of the craft beer market, which has consumers
in the habit of trying new and unusual alcoholic beverages. Though cider is overall a small
part of the US market, it grew in sales by 31.3% over 2011 (Tuttle, 2012). This information
suggests that the trend is sustaining, and is internationally growing; it is not a localized fad.
Summary
Cider is showing strong growth prospects and this indicates targeting the market for
cannibalization is a good strategy; especially with beverages similar in taste like our
proposed mead-cyser. Our demographic analysis and target market reflects a solid product
position and strategy in the marketplace.
The White Wine Industry
The white wine industry is being analyzed due to the taste-pallet similarities of honey
wine and white wine produced from grapes. Both our honey-cyser and medium-dry mead
products are positioned to cannibalize sales of white wine. An article by LuAnn LaSalle
(2012) in the Huffington Post stated that a recent study showed Canadians buy an average of
22 bottles of wine annually as of 2011, up from 13 in 1995. A third of wine consumed within
Canada is produced domestically, but the consumption of wine in Ontario is nearly 75%
domestic (LCBO, 2012) showing a strong trend for Canadian-made products (LaSalle 2012).
Over this same period, LaSalle (2012) says that wine rose from 18 to 30% of Canadian’s
alcohol consumption, detracting from beer and spirits sales.
Summary
Akin to the cider and mead markets, domestic wine is on the rise as well. All of this data
together gives us clear indication that opportunity exists. All markets are growing and
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 7
opportunity abounds within them. Growth predictions are strong and the market leans
towards purchasing craft-made products.
Porter’s Five Forces Model
This Porter’s Five-Forces Model will detail pressures on the industry we will encounter
when operating. It is specifically focusing on the mead industry, though it is important to
mention our product will compete directly against white wine, and cider producers – which
may skew these results in the future.
TABLE 1 Porter's Five Forces Summary
Overall Industry Rating Favorable Moderate Unfavorable
Threat of New Entrants X
Bargaining Power of Buyers X
Threat of Substitutes X
Bargaining Power of Suppliers X
Intensity of Rivalry Among Competitors X
Threat of New Entrants (low-medium)
There are significant barriers to entry in the Ontario alcohol production industry. The first
is a high-presence of government regulation through the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of
Ontario (AGCO). The second barrier is the relatively high cost of starting production. With
an inventory cycle approaching a half-year and significant capital costs, producing mead on a
commercial scale for sale to consumers through the LCBO requires an investment of nearly
$100,000; as detailed throughout this plan. In addition to costs, expert-level knowledge of
fermentation science and the manufacturing process is rare. Customer loyalty to established
brands of wines, and brand equity play a major role in product sales. Economies of scale are
nearly endless in the alcohol production industry as well. In contrast, switching costs are low
for consumers and capital costs can start much, much lower if the scale of the company at
launch is as a micro-producer.
Threat of Substitute Products of Services (high)
The LCBO (2014) lists 9,000 VINTAGES products in its “quick facts” section. White
wines are the secondary substitute products for Honeydew’s meads, and for that reason the
threat is very high. There are also established meads listed already. It is very easy for a
consumer to substitute for a new product. It is integral to Honeydew’s success that our
products become viable substitutes to white wines and ciders, in addition to the existing
mead market.
Bargaining Power of Customers (low)
Buyers have very little power over negotiations or to pressure Honeydew. They depend on
existing distribution channels, like the LCBO’s monopoly. They have no bargaining leverage
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 8
and relatively no leverage to choose other retailers in any significant way. It would be
prudent however to review buyer price-sensitivity to our products.
Bargaining Power of Supplier (low)
Suppliers for Honeydew are very numerous with many substitute products. Every type of
honey typically has multiple suppliers, as well as other materials like bottles, corks and
labels.
Intensity of Competitive Rivalry (medium)
The most important competitive advantage within this industry appears to be exposure.
Competitors with a stronger marketing presence appear to be more successful and have more
LCBO listings; although that may be a chicken or the egg situation. Our competitors appear
to invest a reasonable amount into marketing. Rosewood hosts several events annually at
their locations and around southern Ontario (Rosewood, 2014). Munro attends the Mazer
Cup as judges (Mazer Cup is North America’s most prestigious mead-awards) (Munro,
2014). Both have several award-winning products. Firms in the mead industry are not
concentrated at all, though there is significant firm consolidation in the cider and grape-wine
industries. No competitors in the mead industry have aggressive competitive strategies.
CUSTOMER ANALYSIS
Facebook Data-Mining (Primary Research)
In order to better understand customers that purchase mead, we conducted primary
research using Facebook. Our sample was 33,134 people who “liked” the pages of twelve
meaderies in the USA and Canada. Facebook makes public the most popular age group and
the most popular city of the people who like a page. Our research showed that by far, the
most popular age group of mead drinkers is 25-34 years old. This was the most popular age
group for ten of the twelve meaderies sampled. This research also showed that the city where
most of a meadery’s customers are located was either the same city or a city close to where
the meadery is located. This could suggest that consumers have a preference for locally
produced mead. It could also suggest that other meaderies are following a narrow local
distribution strategy instead of a wide distribution strategy. Detailed results of this research
can be found in Table 19 (Appendices, Page 53).
Honeydew Meadery’s strategy targets three separate consumer groups. Our primary and
most easily accessed market will be that of existing mead drinkers. Secondary markets
include the burgeoning cider market and white-wine market. We see these sales as strong
targets for cannibalization.
Primary Market: Mead Drinkers
There are few formal studies targeting mead consumers so this analysis has been put
together with available information. An article titled “Mead All About It!” by the CSP Daily
News (2013) wrote that there is a young demographic of consumers that are looking for new
and exciting beverages to try. This suggests “new” beverages have a strong sales position.
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 9
Mead Consumer Survey (Primary Research)
We chose to collect primary data by running a mead-consumer survey online. We
received 100 responses. The survey was distributed to Facebook Pages associated with mead-
consumption, as well as on meadery’s Facebook pages, to Reddit.com’s public message
board for mead enthusiasts and to the most popular online community-webpage for mead-
enthusiasts; GotMead.com. Our results are tabled in Figures 14-18 (Appendices, Pages 49-
52). The survey results are as follows:
 Age: Mead-drinkers are primarily between the ages of 18 and 34, with 56% of survey
respondent within the 25-34 range, and 29% in the former. 13% of the demographic is
within the range of 35-54.
 Gender: 88% of mead drinkers are male, and 12% are female.
 Education: 95% of mead-drinkers have a college-diploma, degree, graduate school
degree or some college or graduate school education. 55% within that range, have a
4-year college or university degree or higher education.
 Purchase Frequency: 20% of mead-drinkers purchase mead monthly, and 45% of
mead-drinkers purchase products a few times per year.
 Occupation: Interestingly, 21% of mead-drinkers work within computer and
mathematical fields.
Summary
This data is useful for us. It means our target customer for early-sales cannibalization is
likely young (under 34), post-secondary educated men with many of them working in the IT
or mathematics field. However, we believe the survey may have been skewed due to a lack of
participation on the Internet from older generations, and/or a tendency for computer-related
occupational workers to use the internet and be males. We believe the survey was also
skewed due to the high concentration of men using the sites targeted. However, we feel
targeting a younger demographic is prudent because it is in line with our other research.
Discussions with Reddit and GotMead users revealed they believe a large portion of mead
drinkers have a fascination with Vikings, Scandinavian culture and medieval history – due to
the origin of the mead beverage. This may be why our results were skewed towards males in
the IT field as we feel these interests, subjectively, are strong within that demographic.
These results need to be tested further to define the true demographic of mead-consumers
and increase the reliability of surveys. Surveying consumers at mead trade shows and events
would provide a clearer picture of Honeydew’s ideal consumer.
Secondary Market: Cider Drinkers
An article written in The Economist (2012) states that, “A decade ago 35- to 44-year-olds
were the biggest cider consumers; now 18- to 24-year-olds are”. An article written by Brad
Tuttle (2012) suggests that one reason cider is experiencing a boom is because women will
drink it. Unlike beer, it’s not viewed as a primarily male drink. Tuttle (2012) also writes that
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 10
a typical case of cider has a higher price point average of $35 (in the US) compared to craft
beer at $33 and imported beer at $29. This suggests a willingness to pay a premium-level
price.
An article written by Food and Drink Business (2012) suggests that there is a shift
towards easy-drinking beverages, in contrast to bitter flavors. Generally, the market has
shifted towards sweeter beverages as food has become more processed. Younger generations
appear to have a sweeter palate than other generations, which aids the cider market (Food and
Drink Business, 2012). The core drinking demographic of cider appears to be consumers
under the age of 24, evenly spread between men and women, but appears to be broadening
(Food and Drink Business, 2012).
Canadean (2013) published a report, which stated, “Cider appeals to both men and women
and a relatively young demographic. Typically sweeter than beer, cider appeals to drinkers
who are entering the alcohol market.” This appears to fall in line with other writer’s analyses.
Summary
The cider market appears to be a young demographic of men and women (evenly split).
This is in contrast to the market for mead, which is slightly older. We believe our products
will be able to capture the taste-pallet demands of young cider-drinkers, especially by
marketing our mead cyser (an apple-infused mead) which will host very similar tasting notes
to comparable premium ciders.
Secondary Market: White Wine Drinkers
White wine drinkers are part of our target market because our products aim to replicate
similar flavours. An article by Megan Flynn (NDA, prior to 2012) in Beer West Magazine
writes,
“Take a sip of a dry mead, and you might think of sauvignon blanc, crisp, with
flavors ranging from grassy to tropical. A semi-sweet mead? Think pinot gris,
ripe with rich apple and pear flavors. Venture into a bottle of dry, fruit mead,
and you’ll be reminded of a tart lambic.”
This aids to confirm our belief that mead can be a substitute product for many white-wine
consumers.
A study from researchers at Sonoma University revealed many of our assumptions about
the white-wine industry to be true. Figures 20-22 (Appendices, Pages 53-54) reveal that
millennials (those born between ’77 – ’99, aged 15-37) drink and purchase more sweet
wines, fruit wines and coolers than all other generations combined (Olsen, Thach & Nowak,
2006). These statistics confirms that Honeydew’s intended mead, cider and white wine
customers tend to all lie within the same demographic of 18-34 and share a similar, sweet-
oriented, taste pallet. Figure 23 (Appendices, Page 55) shows that millennials associate white
wine with relaxation, sexiness, sensuality and sophistication (Olsen et al., 2006). A study by
Liz Thach (2012) on WineBusiness.com, reveals that gender-neutral promotions are very
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 11
important and a gender-selective approach may result in decreased market share overall. A
study completed by researchers in Denmark in 2001 indicates that wine drinking is
significantly associated with higher IQ, higher parental education levels and higher
socioeconomic status (Mortensen et al., 2001). This study appears to coincide with our
survey, which revealed mead drinkers are also, primarily, university or college educated.
Summary
The demographic of consumers purchasing sweet white wine are very similar to those
we’ve identified as cider and mead consumers. They are young with post-secondary
educations. This information will help us to structure our marketing campaign to be gender-
neutral to cannibalize sales from the larger cider and white wine markets. Similar flavours
and a tendency to experiment with new beverages will aid in the cannibalization of cider and
white wine sales.
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
Direct Competitors
Vcelco S.R.O.
This Slovakian producer of mead has one product listing in the LCBO (2014) at a retail
price of $24.95 and an ABV of 13.5% called the, “Vcelovina Mead”. Information regarding
size was unavailable. Vcelco’s website is reasonably well done and minimalist (Vcelco,
2014). They have only one product. Searching their name on Google reveals no sidebar,
Google reference or map reference, which indicates they have a poor handle on their online
presence, though they have integrated their Facebook page (Google, 2014). They have 1800
followers on Facebook, a relatively significant number, but everything is in Slovakian and
the name is unsearchable from a US/UK/Canadian English keyboard (Facebook, 2014).
Highland Wineries
Highland Wineries is a meadery located in Inverness, Scotland with one LCBO (2014)
product listing called “Moniack Mead” which retails for $21.95 in the LCBO at a 14.6%
ABV. It is estimated their annual sales are £231,000 and they have 4 employees (Amee,
2014). Highland Wineries’ website is reasonable but lacking in creativity and modern-style
(Highland Wineries, 2014). Searching their name on Google reveals no sidebar, Google
reference or map reference which indicates they have a poor handle on their online presence.
They have no social media links from their webpage (Google, 2014). Highland Wineries has
no Facebook page (Facebook, 2014).
Rosewood Estate
Rosewood is a small vineyard, vintner, apiary and meadery in Beamsville, Ontario (near
St. Catharines). They have a 5,000 case (60,000) bottle annual capacity for all wines +
meads, using 1,300 gallon (5,000 liter) fermentation tanks (Walker, 2010). Estimated 3
employees (Manta, 2014). With similar agency structure to us, retrieving roughly an average
of $6.00 per bottle, revenue is estimated to be $360,000. The retail price of Royale Honey
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 12
Wine (a fruit-mead), and Harvest Gold Mead (a honey wine) are both $14.95 (LCBO, 2014).
Rosewood Estates produces several other meads including a spiced mead called “2007
Ambrosia” retailing for $40.20 at the winery only and “2012 Mead Noir” a pyment (red-wine
mixed) mead retailing for $25.20 at the winery (Rosewood, 2014). Rosewood’s website is
well done and tasteful, it appears professional and well laid out. They have twitter-integration
as well, suggesting a strong social media presence (Rosewood, 2014). Searching their name
on Google reveals a full sidebar picture with map link and company information, suggesting
they have a handle on their online presence (Google, 2014). Rosewood Estate is active on
Facebook with a following of 2,500 and a few monthly posts (Facebook, 2014).
Munro Honey
Munro Honey is an apiary and meadery in Alvinston, Ontario (near London). Their
product is sold independently; not through the LCBO. Prices range from $15.12 to $16.70 for
both honey wines and melomels (fruit-infused meads) (Munro Honey, 2014). They have a
12,000ft2
facility producing processed honey and mead (Munro Honey, 2014). The company
appears to be comparatively larger than Rosewood, but still quite small. Munro has 3000 bee
colonies and produce 500,000 pounds of honey annually (Ontario Table, 2012). They appear
to primarily be an apiary. According to Wikipedia (2014), “sideliner” beekeepers may have
up to 300 colonies managed individually, so we think it is safe to assume Munro Honey has
less than 20 employees overall. Munro does not have any mead products listed in the LCBO.
Munro Honey’s website is bright and colorful. It is well done overall and they have links to
their social media pages (Munro Honey, 2014). A search on Google reveals a map and
limited company information on the sidebar, suggesting they have some grasp of creating an
online presence (Google, 2014). Munro does not seem very active on social media, their
Facebook posts are 3-6 weeks apart and they have only 500 followers (Facebook, 2014).
In-Direct Competitors
Rossignol
Rossignol is primarily a vineyard and vintner, but are also a meadery. They are located on
Prince Edwards Island. Rossignol has ten fruit wine listings, some of which are made with
honey (Rossignol, 2014). Retail prices range from $16.75 to $19.75 per bottle. Their
“Blackberry Mead Wine” (the only product described as mead) is listed at $19.75 (Rossignol,
2014). PEI Flavors (2014) lists Rossignol as having annual sales between $250,000 and
$1,000,000. The head winemaker, John Rossignol, is from Ontario (PEI Flavors, 2014). The
products are sold across the country and to a lesser extent, internationally. The Guardian’s
Jim Day (2011) says Rossignol produces 40,000 bottles of wine annually with 12 employees
at peak times. Rossignol does not have products currently listed in the LCBO.
Trafalgar
Trafalgar is a beer and mead producer. Their meads are clearly produced to cannibalizing
beer-drinkers as they are sold in 500 and 375ml bottles (Trafalgar, 2014). They are located in
Oakville, Ontario. Trafalgar has 3 mead products listed on their website which are all
represented in the LCBO. They are: the “Mead Braggot”, retail price of $9.95 in a 500ml
bottle (volume-price is equivalent to Honeydew at $14.95 per 750ml). “Lanark Blueberry
Mead” at $5.45 per 375ml bottle and the “Ginger Mead” at $9.95 per 500ml bottle (LCBO,
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 13
2014). Trafalgar meads are definitely targeting the beer market with their smaller volume
bottles and much lower ABV which ranges between 8.0-9.0% versus other competition-
produced meads which are 12.0%-14.6% ABV and in 750ml bottles.
The Lyme Bay Cider Company
This company is in England and produces two separate meads called the “Garden Mead”
and “Tournament Mead”. Neither are currently listed in the LCBO, however the LCBO
appears to have cross-listed this company as being the producer of “Moniack Mead”, which
it is not – perhaps they have other products listed or were previously listed, it is unclear
(2014).
Other Competitors of Note
British Columbia and Quebec have relatively more thriving mead cultures than Ontario,
but it is still all small producers or apiary off-shoots. Winesofcanada.com’s article titled
“Meaderies of Canada” (Bell, 2012) lists several competitors throughout the country. In
British Columbia: Campbell’s Gold Honey Farm, Mason Manor, Meadow Vista Honey
Wines, Middle Mountain Mead, Meadery at Planet Bee and Tugwell Creek Honey Farm and
Meadery. In Alberta: the Chinook Honey Co. In Nova Scotia: Midgrad Meadery. Throughout
Quebec: Le Clos Des Brumes, Meil Natural, Ferme Apicole Desrochers, Intermiel, Le
Rucher Bernard Bee Bec & Assoc des Hydromeliers du Quebec, Les Enterprises Prince-
Leclerc, Les Vins Mustier Gerzer, Muse’e de l’Abeille & Les Ruchers Pomiel, Rucher Les
Saules and Rucher Tete en Fluers.
In Summary
Competition in the mead industry is minimal. It’s a product that is primarily produced as
an addition to the revenue stream by existing apiaries. The vast majority of these companies
are run by families or couples and appear to be lifestyle-type ventures, with the exclusion of
Vcelcovina and to a lesser extent, Rosewood Estates.
Competitive Objectives Analysis
Honeydew’s competitors, excluding Vcelco, do not appear to have aggressive expansion
or growth efforts. Munro is 100 years old and yet has one location and is relatively small.
Rosewood Estates is similar though they are more prominent than Munro. Trafalgar is a
business run by a couple; Highland Wineries appears to be the same. Rossignol is a small-
batch winery run by one man. There are no competitors who appear to be “corporate” in
nature (excluding Vcelco). They tend to be more hobbyist-gone-commercial or family-owned
lifestyle-ventures in nature. Vcelco is often excluded from these analyses because they do not
appear to be competitive in North America or have a presence here other than their listing,
and are more focused on Slovakia.
Honeydew’s Competitive Advantage
Honeydew Meadery will build its sustainable, long-term, competitive advantage through
innovation, quality, involvement and creative advertising. We will focus these efforts on our
two target demographics: sweeter, fruit-infused products targeted at 19-24 year olds (gender-
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 14
neutral) who have post-secondary educations or some college education. Dryer or semi-sweet
products will be targeted at 25-34 year olds (gender-neutral) who have post-secondary
educations.
Customer involvement will be assured through camaraderie, social-media saturation,
relationship building, and tastings. Product quality will be emphasized through market testing
and the involvement of industry-professionals. The products will be offered at fair prices.
Product innovation will be a cornerstone of our competitive advantage, the first of which is
introducing a mead cyser product that is not yet available in Ontario or Canada. Creative
marketing will be emphasized through guerilla marketing tactics, innovative advertising
campaigns and quirky/catchy slogans that enhance our target’s image of the meadery. We
believe these three foundations, when built over the long-term, will build an irrefutable and
non-substitutable competitive advantage.
Strategic Group Map
This strategic group map analyses our direct and indirect competitors, but excludes those
outside the province without LCBO listings (such as Rossignol Winery and the Lyme Bay
Cider Company). The map compares two separate variables. The first (the y-axis) is the
flavor-focus of the meads produced. On the upper end there are sweet, apple infused honey
wines. On the lower end of the y-axis are producers focused on niche-types of mead with
earthier or bitter flavours, such as braggots (malted-grain), metheglins (spices), black meads
(currants), bochets (caramelized honey) or short meads (an ale-like mead). A producer of this
type would be Trafalgar with their ginger mead and braggot. The focus-scale will be from 1
to 5; a 5 indicating a focus on producing mead-cyser or similar products, a 1 indicating a
focus on niche, bitter or earthy meads. The second variable (x-axis) is the price-point of the
meadery’s products on a scale of $10 - $25.
FIGURE 2 Strategic Group Map
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
5 10 15 20 25 30
MeadFocus
Product Price Average
Vcelco SRO
Highland Wineries
Rosewood Estate
Munro Honey
Trafalgar Ales
Honeydew Meads
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 15
COMPANY AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Company Description
Honeydew Meadery produces honey wine in Ontario. We will operate as a corporation,
with two original founders Lewis Clarke and Marcus Aurelius. We will operate out of our
location in Waterloo, Ontario, starting in the year 2016.
We seek to serve the growing demands of millennials for sweet, innovative alcohol
beverages as an alternative to white wine, cider and existing mead selections. We will
differentiate ourselves in the marketplace through an endless pursuit of quality, extensive
customer involvement and catchy, creative marketing strategies. We plan to introduce
interesting products through targeted market research, starting with honey-apple cyser and
medium-dry mead. We plan to operate a facility with a 33,300 bottle annual capacity, one
year after launching our products through outsourcing. Within five years, we plan to expand
the facility to approximately 100,000 bottles annually.
Our vision is to become a household name, premiere supplier of innovative, in-demand
alcohol beverages that are produced from honey in North America. With thorough customer
involvement we want to be considered an asset to the community we operate in, and a
respectable, honest company that consumers feel committed to supporting.
Product 1: Apple/Pear Cyser
The first of Honeydew Meadery’s offerings will be a mead-cyser. This product is a
fermentation of honey and apple-mash to produce a cider-like, sweet beverage. Later on, we
have also considered producing mead with a pear-mash to capitalize on a rise in sales of non-
apple, fruit ciders, explained within the demographics and industry analysis sections. This
product is not scheduled for introduction within our first three years of operation. Wholesale
Ontario apples retail for an average of $40 per 40lbs as of January 1st, 2014 (Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada, 2014). This includes Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Paulared and Sweetango
varieties. Our exact selection has not been made as of yet, but prices are typically lateral for
all apples listed (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2014). Pears retail for a similar price of
$18.50-23.50 per 22lbs (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canda, 2014). We have included the
purchase of a Speidel Motorized Apple & Pear Crusher from MoreWineMaking.com to crush
these pome-fruits for use in fermentation (MoreWineMaking.com, 2014). We intend to use
approximately 940lbs of apples or pears, mashed, per cyser batch, which should yield 135
litres of apple/pear pomace using HardwoodCrafts.co.uk’s (Euleigh, P., 2014) yield ratio;
according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (2014) at wholesale this should cost $940.
The recipe is as follows:
 155 gallons, Dutch Gold Baker’s Special Honey. $3,875.00 (WebstaurantStore.com, 2014)
 135 gallons, apple/pear pomace $940 (Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada, 2014).
 800 gallons, water
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 16
 50 ounces, Lavlin 71B-1122 yeast; recommended for cysers ([Meadist, P., 2013]). $216.00
(WineMakingSuperStore.com, 2014).
 14 ounces, Diammonium Phosphate yeast nutrient, $3.95 (MoreBeer.com, 2014)
This mead will endure a 50-day primary fermentation, followed by a filtration process and
two further 50-day bulk-racking periods. This recipe will produce 4,600 x 750ml bottles with
an ABV between 13.0 and 13.5%.
Product 2: Dry Mead
We are also planning to launch a dryer mead product, aiming to simulate the flavors of
semi-sweet white wines like Pinot Grigio. We believe wine to be a market that may be easily
cannibalized in addition to the existing mead market based on finding in our demographic
and industry analysis sections.
The recipe is as follows:
 155 gallons, Dutch Gold Baker’s Special Honey. $3,875.00 (WebstaurantStore.com, 2014)
 935 gallons, water
 50 ounces, Lavlin D-47 yeast; recommended for cysers ([Meadist, P., 2013]). $216.00
(WineMakingSuperStore.com, 2014).
 14 ounces, Diammonium Phosphate yeast nutrient, $3.95 (MoreBeer.com, 2014)
This mead will endure a 50-day primary fermentation, followed by a filtration process and
2 further 50-day bulk-racking periods. This recipe will produce close to 4,700 x 750ml
bottles with an ABV between 13.5 and 14.0%. The higher yield in bottles is due no pomace
being filtered out during filtration.
MARKETING PLAN
Foundational Research
A study done by Nowak, Thach and Olsen of the Sonoma State University (2006)
predicted that customer commitment was the strongest driver of brand equity in the wine
industry when trying to attract millennial consumers. They suggest,
“If a winery is able to help a customer feel a strong sense of belonging and
makes them feel like part of the family, then a feeling of commitment towards
the relationship with the winery starts to be cultivated. Commitment is defined
as a consumer’s belief that an ongoing relationship is worth investing time,
energy, and money in (Sharma and Patterson, 2000). Hirschmann and
Holbrook (1982) proposed that extremely positive, consumption-related
emotions are likely to lead to very high levels of commitment.” (p. 318)
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 17
The researchers suggest that positive emotions associated with tasting room experiences
were the best predictors of building long-term, profitable relationships with wineries. They
stress that customers must always feel they are truly cared about to feel a sense of belonging
and camaraderie (Nowak et al., 2006, p. 320). Nowak et al. (2006) suggest seasonal events,
special invitations, birthday greetings, gift coupons and involving customers in activities (p.
320). They also found that product quality, excellent service and fair pricing contribute
significantly to brand equity (p. 321). Kickstarter (2014) campaigns for meaderies have all
tended to include customer-involving packages, which are in-demand. These include the
Fringe Meadery, Fenwyr Cellars Meadery, Mead Magic, RVA Mead Lab, Golden Coast
Mead and Bos Meadery (Kickstarter, 2014). This solidifies that customer-involvement is key
to a successful long-term marketing strategy in the mead and wine industries.
Lockashin and Spawton’s (2001) study found several factors contributing to winery
success which are displayed in Figure 24 (Appendices, Page 55). These included familiarity
and commitment, which our customer involvement strategy maximizes. Nowak and
Washburn’s (2002) study found that quality was the most significant predictor of success but
pro-active environmental policies, trust and brand equity were also very significant
contributors to long-term sustainability. We plan to operate an open-door style, honest
business practice that adds to the community to capitalize on this factor of success.
Alcohol products have seen success with creative marketing techniques. One example is
Bud Lite Lime’s introduction which included guerilla marketing, flash mobs and an online
contest. The campaign mobilized Canadians to start Facebook pages demanding the
introduction of the product. Bud Lite Lime sent them “ambassador packages” to promote it
(Wegert, T., 2009). Captain Morgan launched an interactive-online-media “pose-off”
competition (Wegert, T., 2009). Many alcohol products use extremely interesting ads to get
attention. Bulmer’s chiseled messages on blocks of ice, The Chosen One launched an ad
listing 999 names of approving beer-tasters, Hendrick’s gin has 1800s circus-ad inspired
word of mouth marketing (Naslau, S., 2011). The Internet Advertising Competition (2013)
awarded MXM Social (a marketing company) an award for outstanding achievement when
creating “The Wine Bar” Facebook page to engage customers and promote Diageo Chateau
& Estate Wines. They net 31,000 users with a 10% engagement rate, which is 10 to 50 times
industry standard (Internet Advertising Competition, 2013). Wacky, eye-catching, interesting
and innovative slogans, campaigns and graphic ads are integral to alcohol marketers.
The Strategy
Our marketing approach has been developed based on research-proven success factors and
successful competitors within comparable industries. We are planning our strategy around
three key foundations: product quality, customer-involvement and creative advertising.
Product Quality
Product quality is paramount to success. The most significant cornerstone of ensuring
product quality is having a long-term commitment to market-testing products prior to release.
Prior to launch we plan to market-test ten mead recipe variations of each of our proposed
products. We currently possess the equipment to do this. After launch, we will ideally have
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 18
twenty meads fermenting at any given time in 25 x 750ml bottle batches. These products will
be market-tested at hosted events, through our honey suppliers, in restaurant partners as
tasting events, through professionals (Lewis has a family-connection with an oenologist and
a trained wine-taster), in our on-site tasting room, and wherever else we can find our target-
demographic. We believe a long-term focus to fine-tuning and introducing innovative
products is a key to success in the craft-alcohol industry as is suggested in our industry
analysis section.
Customer Involvement
Customer involvement is our second key building block. We intend to involve customers
on every level feasible. Our primary goal is to treat every involved customer with care,
respect, and camaraderie. We want to be very transparent to enable our customers to involve
themselves and form relationships with employees of the meadery. We plan to have an on-
site tasting room on the first-floor of our facility, with the office upstairs. We will offer
facility tours, drop-in tasting hours (or scheduled), mead-classes for excited hobbyists and
other involving activities. We will ensure we have a multi-weekly social media presence on
every platform available and respond to every question posed by clients in a thoughtful and
thorough manner. Involving customers in a thoughtful, diverse, and multi-faceted approach
is a key to success in the alcohol industry.
Creative Advertising
Creative advertising is our third building block. We would like to create marketing
campaigns that differentiate our product from competition in interesting ways. The first of
which is a directed guerilla marketing effort that will contain viral marketing, sticker
bombing, and Internet advertising. We will put a strong focus on the creation of interesting
slogans for our products, designing catchy bottle-labels and product names. We are
considering sealing every bottle of our product in beeswax, similar to red wax-sealed wine
bottles, to make it a more interesting product.
Our meadery competitors appear to have a relatively poor target-market focus. They
typically have generic import-wine-like and/or Viking-focused or medieval-focused
marketing. We believe a directed focus towards a gender-neutral demographic of people aged
19 to 24 for our cyser, and age 25 to 34 for our medium-dry mead will do very well. Olsen et
al.’s (2006) Figure 23 (Appendices, Page 55) may act as a guide to the image we seek to
present to millennials, with a focus on relaxation, sensuality and sophistication.
Target Area
Our initial target area is Ontario. In the 2011-2012 year there was $1.2 billion in wine
sales in Ontario through the LCBO with the expectation to grow 4.4% year-over-year
(LCBO, 2012). White wines make up 11% of the overall sales of Canadian wine, compared
to 7.4% from red wines and in addition, VQA (Ontario) wines were up 9.4% (LCBO, 2012).
Beer and cider sales were $909 million over that period, with cider growing in interest by
15.8%. Cider is expected to continue growing by 15.1% year-over-year (LCBO, 2012). A
report from the George Morris Center found that cider sales in Canada were over $120
million in 2011, up from $60 million in 2007 (Grier, Sweetland, Rajcan, 2013). Mead
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 19
statistics are unavailable. All of this leads us to the conclusion that we have a significant
target market and our products are aimed directly at the cannibalization of rapidly growing
product categories.
Our secondary potential market is Canada, where the alcohol market is growing
substantially, especially in wine consumption. Statistics Canada (2011) found that the beer
market in all of Canada was $9.1 billion in 2011, with a 3.1% increase in Ontario sales. The
wine market in all of Canada saw $6.1 billion of sales in 2011. From 2000 to 2011, sales of
white wine have increased 66% (Statistics Canada, 2011). Again, we are seeing rapid-growth
trends in our targeted categories.
OPERATIONS PLAN
Organizational Structure
Figure 3 displays Honeydew Meadery’s organizational structure. It is important to note
that Honeydew Meadery will be outsourcing production within its first year to test the market
with it’s products. For this reason, the majority of production is in the hands of third parties
in year one. Table 25 (Appendices, Page 56) displays the separation of duties related to the
organizational structure. Note that there are two scenarios - outsourced and in-house. For the
purpose of this business plan, separate positions have been created to better show the
scalability of the idea.
FIGURE 3
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 20
Lewis will be handling the role of “Mead Consultant”. Both Lewis and Marcus will
handle the role of “Laborer / Brew-helper” until production increases significantly. This is
due to the fact that positions can be fulfilled without requiring full-time employees. Even as
the business grows, it has a long way to go before it will require more than two full-time
employees. Fermentation runs on a check-up basis and transfer/cleaning/administrative duties
can be completed at any time of the week. They are very flexible.
Job Descriptions
The positions in Figure 3 are explained below:
 The Mead Consultant: this person’s role is the creation of recipes and regulation
of the fermentation process. They are the supervisor of brew-helpers. The job
description for this position is listed in Appendices (Page 57).
 The Pillitteri Estate Agency: This position is that of a sales representative to the
LCBO. They charge 10% on top of our quoted price and only if the sale goes
through with the LCBO. They also ask for 0% to 40% (optional, our choice)
percentage of sales to spend on LCBO marketing, because the LCBO offers a full
set of marketing options from end-of-shelf displays to highlights within the
Vintages magazine. Due to our lack of LCBO connections, it is best we employ
their services to handle sales to the LCBO. They also market the product to each
individual store manager (there are 512 in Ontario) because even if the LCBO
accepts the product, it is at the discretion of each LCBO store manager to order
and stock it. It is unfeasible for Marcus or I to handle this. The future job
description of a product agent is shown in Appendices (Page 59)
 The Spirit Tree Cidery: This position has been listed in connection with the mead
consultant to handle our production, mixing, fermentation, bottling, and labelling
needs. The mead consultant will handle interacting with Spirit Tree to adjust
fermentations appropriately throughout their life.
 Labourers / Brew-helpers: These employees handle the unskilled work integral to
brewing. It is inadvisable to pay the mead consultant for these tasks. They
include: setting up, using, cleaning and monitoring pumps, filters, cooling
systems, tanks, mixers and the general floor space. A job description is shown in
Appendices (Page 58)
 Lewis/Marcus: This position in the organizational structure will serve as the
president/owner. We will handle the majority of administrative, purchasing, HR,
legal, bookkeeping, and other related tasks for the foreseeable future.
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 21
Work Flow
Honeydew Meadery’s workflow is described in Figure 4. This diagram also highlights
duties that will be conducted by third parties after the meadery’s production is entirely in-
house. Raw materials will be delivered by freight shippers (smaller, locally sourced materials
will be picked up personally if feasible). Product pick-up is handled by the LCBO. They pick
up local producers’ product and ship it to their warehouses for distribution. This significantly
cuts down on our shipping costs.
FIGURE 4 Work Flow Diagram
The in-house stages of the workflow are as follows:
1. Storage: raw materials are brought into the warehouse via the rear loading dock
(truck-height). They are unloaded with the pallet truck and stored within the staging
area.
2. Mixing: raw materials (honey) and water are transferred into the mixing tank. The
gear-motor is then turned on and the materials are blended for a specified time based
on the recipe. Honey and water is gradually added. After this, dried yeast (type
specified in recipe) is warmed in a large pot over a conventional heater to 100o
F in a
water and honey solution. This activates the yeast culture. This mixture is added to
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 22
the mixing tank and mixed in with the honey and water mixture. The mix is allowed
to rest for a time (recipe-specific).
3. Cleaning/Transfer: This process takes place between every transfer. The destination
tank is first cleaned with a water + sulfite solution using a pressure washer and scrub
brushes. The solution is drained via an outlet vale on the conical bottom of the tank
using a regular pipefitting. It is allowed to air-dry. The product is pumped from the
original tank into the new tank.
4. Fermentation: This is a process of waiting and measuring. Measurements are taken
for target gravity and ABV readings, use of cell-analyzers to see sugar content etc.
Adjustment in the form of adding or diluting ingredients takes place here. During the
fermentation process, glycol systems are used to pump a cooled water/glycol fluid
throughout the tank’s cooling jackets to control the temperature of fermentations.
5. Bulk-Racking 1 & 2: After 50 days of fermentation, the mixture is pumped using the
Noryl-plate filter arrangement and 317GPH pump, into a holding tank which is a
simple, water + sulfite cleaned, 1100 gallon polypropylene tank. The steel tank is
water and sulfite cleaned, air-dried, then the product is pumped using the 1200GPH
Gorman Rupp pump back into its tank, for a bulk-aging and possible secondary
fermentation (which is the addition of new sugars and/or yeast(s)). Again, the
cleaning/transfer process applies between these stages.
6. Bottling: When the product has finished its bulk-racking it is pumped using the noryl-
plate-pump and filter arrangement into the bottle-filling spouts. Bottles are filled with
product here. Each filled bottle is corked using the manual floor-standing corker. We
are considering using melted bees-wax in place of standard bottle-wax to add a
premium-product feel to our bottles.
7. Labelling: Each bottle is placed on the labelling machine and labelled.
8. Storage: Bottles are transferred into cases and sealed for storage then pick-up.
*It is important to mention that our 1100 gallon fermenters will produce 4,600 bottles of
finished product due to the volume of later-disposed, filtered-out ingredients and slight
spillage allowances*
Rolling vs. Bulk Fermentation
We plan to implement a “rolling” fermentation production versus lateral “bulk”
fermentation. This means we will begin fermentation in one vat, on day 1 and 50 days later
begin another. This way, when production reaches full-capacity (after 150 days) we will
produce 4,600 bottles of product every 50 days for release, instead of 13,800 bottles every
150 days, with 2.34 production cycles annually. We have chosen this for three reasons. First,
we significantly reduce our monthly labour requirements by spreading them out over the
year. Second, we mitigate the risk of batch-spoilage in the case of contaminated ingredients.
Third, we have far lower storage requirements due to fewer bottles and materials in storage at
any given time. Since we are already purchasing pallet quantities, our volume discounts for
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 23
purchase are not affected by using this method. It is important to mention these calculations
are all based on our at-launch capacity, having 3 fermenters.
Production Scalability
The facility we have chosen at 130 Frobisher Drive (Appendix, P.66-68) has the ability to
scale from three fermenters to nine fermenters, based on our factory floor layout (Figure 7,
Page 26). On average, we will produce 4,600 bottles of product every 150 days for each
fermenter we own. For simplicity and the allowance of delays, we refer to this as 2 and 1/3
production runs annually. Our capacity at outset is therefore 3 x 4,600 bottles x 2.3 which is
33,300 bottles annually, or 11,100 bottles per fermenter.
To expand our facility by one more fermenter, we would need to purchase: one glycol
cooling system and one fermentation tank. The cost of these two items, including shipping is
$9,300 (based on our capital equipment purchase table, (Table 27, Page 63) and a shipping
estimate). The majority of equipment purchases are overhead equipment that is used to
support the fermentation process (such as measurement tools, operations equipment,
materials processing equipment, and cleaning supplies). Therefore, to expand from our initial
capacity of 33,300 bottles annually (3 fermenters) to a maximum capacity of 99,900 bottles
annually (9 fermenters) at 130 Frobisher Drive we will incur capital costs of $55,800. To
expand beyond 99,900 bottles annually would require a new, larger facility or second facility.
Advisory Board
Honeydew Meadery’s advisory board is based on available connections the entrepreneurs
currently have as well as whom they intend, or hope to, bring on in the future. The
connections Lewis would like to bring on board are:
 David Pawlett: long-time family friend and the accountant of UCEL, David is a CGA.
 Mark Corbo: a friend of Lewis’s, Mark has a degree in wine-tasting and is an avid
hobbyist who makes, and tastes, wine.
 Matthew Myers: a long-time friend of Lewis’s, Matthew has experience making mead
for over four years and has produced 40-50 recipes himself.
 Matty Turner: a friend of Lewis’s girlfriend, Matty has a degree in oenology and
viticulture from Brock University and diplomas from Niagara College and the
Foreigner’s University of Sienna in Bologna, Italy. He has experience as a winemaker
in New Zealand, B.C. and Australia.
 Julian Morana: Julian is a friend of Lewis’s that operates a small-cask beer brewery
called “Cask Days” who serve their beer at Toronto’s BarVolo. He also operates
Keep6 Imports, a beer importation company.
Marcus would like to bring the following connection on board:
 Daniel Hernden: Daniel is a friend of Marcus’s who is currently a marketing
professional at Young and Rubicam. He will be able to provide valuable expertise on
the branding and marketing of products.
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 24
We feel that the addition of someone with the following characteristics after our third
year of operations would be beneficial:
 Mead Consultant: A person with thorough technical and scientific understanding of
the mead fermentation process.
Human Resources Budget
Details of the time required for each process on a monthly basis are listed in Labour
Commitments figures 5 and 6. They display labour hour commitments over a standard year
with production outsourced and production in-house. We felt it was best to highlight hourly
commitments as we plan to avoid salaried employees for quite some time.
The hourly commitments described in Figure 6 are based on several factors. First, we are
planning on using three fermenters and rotating between fermentation and bulk-racking every
50 days (7.3 times annually). Second, our filtration system’s pump runs at 317 gallons per
hour maximum, which indicates a three hour, 25 minute pump time per filtered transfer
(three filtered transfers required per 50-day period, because we have three vats). Each
fermentation requires one un-filtered transfer, at 1,200 gallons per hour, which will take 55
minutes (a total of four hours, twenty minutes pumping). For this reason, we’ve allotted ten
hours (two people, five hours) per 50-day period, per vat.
Budget commitments for Honeydew Meadery’s human resources will escalate over time.
Prior to a capacity of over 99,900 bottles annually (triple our initial setup) we will not be
hiring full-time employees and will conduct the labour and operations ourselves. We do not
expect to reach this production within our first three years of operation, as our initial setup is
for 33,300 bottles annually. Our strategy is to focus on low-capital intensity forms of
operation in the company’s infancy. This includes many sales-commission and variable-cost
type arrangements, such as outsourcing and sales-agency contracts. During the first three
years, labour costs will be zero as the two owners, Lewis and Marcus, will handle tasks, this
is because we can have full-time jobs during this period and still run the meadery. The
fermentation of mead is a very low labour-intense process as it is primarily a waiting game.
We expect our labour commitments to scale almost directly with the number of fermenters
we have.
FIGURE 5
TASK Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Selection of Materials 20 4 4
Delivery of Materials 8 8 8
Pick-up of Finished Goods 16 16
Administration 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
Social-media Marketing 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
TOTAL 32 20 12 12 12 16 36 12 12 12 16 36
Hour Commitment of Labour when Outsourcing (annual, in hours)
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 25
FIGURE 6
TASK Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Selection of Materials 2 2 2
Delivery of Materials 4 4 4
Prep and Mixing 4 4 4 4
Initial Fermentation 10 10 10 10
Bi-Weekly Measure 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Bulk-Rack and Transfer 20 20 20 20
Bottle & Label 4 4 4 4
Administration 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
Social-media Marketing 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
TOTAL 54 16 22 54 16 16 22 54 16 22 54 16
Hour Commitment of Labour when In-House (in hours)
PROPERTY SELECTION
Place of Operation & Location
Scouring real-estate databases for commercial properties enabling brew on premise
resulted in finding an ideal property. 130 Frobisher Drive, Unit 9-10, in Waterloo Ontario is
displayed in the Appendices (Page 66-68).
The property is 4,758ft2
with a 600ft2
2-floor office in front. The zoning for this property
is listed as Industrial I-2. Section 23B of the City of Waterloo’s Zoning Bylaw Document,
1418_I2 (Appendices, Page 60) shows that this zoning permits brewing on premise
establishments and the manufacture of beverages. The Lease rate of this property is listed as
$5.65 per ft2
which translates to a monthly payment of $2,240.23. The property also has a
600 volt, 100 amp electrical service, which is more than sufficient to run our several 230 volt
pumps, air compressor, and glycol systems. A ceiling height of 13’8” (at the joists, not full
ceiling) is sufficient to fit our fermentation tanks, which are 2.7 meters tall (8’10”). In
addition, the loading bay has a 10’ clearance, which means our tanks can be brought in
upright and installed upright. The loading bay will also facilitate materials delivery and pick-
up, so we may use a pump-truck to load/unload instead of needing a forklift with certified
operator. The location is right beside an arterial highway and the location in Waterloo locates
us within one hour of many apiaries and honey wholesale locations (such as the Kingsburgh
Apiaries (30 minutes), and Oxford Honey and Supplies (50 minutes)).
Analysis of Operations and Planogram
An industrial floor plan of the location is shown in Figure 7 using information from the
property listing and its pictures. As mentioned on the floor plan, this location allows us to
expand from our 33,300 bottle annual capacity up to 99,900 bottle annual capacity by
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 26
introducing up to 6 more 1,100 gallon fermentation tanks. The layout designed is a process-
line layout, which is meant to enhance ease-of-use for the mixing tank and staging area.
We found this location to be suitable, since we don’t require close proximity to our target
market. Proximity to our suppliers, favourable lease rates, appropriate infrastructure and a
flexible space are more important factors. The 1st
floor of the office will be designed as a
tasting-room. Labour force requirements in the future are limited to those with some brewing
experience or general labour – so Waterloo will serve adequately for that purpose. Our
competitors are located two hours west past London, and two competitors are located just
two hours east of Hamilton. The location has adequate parking for our small staff.
FIGURE 7 Industrial Floor Plan
REGULATIONS AND LICENSING
Municipal
Operating within any municipality requires adherence to local law. Our property selection
at 130 Frobisher Drive in Waterloo, Ontario, permits brew on premise operations and the
manufacturing of beverages. For this reason, we are cleared with municipal legislation.
Provincial
The provincial body for the regulation of manufacturing and sale of alcohol products in
Ontario is the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). The first license we
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 27
must apply for is the “Manufacturer of Wine – New application (two years)” which costs
$1,260 (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, 2014). This license will permit us to
manufacture wine and sell it to the LCBO or a manufacturer representative (such as the
Pillitteri International Wine Agency). The manufacturer’s license also permits us to give free
sample of products to patrons while they are indoors at our manufacturing site (Alcohol and
Gaming Commission of Ontario, 2013)
The second license we will pursue is the “Manufacturer’s Limited Liquor Sales License
Application” which permits us to sell wine in glass-quantities of 5 oz on our production
premises, indoors (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, 2013). The bi-annual cost
of this license is $450. Every employee (2) who serves products under this license will
require a “smartserve” license, which is a 4-hour course costing a one-time fee of $35
(SmartServe.ca, 2014).
The third license we will need to seek on sporadic occasions from the AGCO, is the
“Special Occasion Permit” for sales. This will be sought whenever we choose to host a
publicized tasting event in a different locality other than our premises. It costs $75 (AGCO,
2014).
The taxes and duties levied by the LCBO on each case of product are listed in Table 11
(Page 32). These are variable costs incurred with the sale of product.
Federal
In Canada, prior to 2006, every wine product was taxed per liter. As of July 1, 2006 any
wine-producer who produces wine from 100% Canadian products is exempt from the $0.62
per liter excise duty (Department of Finance Canada, 2014). Since our product will be made
from 100% Canadian materials, we are exempt from taxation under the federal excise duty
on wine.
In total, we will spend $1,780 at the outset to be certified and $1,710 every 2 years for
renewal.
TEAM
Lewis Clarke
Lewis brings a wealth of knowledge about mead making and Ontario small business to the
table. He has created over 750 bottles of mead using thirty different recipes. He has
experience using advanced fermentation techniques and processes including: temperature-
control, ebuliometer-use, colouring analysis, yeast nutrient & energizing and clarification
ingredients. His experience within SME’s is in a 40-employee, multi-faceted company, with
international sales, SRED, inter-provincial work, a production facility and multiple Toronto
field-crew operations. He has experience handling international and domestic imports and
exports, as well as logistics/operations networks, shipping & receiving, inventory
management, and freight. Lewis also has experience negotiating high-value contracts with
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 28
government organizations, successful social-media marketing and general full-service
knowledge in running an Ontario SME. A full resume can be found in Appendices (Page 61)
Marcus Aurelius
Marcus has over five years of experience in sales and managing an online store at
Manafest Productions. He also gained experience in project management while working at
Lategig Productions. He will be graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce from Ryerson
University shortly in May 2014. His skills in planning and project management will be a
valuable asset to Honeydew Meadery. A full resume can be found in Appendices (Page 62)
The Pillitteri Estate Agency
The Pillitteri Estate Agency has nearly twenty years of experience working with the
LCBO. They have the connections and relationships that are necessary to get products on
LBCO’s shelves. Their extensive industry knowledge will be extremely valuable to
Honeydew Meadery. More information about Pillitteri Estate Agency can be found at
www.pillitteri.com.
The Spirit Tree Estate Cidery
Spirit Tree is a brewer of high quality alcoholic beverages, located in Caledon, Ontario
(about an hour northwest of Toronto). They will serve as our contract manufacturer. They
have high quality equipment and the necessary expertise to meet our high quality standards.
More information about Spirit Tree Estate Cidery can be found at www.spirittreecider.com
LEGAL STRUCTURE
Honeydew Meadery has the option of operating either as a partnership or as a corporation.
Incorporation is more costly than a partnership and has more onerous regulations that must
be abided by, but it offers the added benefit of limited liability. It creates a legal entity that is
separate from the owners of the business. As owners of the business we believe it is
necessary to shield our personal assets from any liabilities or judgments against the business.
It is a way to manage risk. For these reasons, Honeydew Meadery will be incorporated
immediately upon starting the business.
Articles of incorporation can be found in the Appendices (Pages 69-74).
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 29
CRITICAL RISKS
We have identified three critical risks that Honeydew Meadery faces.
The first and most paramount critical risk is that our products are not accepted by the
LCBO. The most concerning part of the LCBO’s supplier selection program is their
requirements for filling orders accurately and on time, as well as ensuring consistent product
quality. We believe that this risk can be mitigated by our rolling inventory program, which
allows us to better fill orders in the short-term, as well as by producing more than is needed
for the period. However, this remains a risk.
The second risk is that we are unable to secure loan financing from the business
development bank of Canada or a similarly advantageous lender. If we are unable to secure
this financing we may have to continue outsourcing product for some years to build capital
prior to launching a mead production facility. It may be possible to mitigate this risk by
securing larger start-up funding from the founder’s friends and family, in the process
lowering our reliance on third party lenders.
The third critical risk is the inherent risk of spoiled batches. If a batch of our product
becomes spoiled through mold or contaminated ingredients in the infancy of the company,
our production volume will suffer significantly, as will our revenue. This may have financial
implications resulting in the need for extended lines of credit or loans. We believe this risk
can be mitigated by having an advisor or consultant with thorough experience in monitoring
and controlling commercial fermentations.
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 30
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
Raw Material Costs
The following table shows raw material costs for both the Cyser product that will be
introduced at the start of the business and the Dry Mead that will be introduced in year two.
These raw material costs are used throughout the following analysis.
TABLE 8 Raw Materials Cost (Per 750ml Bottle)
Material Cyser Dry Mead
Honey 0.842 0.842
Apple/Pear Pomace 0.204 0.000
Yeast 0.047 0.047
Diammonium Phosphate 0.001 0.001
Water 0.002 0.002
Glass Bottle 0.300 0.300
Cork 0.090 0.090
Label 0.250 0.250
Total Raw Materials Cost 1.74 1.53
In-House vs. Outsourcing Production
Honeydew Meadery has two options to produce products. We can produce the recipe and
outsource the production, or we can produce the recipe and manufacture it ourselves.
Outsourcing production has the benefit of lowering fixed costs but it increases variable costs
per unit. There is also a certain amount of control that is lost when outsourcing. The
following chart shows the cost per bottle for our Cyser product at different levels of
production. The break-even between outsourcing and manufacturing the product ourselves is
15,448 bottles or $107,363 in sales. Below this number, outsourcing is more cost effective,
and above this number, manufacturing in-house is more cost effective. Outsourcing to Spirit
Tree Cidery costs $2.25 per bottle plus the cost of materials, and has a minimum order
quantity of 1000 Gallons (approx. 4500 bottles). The detailed tables that this chart is derived
from can be found in the Tables 28 and 29 (Appendices, Page 64)
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 31
TABLE 9
If is forecast that in year two, we will surpass the breakeven of 15,448 bottles. Assuming
that sales forecasts are met, we will be opening a production facility the beginning of year
two that will have an annual production capacity of 33,300 bottles per year. By starting off
outsourcing all production, it also allows us to reduce our risk. It allows us to test the market
response to the product before investing significant amounts of capital in a production
facility.
Distribution Margin Analysis
The following chart shows prices and mark-ups for Honeydew Meadery and our primary
distribution channel LCBO. This table assumes all in-house manufacturing. Only direct
variable costs are included in “Our Cost” (including raw materials and shipping). As can be
seen from the relatively low variable production cost and high markup, many of the
production costs are fixed costs.
TABLE 10 Prices and Mark-ups
Our Cost Our Price Retail (LCBO)
Price $1.76 $6.96 $14.94
Mark-up 295.5% *Refer to Table 11
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
CostPerBottle
Annual Volume (Bottles)
In-House vs. Outsourcing
In-House
Outsourced
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 32
The following table shows the various taxes and markup that are applied by the LCBO to
get to the final retail price. Both the Cyser and Dry Mead will retail for $14.94 (including
tax).
TABLE 11 LCBO Mark-up and Tax Model
Bottle Size (L) 0.75
Flat Tax ($/L) 1.62
Levy Rate ($/L) 0.29
LCBO Markup 65.5%
Enviro tax ($/Bottle) 0.09
H.S.T. Rate 13.0%
Container Deposit Rate 0.20
Supplier Quote (Our Price) 6.96
Duty + Excise 0.00
Standard Freight 0.00
Landed Cost 6.96
LCBO Mark Up 4.56
Flat Tax 1.22
Levy 0.22
Enviro-tax 0.09
Retail Price 13.04
H.S.T. 1.70
Deposit 0.20
Final Retail Price 14.94
Source: LCBO (2010)
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 33
Break-Even Analysis
The following table shows the breakeven in volume and dollar sales for two different
scenarios. The first scenario is production entirely outsourced, and the second scenario is
production entirely performed in-house. When outsourcing we must sell 1754 bottles to
break-even and when manufacturing in-house we must sell 10,791 bottles to break-even.
TABLE 12
BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS Outsourced In-House
Variable Cost (per bottle)
Raw Materials 1.74 1.74
Outsourced Manufacturer Costs 2.25 0.00
Agent Fees 0.696 0.696
Marketing 1.044 1.044
Shipping and Handling 0.05 0.02
Total Variable Cost (per bottle) 5.78 3.50
Annual Fixed Cost
Rent 0 26883
Utilities 0 3600
Insurance 1800 3000
Travel 270 270
Equipment Depreciation 0 3588
Salaries 0 0
Miscellaneous Expenses 532 532
Total Annual Fixed Costs 2070 37340
Selling Price/Unit 6.96 6.96
Contribution Margin/Unit 1.18 3.46
Break-even Volume (Bottles) 1754 10791
Break-even Sales $12,209 $75,103
Capital Structure
Stage One: Outsourcing
In the first stage of the business, all production is outsourced to Spirit Tree Estate Cidery.
For this reason, capital expenditures are lower in this stage. This serves to reduce risk and
test market demand before moving on to stage two. Fixed costs are lower because we will be
making use of our garages for storage, and we will not be taking salaries until the business is
more developed.
This stage requires an initial equity investment of $22,000 in working capital. This
number was calculated by forecasting the future cash flows to determine how much working
capital is required to maintain a positive bank balance. Marcus and Lewis will finance this
using personal savings. They will each invest $11,000 in return for a 50% stake in the
business.
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 34
Stage Two: In-House Production Facility
Assuming that sales forecasts are met, the company will open a production facility at the
beginning of year two. This will require an investment of $53,816 in equipment purchases
and $31,184 in additional working capital, for a total of $85,000. For a detailed breakdown of
equipment costs, please refer to Table 27 (Appendices, Page 63). The reason there is a large
amount of working capital required is because there are five months of brewing time before
the facility produces any finished goods. Based on current forecasts, a short-term loan of
$7,000 for one month will be required in year 2-month 7 in order to avoid cash flow issues.
The $85,000 investment in equipment and working capital will be financed by $42,000 of
debt and $43,000 of equity. The debt will be financed by a bank. The brewing equipment has
a very long life span and will be used to secure the debt. The $43,000 equity investment will
be provided by wealthy family members related to Lewis, in exchange for a portion of the
company (to be negotiated). The following table provides a summary of the capital required
and where it will come from.
TABLE 13 Capital Structure Summary
Date Required Amount Type Source
Year 1-Month 1 $22,000 Equity Marcus and Lewis
Year 2-Month 1 $42,000 Long-term Loan Bank
Year 2-Month 1 $43,000 Equity Family
Year 2-Month 7 $7,000 Short-term Loan Bank
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 35
PRO-FORMA FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Cash Flow Statements
The following forecasted drivers have been used to determine the values in the pro-forma
financial statements.
DRIVERS
Product
Cyser: Price 6.96
Cyser: Raw Materials Cost 1.74
Dry Mead: Price 6.96
Dry Mead: Raw Materials Cost 1.53
Accounts Receivable Aging
Cash Sales 0%
Payments Received After 1 Month 75%
Payments Received After 2 Months 20%
Payments Received After 3 Months 5%
Accounts Payable Aging
Payments made within 1 Month 100%
Other
Equipment Depreciation
15 Year (straight
line)
Borrowing Interest Rate 6.0%
Tax rate 15.5%
Avg. Monthly Travel ($0.45/km) 50km
Initial Startup Fees
Articles of Incorporation filing fee 200.00
NUANS name search report 75.00
Ongoing Expenses
Monthly:
Business Bank Account 17.00
Quickbooks Online 9.00
Annual:
Tax Return (Turbotax) 200.00
Annual Return Filing 20.00
Notes
 There are two products; the Cyser and the Dry Mead. The Cyser will be launched
immediately and the Dry Mead is expected to launch around the middle of year two.
 It is assumed that we will claim the Small Business Deduction for Canadian controlled
private corporations, giving us a lower tax rate of 15.5% (Canada Revenue Agency, 2014).
 There is an additional $6000 marketing expense in Year 2-Month 1, which is allocated to
convert an office room into a mead tasting room at our Waterloo manufacturing facility.
 It is important to keep in mind that brewing time is five months. For this reason, many cash
transactions are offset five months prior to an activity (ie. Raw materials purchased five
months before finished inventory added)
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 36
Year 1 - Drivers
Prior to each Cash Flow Statement there is the following table of monthly drivers. These include the forecasts and
calculations of sales, inventory, and labor, which the financial statements are derived from.
Period Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9
Month
10
Month
11
Month
12
Year 1
Total
DRIVERS (Year 1 Monthly)
Income
Cyser: Units Sold 1500 2000 2000 5500
Cyser: Sales 0 0 0 0 0 0 10440 0 13920 0 13920 0 38280
Dry Mead: Units Sold 0
Dry Mead: Sales 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total Sales 0 0 0 0 0 0 10440 0 13920 0 13920 0 38280
Inventory
Cyser: Finished Inventory Added
(Outsourced) 4500 4500 9000
Cyser: Finished Inventory Added
(In-House) 0
Cyser: Inventory Level 0 0 0 0 4500 3000 3000 1000 5500 3500 3500
Dry Mead: Finished Inventory
Added (Outsourced) 0
Dry Mead: Finished Inventory
Added (In-House) 0
Dry Mead: Inventory Level 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 37
Year 1 – Cash Flow Statement
Period Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9
Month
10
Month
11
Month
12
Year 1
Total
CASH FLOW STATEMENT (Year 1 Monthly)
Sales 0 0 0 0 0 0 10440 0 13920 0 13920 0 38280
Cash In-Flow
Cash Sales 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Payments Rec. After 1 m 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7830 0 10440 0 10440 28710
Payments Rec. After 2 m 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2088 0 2784 0 4872
Payments Rec. After 3 m 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 522 0 696 1218
Other Cash Received 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Loan Received 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Investment 22000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22000
Total Cash In-Flow 22000 0 0 0 0 0 0 7830 2088 10962 2784 11136 56800
OPENING Cash Balance 0 19747 19548 19350 19151 18953 18457 304 6752 8033 16903 755 0
Cash Out-Flow
Equipment Purchased 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Outsourced Manufacturer Costs 0 0 0 0 0 0 10125 0 0 0 10125 0 20250
Raw Materials Purchased 0 0 0 0 0 0 7830 0 0 0 7830 0 15660
Rent Paid 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Utilities Paid 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Salaries 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Shipping and Handling 0 0 0 0 0 297 0 0 0 297 0 0 594
Insurance 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 1800
Agent fees 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 783 209 1096 278 1114 3480
Marketing 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 400 400 500 500 600 2400
Travel 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 270
Gov. Licensing Fees 1780 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1780
Taxes Paid 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Loan Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Miscellaneous Expenses 301 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 587
Total Cash Out-Flow 2254 199 199 199 199 496 18154 1382 807 2092 18932 1912 46821
CLOSING Cash Balance 19747 19548 19350 19151 18953 18457 304 6752 8033 16903 755 9979 9979
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 38
Year 2 - Drivers
Period Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9
Month
10
Month
11
Month
12
Year 2
Total
DRIVERS (Year 2 Monthly)
Income
Cyser: Units Sold 3000 3100 3200 3300 3400 3500 19500
Cyser: Sales 20880 0 21576 0 22272 0 22968 0 23664 0 24360 0 135720
Dry Mead: Units Sold 2000 2100 2200 6300
Dry Mead: Sales 0 0 0 0 0 0 13920 0 14616 0 15312 0 43848
Total Sales 20880 0 21576 0 22272 0 36888 0 38280 0 39672 0 179568
Inventory
Cyser: Finished Inventory Added
(Outsourced) 4500 4500 4500 13500
Cyser: Finished Inventory Added
(In-House) 4600 4600
Cyser: Inventory Level 500 5000 1900 6400 3200 7700 4400 4400 5600 5600 2100 2100
Dry Mead: Finished Inventory
Added (Outsourced) 0
Dry Mead: Finished Inventory
Added (In-House) 4700 4700 9400
Dry Mead: Inventory Level 0 0 0 0 0 0 2700 2700 600 600 3100 3100
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 39
Year 2 – Cash Flow Statement
Period Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9
Month
10
Month
11
Month
12
Year 2
Total
CASH FLOW STATEMENT (Year 2 Monthly)
Sales 20880 0 21576 0 22272 0 36888 0 38280 0 39672 0 179568
Cash In-Flow
Cash Sales 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Payments Rec. After 1 m 0 15660 0 16182 0 16704 0 27666 0 28710 0 29754 134676
Payments Rec. After 2 m 2784 0 4176 0 4315 0 4454 0 7378 0 7656 0 30763
Payments Rec. After 3 m 0 696 0 1044 0 1079 0 1114 0 1844 0 1914 7691
Other Cash Received 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Loan Received 42000 0 0 0 0 0 7000 0 0 0 0 0 49000
Investment 43000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 43000
Total Cash In-Flow 87784 16356 4176 17226 4315 17783 11454 28780 7378 30554 7656 31668 173130
OPENING Cash Balance 9979 90300 46902 21710 33011 7031 18733 591 15298 9829 32932 28327 9979
Cash Out-Flow
Equipment Purchased 0 53816 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 53816
Outsourced Manufacturer Costs 0 0 10125 0 10125 0 10125 0 0 0 0 0 30375
Raw Materials Purchased 0 0 15021 0 15834 0 15021 0 8004 0 7191 0 61071
Rent Paid 0 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 24643
Utilities Paid 0 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 3300
Salaries 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Shipping 0 297 0 297 0 297 0 90 0 90 0 90 1161
Insurance 150 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 2900
Agent fees 278 1636 418 1723 432 1778 445 2878 738 3055 766 3167 17313
Marketing 6500 500 500 600 600 700 700 800 800 1000 1000 1000 14700
Travel 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 270
Gov. Licensing Fees 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Taxes Paid 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Loan Payments 466 466 466 466 466 466 466 7466 466 466 466 466 12595
Miscellaneous Expenses 46 226 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 532
Total Cash Out-Flow 7463 59754 29369 5925 30296 6080 29596 14073 12847 7450 12262 7562 222676
CLOSING Cash Balance 90300 46902 21710 33011 7031 18733 591 15298 9829 32932 28327 52433 52433
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 40
Year 3 - Drivers
Period Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9
Month
10
Month
11
Month
12
Year 3
Total
DRIVERS (Year 3 Monthly)
Income
Cyser: Units Sold 3600 3700 3800 3900 4000 4100 23100
Cyser: Sales 25056 0 25752 0 26448 0 27144 0 27840 0 28536 0 160776
Dry Mead: Units Sold 2300 2400 2500 2600 2700 2800 15300
Dry Mead: Sales 16008 0 16704 0 17400 0 18096 0 18792 0 19488 0 106488
Total Sales 41064 0 42456 0 43848 0 45240 0 46632 0 48024 0 267264
Inventory
Cyser: Finished Inventory Added
(Outsourced) 4500 4500 9000
Cyser: Finished Inventory Added
(In-House) 4600 4600 4600 13800
Cyser: Inventory Level 3100 3100 3900 3900 4700 4700 800 800 1300 5900 1800 1800
Dry Mead: Finished Inventory
Added (Outsourced) 0
Dry Mead: Finished Inventory
Added (In-House) 4700 4700 4700 4700 18800
Dry Mead: Inventory Level 800 800 3100 3100 600 600 2700 2700 4700 4700 1900 6600
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 41
Year 3 – Cash Flow Statement
Period Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9
Month
10
Month
11
Month
12
Year 3
Total
CASH FLOW STATEMENT (Year 3 Monthly)
Sales 41064 0 42456 0 43848 0 45240 0 46632 0 48024 0 267264
Cash In-Flow
Cash Sales 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Payments Rec. After 1 m 0 30798 0 31842 0 32886 0 33930 0 34974 0 36018 200448
Payments Rec. After 2 m 7934 0 8213 0 8491 0 8770 0 9048 0 9326 0 51782
Payments Rec. After 3 m 0 1984 0 2053 0 2123 0 2192 0 2262 0 2332 12946
Other Cash Received 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Loan Received 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Investment 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total Cash In-Flow 7934 32782 8213 33895 8491 35009 8770 36122 9048 37236 9326 38350 265176
OPENING Cash Balance 52433 45335 70043 65242 69451 64907 83506 86204 106328 101246 111408 107412 52433
Cash Out-Flow
Equipment Purchased 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Outsourced Manufacturer Costs 0 0 0 10125 0 0 0 0 0 10125 0 0 20250
Raw Materials Purchased 8004 0 7191 7830 7191 8004 0 7191 7830 7830 6885 0 67956
Rent Paid 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 26883
Utilities Paid 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 3600
Salaries 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Shipping 0 90 297 90 90 0 90 90 90 90 0 90 1017
Insurance 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 3000
Agent fees 793 3278 821 3390 849 3501 877 3612 905 3724 933 3835 26518
Marketing 1200 1200 1400 1400 1600 1600 1800 1800 2000 2000 2200 2200 20400
Travel 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 270
Gov. Licensing Fees 1710 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1710
Taxes Paid 0 0 0 3547 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3547
Loan Payments 466 466 466 466 466 466 466 466 466 466 466 466 5595
Miscellaneous Expenses 46 226 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 532
Total Cash Out-Flow 15032 8073 13014 29686 13035 16410 6072 15998 14130 27074 13323 9430 181277
CLOSING Cash Balance 45335 70043 65242 69451 64907 83506 86204 106328 101246 111408 107412 136332 136332
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 42
Income Statement
Period Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
INCOME STATEMENT
Sales
Sales from Cyser 38280 135720 160776
Sales from Dry Mead 0 43848 106488
Total Sales 38280 179568 267264
Cost of Goods Sold 30414 75105 84870
Gross Profit 7866 104463 182394
Operating Expenses
Rent 0 24643 26883
Utilities 0 3300 3600
Equipment Depreciation 0 3289 3588
Insurance 1800 2900 3000
Agent fees 3828 17957 26726
Marketing 5742 26935 40090
Travel 270 270 270
Gov. Licensing Fees 1780 0 1710
Miscellaneous Expenses 587 532 532
Total Opertaing Expenses 11640 79293 104156
EBIT (3774) 25170 78238
Interest Expense 0 2288 2256
Income Before Tax (3774) 22881 75982
Tax Expense 0 3547 11777
NET INCOME (3774) 19335 64205
HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 43
Balance Sheet
Period Ending Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
BALANCE SHEET
Assets
Current Assets
Cash and Equivalents 9979 52433 136332
Accounts Receivable 3480 9918 12006
Inventory 10150 15080 24360
Total Current Assets 23609 77431 172698
Fixed Assets
Equipment 0 50527 46940
Total Fixed Assets 0 50527 46940
Total Assets 23609 127958 219637
Liabilities
Current Liabilities
Accounts Payable 0 8004 7830
Short-Term Loans Payable 0 0 0
Taxes Payable 0 3547 11777
Total Current Liabilities 0 11551 19607
Long-Term Liabilities
Long-Term Loans Payable 0 39109 35770
Total Long-Term Liabilities 0 39109 35770
Total Liabilities 0 50660 55377
Owner's Equity
Capital Investment 22000 65000 65000
Retained Earnings 1609 12298 99260
Total Owner's Equity 23609 77298 164260
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit
Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit

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Business Plan Sample - Edit for reddit

  • 1. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN April 10, 2014 Lewis Clarke – Marcus Aurelius – OMMITTED FOR STEALTH
  • 2. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 1 CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT The undersigned reader acknowledges that the information provided by Honeydew Meadery in this business plan is confidential; therefore, the reader agrees not to disclose it without the express written permission of Lewis Clarke or Marcus Aurelius. It is acknowledged by reader that information to be furnished in this business plan is in all respects confidential in nature, other than information which is in the public domain through other means and that any disclosure or use of same by reader, may cause serious harm or damage to Honeydew Meadery. Upon request, this document is to be immediately returned to Lewis Clarke or Marcus Aurelius. ___________________ Signature ___________________ Name (typed or printed) ___________________ Date This is a business plan. It does not imply an offering of securities.
  • 3. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT...............................................................................................................1 TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................................................2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY..................................................................................................................................4 INDUSTRY ANALYSIS.....................................................................................................................................5 INDUSTRY TRENDS.......................................................................................................................................................... 5 The Mead Industry..........................................................................................................................................................5 The Cider Industry ..........................................................................................................................................................6 The White Wine Industry.............................................................................................................................................6 PORTER’S FIVE FORCES MODEL ................................................................................................................................... 7 CUSTOMER ANALYSIS....................................................................................................................................8 Facebook Data-Mining (Primary Research).......................................................................................................8 PRIMARY MARKET: MEAD DRINKERS......................................................................................................................... 8 Mead Consumer Survey (Primary Research)......................................................................................................9 SECONDARY MARKET: CIDER DRINKERS.................................................................................................................... 9 SECONDARY MARKET: WHITE WINE DRINKERS.....................................................................................................10 COMPETITOR ANALYSIS............................................................................................................................ 11 DIRECT COMPETITORS .................................................................................................................................................11 IN-DIRECT COMPETITORS ...........................................................................................................................................12 COMPETITIVE OBJECTIVES ANALYSIS........................................................................................................................13 HONEYDEW’S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE................................................................................................................13 STRATEGIC GROUP MAP ..............................................................................................................................................14 COMPANY AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTION............................................................................................ 15 COMPANY DESCRIPTION ..............................................................................................................................................15 PRODUCT 1: APPLE/PEAR CYSER..............................................................................................................................15 PRODUCT 2: DRY MEAD...............................................................................................................................................16 MARKETING PLAN....................................................................................................................................... 16 FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH.........................................................................................................................................16 THE STRATEGY ..............................................................................................................................................................17 Product Quality .............................................................................................................................................................17 Customer Involvement...............................................................................................................................................18 Creative Advertising....................................................................................................................................................18 TARGET AREA................................................................................................................................................................18 OPERATIONS PLAN ..................................................................................................................................... 19 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE...................................................................................................................................19 JOB DESCRIPTIONS........................................................................................................................................................20 WORK FLOW..................................................................................................................................................................21 Rolling vs. Bulk Fermentation................................................................................................................................22 PRODUCTION SCALABILITY..........................................................................................................................................23 ADVISORY BOARD .........................................................................................................................................................23 HUMAN RESOURCES BUDGET .....................................................................................................................................24 PROPERTY SELECTION .............................................................................................................................. 25 PLACE OF OPERATION & LOCATION ..........................................................................................................................25
  • 4. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 3 ANALYSIS OF OPERATIONS AND PLANOGRAM..........................................................................................................25 REGULATIONS AND LICENSING............................................................................................................... 26 TEAM................................................................................................................................................................ 27 LEGAL STRUCTURE ..................................................................................................................................... 28 CRITICAL RISKS............................................................................................................................................ 29 FINANCIAL ANALYSIS................................................................................................................................. 30 RAW MATERIAL COSTS................................................................................................................................................30 IN-HOUSE VS. OUTSOURCING PRODUCTION.............................................................................................................30 DISTRIBUTION MARGIN ANALYSIS.............................................................................................................................31 BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS...............................................................................................................................................33 CAPITAL STRUCTURE....................................................................................................................................................33 Stage One: Outsourcing.............................................................................................................................................33 Stage Two: In-House Production Facility..........................................................................................................34 PRO-FORMA FINANCIAL STATEMENTS................................................................................................ 35 CASH FLOW STATEMENTS...........................................................................................................................................35 INCOME STATEMENT....................................................................................................................................................42 BALANCE SHEET............................................................................................................................................................43 EXIT STRATEGY............................................................................................................................................ 44 CONTINGENCY STRATEGY............................................................................................................................................44 FINANCIAL HARVEST STRATEGY ................................................................................................................................45 REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................................. 46 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................................................. 49 MEAD CONSUMER SURVEY RESULTS (PRIMARY RESEARCH) ...............................................................................49 FACEBOOK DATA-MINING RESULTS (PRIMARY RESEARCH) ................................................................................53 INDUSTRY TRENDS CHARTS ........................................................................................................................................53 MODEL OF BRAND EQUITY FOR WINE ......................................................................................................................55 WORK BREAKDOWN.....................................................................................................................................................56 JOB DESCRIPTION: MEAD CONSULTANT / BREW MASTER ....................................................................................57 JOB DESCRIPTION: BREW-HELPER (LABOR)............................................................................................................58 JOB DESCRIPTION: PRODUCT AGENT.........................................................................................................................59 WATERLOO ZONING BY-LAW......................................................................................................................................60 MANAGEMENT RESUMES.............................................................................................................................................61 BREWING EQUIPMENT COST BREAKDOWN..............................................................................................................63 IN-HOUSE VS. OUTSOURCING DETAILED CHARTS...................................................................................................64 ONTARIO WINE MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS .......................................................................................................65 130 FROBISHER PROPERTY LISTING .........................................................................................................................66 ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION....................................................................................................................................69
  • 5. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 4 The millennial generation in Canada is showing a strong and consistently growing trend towards buying sweeter, fruit-infused, innovative, and more premium alcohol beverages. Honeydew Meadery plans to provide just that; a honey wine product infused with sweet Canadian-grown apples, a product currently not offered anywhere in Canada. We will differentiate ourselves in the marketplace through an endless pursuit of quality, extensive customer involvement and catchy, creative marketing strategies. The 19 to 24 age category in Canada has a growing interest in sweet white wines, sweeter apple ciders, and innovative alcohol beverages they can experiment with tasting. In response to this, our first product offering is a honey wine infused with apples, market-tested to meet their exact desires for a sweet, interesting, and premium beverage. Our second product capitalizes on trends in the 25 to 34 age category towards drinking semi-sweet white wines, by offering a semi-sweet honey wine product at a fair price. We will reach our customers by first introducing our product in the LCBO. We will cultivate long-lasting and meaningful customer relationships through an extremely active social media presence, one-to-one communication, positive on-site tasting experiences, tasting events and an open-door, honest policy in doing business. We will produce our mead first through outsourcing agreements to market-test our product, and later through a company-owned fermentation facility with a focus on production quality and control. We will build strong relationships with the farmers and apiaries (bee-cultivators) that supply our raw materials by emphasizing their involvement in the entire process and in-turn promoting each other’s products. Our products will be priced competitively with white wines and other alcohol beverages whose sales we will cannibalize at $14.94 per 750ml bottle. Concentrating on the facets of customer-involvement, innovation, product-quality, honesty in business practice, and creative marketing will create the concrete foundation from which we will nurture a long-lasting and sustainable competitive advantage. Our team is comprised of two founders, Lewis Clarke and Marcus Aurelius. Lewis is an avid mead-making hobbyist who has produced over 30 unique recipes himself. Lewis also has a wealth of experience in the Ontario-based operations of a production facility, import and export and contract-negotiation of sales to government organizations. Lewis brings with him a network of sommeliers, craft-brewers, SME support staff and other mead-hobbyists to the advisory board. Marcus has work experience in sales, project management, and managing an online store. His experience and skills in planning and problem solving will be a valuable asset to Honeydew Meadery. Starting the company requires an initial equity investment of $22,000. This will be financed by Marcus and Lewis. An additional $85,000 is required in year two, in order to open an in-house production facility. This will be financed with a combination of debt from a bank and equity from family members. When outsourcing in the first year, the company must sell 1754 bottles of mead to break even. When manufacturing in-house, 10,791 bottles of mead must be sold in order to break even. It is forecast that the company will lose around EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
  • 6. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 5 $4000 in the first year of operations. In years two and three, there is an expected profit of around $19,000 and $64,000, respectively. Mergers and acquisition are very common in the alcohol industry. As Honeydew Meadery expands it will become an attractive target for a merger or acquisition. This is likely the most viable exit strategy. INDUSTRY ANALYSIS Industry Trends The Mead Industry There are very few statistics regarding international mead consumption, as the product is somewhat niche. This analysis makes due with the available information. Andre Abi Raad, production engineer and oenologue at Intermiel stated the following (as quoted in Cioletti, NDA, 2006) “Thirty years ago, if you talked to 10 people in Quebec, there were nine who didn't know mead and one who did. Now, it's almost the inverse.” Cioletti’s (NDA, prior to 2006) article suggests that there were roughly 200 meaderies worldwide with 60 in the United States when the article was written. Cioletti also writes that 50% of those were launched within the past 5-7 years. Strong supplier growth suggests a positive trend in consumption. Allen Breed (2010) writes that in the past decade, the number of meaderies in the United states has tripled to around 150, again suggesting high supplier- side growth. An article by CSP Daily News (2013) stated that there is an accelerated growth of mead consumption in Canada. The article mentions there was an estimated four meaderies in Canada in the mid-2000s. This number has now grown to over thirty (CSP Daily News, 2013). Megan Flynn’s article in Beer West Magazine wrote that in 2011 there were 150 commercial meaderies in the United States; she also writes that mead is making a comeback (NDA, 2012). An article by Rick Lyke (2007) of All About Beer Magazine writes that according to the International Mead Association there are 100 United states meaderies up from 30 in 1998. 50 are traditional meaderies and the other 50 are typically wineries and breweries who use honey in their products. He also writes that Bill Bailey of Desi Dew’s Meadery in Rougemont, NC says mead’s challenge is one of public awareness, but that it’s awareness has grown ten times since 2000. Lyke (2007) writes that the International Mead Association estimates the commercial mead-making market in the US is a $20 million industry. Summary This data suggests that mead is a niche market segment that is on a strong upward growth trend. Honeydew Meadery will be well positioned to capitalize on this growth in consumer demand.
  • 7. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 6 The Cider Industry The cider industry has been analyzed because our apple cyser (mead made with apples) will be positioned to cannibalize sweet cider sales. Canadean’s (2013) high-level market research report contains significant analysis of the cider industry in the United States, which is comparable to the Canadian market. First, the report asserts that the cider market is experiencing strong growth in the double-digits similar to the craft beer market. 2012 growth was predicted to be 30%. Imports account for 20% of cider-consumption. Prices have increased 4% on average due to premium offerings, which account for one-quarter of overall sales (Canadean, 2013). Some brands like Crispin, Canadean asserts, have seen over 300% sales growth over the 2011-2012 years. It is postulated that growth in the market is driven by product innovation (Canadean, 2013). A Food and Drink Business (2012) article posted that cider sales grew 50% in Q4 2011 in Australia. Cider makes up 2% of Australia’s alcohol market and 12% of the UK’s alcohol market (Food and Drink Business, 2012). Cider is said to have kicked off in 2004 and is the only alcohol category to have remained in constant growth since then in the UK. It is predicted to grow another 45% through 2012-2017 (Food and Drink Business, 2012). One brand, Magners was a small brewer in 2005 and now controls 7.5% of cider sales in the US (The Economist, 2012). An article in TIME by Brad Tuttle (2012) suggests that cider has seen astronomical growth following the boom of the craft beer market, which has consumers in the habit of trying new and unusual alcoholic beverages. Though cider is overall a small part of the US market, it grew in sales by 31.3% over 2011 (Tuttle, 2012). This information suggests that the trend is sustaining, and is internationally growing; it is not a localized fad. Summary Cider is showing strong growth prospects and this indicates targeting the market for cannibalization is a good strategy; especially with beverages similar in taste like our proposed mead-cyser. Our demographic analysis and target market reflects a solid product position and strategy in the marketplace. The White Wine Industry The white wine industry is being analyzed due to the taste-pallet similarities of honey wine and white wine produced from grapes. Both our honey-cyser and medium-dry mead products are positioned to cannibalize sales of white wine. An article by LuAnn LaSalle (2012) in the Huffington Post stated that a recent study showed Canadians buy an average of 22 bottles of wine annually as of 2011, up from 13 in 1995. A third of wine consumed within Canada is produced domestically, but the consumption of wine in Ontario is nearly 75% domestic (LCBO, 2012) showing a strong trend for Canadian-made products (LaSalle 2012). Over this same period, LaSalle (2012) says that wine rose from 18 to 30% of Canadian’s alcohol consumption, detracting from beer and spirits sales. Summary Akin to the cider and mead markets, domestic wine is on the rise as well. All of this data together gives us clear indication that opportunity exists. All markets are growing and
  • 8. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 7 opportunity abounds within them. Growth predictions are strong and the market leans towards purchasing craft-made products. Porter’s Five Forces Model This Porter’s Five-Forces Model will detail pressures on the industry we will encounter when operating. It is specifically focusing on the mead industry, though it is important to mention our product will compete directly against white wine, and cider producers – which may skew these results in the future. TABLE 1 Porter's Five Forces Summary Overall Industry Rating Favorable Moderate Unfavorable Threat of New Entrants X Bargaining Power of Buyers X Threat of Substitutes X Bargaining Power of Suppliers X Intensity of Rivalry Among Competitors X Threat of New Entrants (low-medium) There are significant barriers to entry in the Ontario alcohol production industry. The first is a high-presence of government regulation through the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). The second barrier is the relatively high cost of starting production. With an inventory cycle approaching a half-year and significant capital costs, producing mead on a commercial scale for sale to consumers through the LCBO requires an investment of nearly $100,000; as detailed throughout this plan. In addition to costs, expert-level knowledge of fermentation science and the manufacturing process is rare. Customer loyalty to established brands of wines, and brand equity play a major role in product sales. Economies of scale are nearly endless in the alcohol production industry as well. In contrast, switching costs are low for consumers and capital costs can start much, much lower if the scale of the company at launch is as a micro-producer. Threat of Substitute Products of Services (high) The LCBO (2014) lists 9,000 VINTAGES products in its “quick facts” section. White wines are the secondary substitute products for Honeydew’s meads, and for that reason the threat is very high. There are also established meads listed already. It is very easy for a consumer to substitute for a new product. It is integral to Honeydew’s success that our products become viable substitutes to white wines and ciders, in addition to the existing mead market. Bargaining Power of Customers (low) Buyers have very little power over negotiations or to pressure Honeydew. They depend on existing distribution channels, like the LCBO’s monopoly. They have no bargaining leverage
  • 9. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 8 and relatively no leverage to choose other retailers in any significant way. It would be prudent however to review buyer price-sensitivity to our products. Bargaining Power of Supplier (low) Suppliers for Honeydew are very numerous with many substitute products. Every type of honey typically has multiple suppliers, as well as other materials like bottles, corks and labels. Intensity of Competitive Rivalry (medium) The most important competitive advantage within this industry appears to be exposure. Competitors with a stronger marketing presence appear to be more successful and have more LCBO listings; although that may be a chicken or the egg situation. Our competitors appear to invest a reasonable amount into marketing. Rosewood hosts several events annually at their locations and around southern Ontario (Rosewood, 2014). Munro attends the Mazer Cup as judges (Mazer Cup is North America’s most prestigious mead-awards) (Munro, 2014). Both have several award-winning products. Firms in the mead industry are not concentrated at all, though there is significant firm consolidation in the cider and grape-wine industries. No competitors in the mead industry have aggressive competitive strategies. CUSTOMER ANALYSIS Facebook Data-Mining (Primary Research) In order to better understand customers that purchase mead, we conducted primary research using Facebook. Our sample was 33,134 people who “liked” the pages of twelve meaderies in the USA and Canada. Facebook makes public the most popular age group and the most popular city of the people who like a page. Our research showed that by far, the most popular age group of mead drinkers is 25-34 years old. This was the most popular age group for ten of the twelve meaderies sampled. This research also showed that the city where most of a meadery’s customers are located was either the same city or a city close to where the meadery is located. This could suggest that consumers have a preference for locally produced mead. It could also suggest that other meaderies are following a narrow local distribution strategy instead of a wide distribution strategy. Detailed results of this research can be found in Table 19 (Appendices, Page 53). Honeydew Meadery’s strategy targets three separate consumer groups. Our primary and most easily accessed market will be that of existing mead drinkers. Secondary markets include the burgeoning cider market and white-wine market. We see these sales as strong targets for cannibalization. Primary Market: Mead Drinkers There are few formal studies targeting mead consumers so this analysis has been put together with available information. An article titled “Mead All About It!” by the CSP Daily News (2013) wrote that there is a young demographic of consumers that are looking for new and exciting beverages to try. This suggests “new” beverages have a strong sales position.
  • 10. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 9 Mead Consumer Survey (Primary Research) We chose to collect primary data by running a mead-consumer survey online. We received 100 responses. The survey was distributed to Facebook Pages associated with mead- consumption, as well as on meadery’s Facebook pages, to Reddit.com’s public message board for mead enthusiasts and to the most popular online community-webpage for mead- enthusiasts; GotMead.com. Our results are tabled in Figures 14-18 (Appendices, Pages 49- 52). The survey results are as follows:  Age: Mead-drinkers are primarily between the ages of 18 and 34, with 56% of survey respondent within the 25-34 range, and 29% in the former. 13% of the demographic is within the range of 35-54.  Gender: 88% of mead drinkers are male, and 12% are female.  Education: 95% of mead-drinkers have a college-diploma, degree, graduate school degree or some college or graduate school education. 55% within that range, have a 4-year college or university degree or higher education.  Purchase Frequency: 20% of mead-drinkers purchase mead monthly, and 45% of mead-drinkers purchase products a few times per year.  Occupation: Interestingly, 21% of mead-drinkers work within computer and mathematical fields. Summary This data is useful for us. It means our target customer for early-sales cannibalization is likely young (under 34), post-secondary educated men with many of them working in the IT or mathematics field. However, we believe the survey may have been skewed due to a lack of participation on the Internet from older generations, and/or a tendency for computer-related occupational workers to use the internet and be males. We believe the survey was also skewed due to the high concentration of men using the sites targeted. However, we feel targeting a younger demographic is prudent because it is in line with our other research. Discussions with Reddit and GotMead users revealed they believe a large portion of mead drinkers have a fascination with Vikings, Scandinavian culture and medieval history – due to the origin of the mead beverage. This may be why our results were skewed towards males in the IT field as we feel these interests, subjectively, are strong within that demographic. These results need to be tested further to define the true demographic of mead-consumers and increase the reliability of surveys. Surveying consumers at mead trade shows and events would provide a clearer picture of Honeydew’s ideal consumer. Secondary Market: Cider Drinkers An article written in The Economist (2012) states that, “A decade ago 35- to 44-year-olds were the biggest cider consumers; now 18- to 24-year-olds are”. An article written by Brad Tuttle (2012) suggests that one reason cider is experiencing a boom is because women will drink it. Unlike beer, it’s not viewed as a primarily male drink. Tuttle (2012) also writes that
  • 11. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 10 a typical case of cider has a higher price point average of $35 (in the US) compared to craft beer at $33 and imported beer at $29. This suggests a willingness to pay a premium-level price. An article written by Food and Drink Business (2012) suggests that there is a shift towards easy-drinking beverages, in contrast to bitter flavors. Generally, the market has shifted towards sweeter beverages as food has become more processed. Younger generations appear to have a sweeter palate than other generations, which aids the cider market (Food and Drink Business, 2012). The core drinking demographic of cider appears to be consumers under the age of 24, evenly spread between men and women, but appears to be broadening (Food and Drink Business, 2012). Canadean (2013) published a report, which stated, “Cider appeals to both men and women and a relatively young demographic. Typically sweeter than beer, cider appeals to drinkers who are entering the alcohol market.” This appears to fall in line with other writer’s analyses. Summary The cider market appears to be a young demographic of men and women (evenly split). This is in contrast to the market for mead, which is slightly older. We believe our products will be able to capture the taste-pallet demands of young cider-drinkers, especially by marketing our mead cyser (an apple-infused mead) which will host very similar tasting notes to comparable premium ciders. Secondary Market: White Wine Drinkers White wine drinkers are part of our target market because our products aim to replicate similar flavours. An article by Megan Flynn (NDA, prior to 2012) in Beer West Magazine writes, “Take a sip of a dry mead, and you might think of sauvignon blanc, crisp, with flavors ranging from grassy to tropical. A semi-sweet mead? Think pinot gris, ripe with rich apple and pear flavors. Venture into a bottle of dry, fruit mead, and you’ll be reminded of a tart lambic.” This aids to confirm our belief that mead can be a substitute product for many white-wine consumers. A study from researchers at Sonoma University revealed many of our assumptions about the white-wine industry to be true. Figures 20-22 (Appendices, Pages 53-54) reveal that millennials (those born between ’77 – ’99, aged 15-37) drink and purchase more sweet wines, fruit wines and coolers than all other generations combined (Olsen, Thach & Nowak, 2006). These statistics confirms that Honeydew’s intended mead, cider and white wine customers tend to all lie within the same demographic of 18-34 and share a similar, sweet- oriented, taste pallet. Figure 23 (Appendices, Page 55) shows that millennials associate white wine with relaxation, sexiness, sensuality and sophistication (Olsen et al., 2006). A study by Liz Thach (2012) on WineBusiness.com, reveals that gender-neutral promotions are very
  • 12. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 11 important and a gender-selective approach may result in decreased market share overall. A study completed by researchers in Denmark in 2001 indicates that wine drinking is significantly associated with higher IQ, higher parental education levels and higher socioeconomic status (Mortensen et al., 2001). This study appears to coincide with our survey, which revealed mead drinkers are also, primarily, university or college educated. Summary The demographic of consumers purchasing sweet white wine are very similar to those we’ve identified as cider and mead consumers. They are young with post-secondary educations. This information will help us to structure our marketing campaign to be gender- neutral to cannibalize sales from the larger cider and white wine markets. Similar flavours and a tendency to experiment with new beverages will aid in the cannibalization of cider and white wine sales. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS Direct Competitors Vcelco S.R.O. This Slovakian producer of mead has one product listing in the LCBO (2014) at a retail price of $24.95 and an ABV of 13.5% called the, “Vcelovina Mead”. Information regarding size was unavailable. Vcelco’s website is reasonably well done and minimalist (Vcelco, 2014). They have only one product. Searching their name on Google reveals no sidebar, Google reference or map reference, which indicates they have a poor handle on their online presence, though they have integrated their Facebook page (Google, 2014). They have 1800 followers on Facebook, a relatively significant number, but everything is in Slovakian and the name is unsearchable from a US/UK/Canadian English keyboard (Facebook, 2014). Highland Wineries Highland Wineries is a meadery located in Inverness, Scotland with one LCBO (2014) product listing called “Moniack Mead” which retails for $21.95 in the LCBO at a 14.6% ABV. It is estimated their annual sales are £231,000 and they have 4 employees (Amee, 2014). Highland Wineries’ website is reasonable but lacking in creativity and modern-style (Highland Wineries, 2014). Searching their name on Google reveals no sidebar, Google reference or map reference which indicates they have a poor handle on their online presence. They have no social media links from their webpage (Google, 2014). Highland Wineries has no Facebook page (Facebook, 2014). Rosewood Estate Rosewood is a small vineyard, vintner, apiary and meadery in Beamsville, Ontario (near St. Catharines). They have a 5,000 case (60,000) bottle annual capacity for all wines + meads, using 1,300 gallon (5,000 liter) fermentation tanks (Walker, 2010). Estimated 3 employees (Manta, 2014). With similar agency structure to us, retrieving roughly an average of $6.00 per bottle, revenue is estimated to be $360,000. The retail price of Royale Honey
  • 13. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 12 Wine (a fruit-mead), and Harvest Gold Mead (a honey wine) are both $14.95 (LCBO, 2014). Rosewood Estates produces several other meads including a spiced mead called “2007 Ambrosia” retailing for $40.20 at the winery only and “2012 Mead Noir” a pyment (red-wine mixed) mead retailing for $25.20 at the winery (Rosewood, 2014). Rosewood’s website is well done and tasteful, it appears professional and well laid out. They have twitter-integration as well, suggesting a strong social media presence (Rosewood, 2014). Searching their name on Google reveals a full sidebar picture with map link and company information, suggesting they have a handle on their online presence (Google, 2014). Rosewood Estate is active on Facebook with a following of 2,500 and a few monthly posts (Facebook, 2014). Munro Honey Munro Honey is an apiary and meadery in Alvinston, Ontario (near London). Their product is sold independently; not through the LCBO. Prices range from $15.12 to $16.70 for both honey wines and melomels (fruit-infused meads) (Munro Honey, 2014). They have a 12,000ft2 facility producing processed honey and mead (Munro Honey, 2014). The company appears to be comparatively larger than Rosewood, but still quite small. Munro has 3000 bee colonies and produce 500,000 pounds of honey annually (Ontario Table, 2012). They appear to primarily be an apiary. According to Wikipedia (2014), “sideliner” beekeepers may have up to 300 colonies managed individually, so we think it is safe to assume Munro Honey has less than 20 employees overall. Munro does not have any mead products listed in the LCBO. Munro Honey’s website is bright and colorful. It is well done overall and they have links to their social media pages (Munro Honey, 2014). A search on Google reveals a map and limited company information on the sidebar, suggesting they have some grasp of creating an online presence (Google, 2014). Munro does not seem very active on social media, their Facebook posts are 3-6 weeks apart and they have only 500 followers (Facebook, 2014). In-Direct Competitors Rossignol Rossignol is primarily a vineyard and vintner, but are also a meadery. They are located on Prince Edwards Island. Rossignol has ten fruit wine listings, some of which are made with honey (Rossignol, 2014). Retail prices range from $16.75 to $19.75 per bottle. Their “Blackberry Mead Wine” (the only product described as mead) is listed at $19.75 (Rossignol, 2014). PEI Flavors (2014) lists Rossignol as having annual sales between $250,000 and $1,000,000. The head winemaker, John Rossignol, is from Ontario (PEI Flavors, 2014). The products are sold across the country and to a lesser extent, internationally. The Guardian’s Jim Day (2011) says Rossignol produces 40,000 bottles of wine annually with 12 employees at peak times. Rossignol does not have products currently listed in the LCBO. Trafalgar Trafalgar is a beer and mead producer. Their meads are clearly produced to cannibalizing beer-drinkers as they are sold in 500 and 375ml bottles (Trafalgar, 2014). They are located in Oakville, Ontario. Trafalgar has 3 mead products listed on their website which are all represented in the LCBO. They are: the “Mead Braggot”, retail price of $9.95 in a 500ml bottle (volume-price is equivalent to Honeydew at $14.95 per 750ml). “Lanark Blueberry Mead” at $5.45 per 375ml bottle and the “Ginger Mead” at $9.95 per 500ml bottle (LCBO,
  • 14. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 13 2014). Trafalgar meads are definitely targeting the beer market with their smaller volume bottles and much lower ABV which ranges between 8.0-9.0% versus other competition- produced meads which are 12.0%-14.6% ABV and in 750ml bottles. The Lyme Bay Cider Company This company is in England and produces two separate meads called the “Garden Mead” and “Tournament Mead”. Neither are currently listed in the LCBO, however the LCBO appears to have cross-listed this company as being the producer of “Moniack Mead”, which it is not – perhaps they have other products listed or were previously listed, it is unclear (2014). Other Competitors of Note British Columbia and Quebec have relatively more thriving mead cultures than Ontario, but it is still all small producers or apiary off-shoots. Winesofcanada.com’s article titled “Meaderies of Canada” (Bell, 2012) lists several competitors throughout the country. In British Columbia: Campbell’s Gold Honey Farm, Mason Manor, Meadow Vista Honey Wines, Middle Mountain Mead, Meadery at Planet Bee and Tugwell Creek Honey Farm and Meadery. In Alberta: the Chinook Honey Co. In Nova Scotia: Midgrad Meadery. Throughout Quebec: Le Clos Des Brumes, Meil Natural, Ferme Apicole Desrochers, Intermiel, Le Rucher Bernard Bee Bec & Assoc des Hydromeliers du Quebec, Les Enterprises Prince- Leclerc, Les Vins Mustier Gerzer, Muse’e de l’Abeille & Les Ruchers Pomiel, Rucher Les Saules and Rucher Tete en Fluers. In Summary Competition in the mead industry is minimal. It’s a product that is primarily produced as an addition to the revenue stream by existing apiaries. The vast majority of these companies are run by families or couples and appear to be lifestyle-type ventures, with the exclusion of Vcelcovina and to a lesser extent, Rosewood Estates. Competitive Objectives Analysis Honeydew’s competitors, excluding Vcelco, do not appear to have aggressive expansion or growth efforts. Munro is 100 years old and yet has one location and is relatively small. Rosewood Estates is similar though they are more prominent than Munro. Trafalgar is a business run by a couple; Highland Wineries appears to be the same. Rossignol is a small- batch winery run by one man. There are no competitors who appear to be “corporate” in nature (excluding Vcelco). They tend to be more hobbyist-gone-commercial or family-owned lifestyle-ventures in nature. Vcelco is often excluded from these analyses because they do not appear to be competitive in North America or have a presence here other than their listing, and are more focused on Slovakia. Honeydew’s Competitive Advantage Honeydew Meadery will build its sustainable, long-term, competitive advantage through innovation, quality, involvement and creative advertising. We will focus these efforts on our two target demographics: sweeter, fruit-infused products targeted at 19-24 year olds (gender-
  • 15. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 14 neutral) who have post-secondary educations or some college education. Dryer or semi-sweet products will be targeted at 25-34 year olds (gender-neutral) who have post-secondary educations. Customer involvement will be assured through camaraderie, social-media saturation, relationship building, and tastings. Product quality will be emphasized through market testing and the involvement of industry-professionals. The products will be offered at fair prices. Product innovation will be a cornerstone of our competitive advantage, the first of which is introducing a mead cyser product that is not yet available in Ontario or Canada. Creative marketing will be emphasized through guerilla marketing tactics, innovative advertising campaigns and quirky/catchy slogans that enhance our target’s image of the meadery. We believe these three foundations, when built over the long-term, will build an irrefutable and non-substitutable competitive advantage. Strategic Group Map This strategic group map analyses our direct and indirect competitors, but excludes those outside the province without LCBO listings (such as Rossignol Winery and the Lyme Bay Cider Company). The map compares two separate variables. The first (the y-axis) is the flavor-focus of the meads produced. On the upper end there are sweet, apple infused honey wines. On the lower end of the y-axis are producers focused on niche-types of mead with earthier or bitter flavours, such as braggots (malted-grain), metheglins (spices), black meads (currants), bochets (caramelized honey) or short meads (an ale-like mead). A producer of this type would be Trafalgar with their ginger mead and braggot. The focus-scale will be from 1 to 5; a 5 indicating a focus on producing mead-cyser or similar products, a 1 indicating a focus on niche, bitter or earthy meads. The second variable (x-axis) is the price-point of the meadery’s products on a scale of $10 - $25. FIGURE 2 Strategic Group Map 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 5 10 15 20 25 30 MeadFocus Product Price Average Vcelco SRO Highland Wineries Rosewood Estate Munro Honey Trafalgar Ales Honeydew Meads
  • 16. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 15 COMPANY AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTION Company Description Honeydew Meadery produces honey wine in Ontario. We will operate as a corporation, with two original founders Lewis Clarke and Marcus Aurelius. We will operate out of our location in Waterloo, Ontario, starting in the year 2016. We seek to serve the growing demands of millennials for sweet, innovative alcohol beverages as an alternative to white wine, cider and existing mead selections. We will differentiate ourselves in the marketplace through an endless pursuit of quality, extensive customer involvement and catchy, creative marketing strategies. We plan to introduce interesting products through targeted market research, starting with honey-apple cyser and medium-dry mead. We plan to operate a facility with a 33,300 bottle annual capacity, one year after launching our products through outsourcing. Within five years, we plan to expand the facility to approximately 100,000 bottles annually. Our vision is to become a household name, premiere supplier of innovative, in-demand alcohol beverages that are produced from honey in North America. With thorough customer involvement we want to be considered an asset to the community we operate in, and a respectable, honest company that consumers feel committed to supporting. Product 1: Apple/Pear Cyser The first of Honeydew Meadery’s offerings will be a mead-cyser. This product is a fermentation of honey and apple-mash to produce a cider-like, sweet beverage. Later on, we have also considered producing mead with a pear-mash to capitalize on a rise in sales of non- apple, fruit ciders, explained within the demographics and industry analysis sections. This product is not scheduled for introduction within our first three years of operation. Wholesale Ontario apples retail for an average of $40 per 40lbs as of January 1st, 2014 (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2014). This includes Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Paulared and Sweetango varieties. Our exact selection has not been made as of yet, but prices are typically lateral for all apples listed (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2014). Pears retail for a similar price of $18.50-23.50 per 22lbs (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canda, 2014). We have included the purchase of a Speidel Motorized Apple & Pear Crusher from MoreWineMaking.com to crush these pome-fruits for use in fermentation (MoreWineMaking.com, 2014). We intend to use approximately 940lbs of apples or pears, mashed, per cyser batch, which should yield 135 litres of apple/pear pomace using HardwoodCrafts.co.uk’s (Euleigh, P., 2014) yield ratio; according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (2014) at wholesale this should cost $940. The recipe is as follows:  155 gallons, Dutch Gold Baker’s Special Honey. $3,875.00 (WebstaurantStore.com, 2014)  135 gallons, apple/pear pomace $940 (Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada, 2014).  800 gallons, water
  • 17. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 16  50 ounces, Lavlin 71B-1122 yeast; recommended for cysers ([Meadist, P., 2013]). $216.00 (WineMakingSuperStore.com, 2014).  14 ounces, Diammonium Phosphate yeast nutrient, $3.95 (MoreBeer.com, 2014) This mead will endure a 50-day primary fermentation, followed by a filtration process and two further 50-day bulk-racking periods. This recipe will produce 4,600 x 750ml bottles with an ABV between 13.0 and 13.5%. Product 2: Dry Mead We are also planning to launch a dryer mead product, aiming to simulate the flavors of semi-sweet white wines like Pinot Grigio. We believe wine to be a market that may be easily cannibalized in addition to the existing mead market based on finding in our demographic and industry analysis sections. The recipe is as follows:  155 gallons, Dutch Gold Baker’s Special Honey. $3,875.00 (WebstaurantStore.com, 2014)  935 gallons, water  50 ounces, Lavlin D-47 yeast; recommended for cysers ([Meadist, P., 2013]). $216.00 (WineMakingSuperStore.com, 2014).  14 ounces, Diammonium Phosphate yeast nutrient, $3.95 (MoreBeer.com, 2014) This mead will endure a 50-day primary fermentation, followed by a filtration process and 2 further 50-day bulk-racking periods. This recipe will produce close to 4,700 x 750ml bottles with an ABV between 13.5 and 14.0%. The higher yield in bottles is due no pomace being filtered out during filtration. MARKETING PLAN Foundational Research A study done by Nowak, Thach and Olsen of the Sonoma State University (2006) predicted that customer commitment was the strongest driver of brand equity in the wine industry when trying to attract millennial consumers. They suggest, “If a winery is able to help a customer feel a strong sense of belonging and makes them feel like part of the family, then a feeling of commitment towards the relationship with the winery starts to be cultivated. Commitment is defined as a consumer’s belief that an ongoing relationship is worth investing time, energy, and money in (Sharma and Patterson, 2000). Hirschmann and Holbrook (1982) proposed that extremely positive, consumption-related emotions are likely to lead to very high levels of commitment.” (p. 318)
  • 18. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 17 The researchers suggest that positive emotions associated with tasting room experiences were the best predictors of building long-term, profitable relationships with wineries. They stress that customers must always feel they are truly cared about to feel a sense of belonging and camaraderie (Nowak et al., 2006, p. 320). Nowak et al. (2006) suggest seasonal events, special invitations, birthday greetings, gift coupons and involving customers in activities (p. 320). They also found that product quality, excellent service and fair pricing contribute significantly to brand equity (p. 321). Kickstarter (2014) campaigns for meaderies have all tended to include customer-involving packages, which are in-demand. These include the Fringe Meadery, Fenwyr Cellars Meadery, Mead Magic, RVA Mead Lab, Golden Coast Mead and Bos Meadery (Kickstarter, 2014). This solidifies that customer-involvement is key to a successful long-term marketing strategy in the mead and wine industries. Lockashin and Spawton’s (2001) study found several factors contributing to winery success which are displayed in Figure 24 (Appendices, Page 55). These included familiarity and commitment, which our customer involvement strategy maximizes. Nowak and Washburn’s (2002) study found that quality was the most significant predictor of success but pro-active environmental policies, trust and brand equity were also very significant contributors to long-term sustainability. We plan to operate an open-door style, honest business practice that adds to the community to capitalize on this factor of success. Alcohol products have seen success with creative marketing techniques. One example is Bud Lite Lime’s introduction which included guerilla marketing, flash mobs and an online contest. The campaign mobilized Canadians to start Facebook pages demanding the introduction of the product. Bud Lite Lime sent them “ambassador packages” to promote it (Wegert, T., 2009). Captain Morgan launched an interactive-online-media “pose-off” competition (Wegert, T., 2009). Many alcohol products use extremely interesting ads to get attention. Bulmer’s chiseled messages on blocks of ice, The Chosen One launched an ad listing 999 names of approving beer-tasters, Hendrick’s gin has 1800s circus-ad inspired word of mouth marketing (Naslau, S., 2011). The Internet Advertising Competition (2013) awarded MXM Social (a marketing company) an award for outstanding achievement when creating “The Wine Bar” Facebook page to engage customers and promote Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines. They net 31,000 users with a 10% engagement rate, which is 10 to 50 times industry standard (Internet Advertising Competition, 2013). Wacky, eye-catching, interesting and innovative slogans, campaigns and graphic ads are integral to alcohol marketers. The Strategy Our marketing approach has been developed based on research-proven success factors and successful competitors within comparable industries. We are planning our strategy around three key foundations: product quality, customer-involvement and creative advertising. Product Quality Product quality is paramount to success. The most significant cornerstone of ensuring product quality is having a long-term commitment to market-testing products prior to release. Prior to launch we plan to market-test ten mead recipe variations of each of our proposed products. We currently possess the equipment to do this. After launch, we will ideally have
  • 19. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 18 twenty meads fermenting at any given time in 25 x 750ml bottle batches. These products will be market-tested at hosted events, through our honey suppliers, in restaurant partners as tasting events, through professionals (Lewis has a family-connection with an oenologist and a trained wine-taster), in our on-site tasting room, and wherever else we can find our target- demographic. We believe a long-term focus to fine-tuning and introducing innovative products is a key to success in the craft-alcohol industry as is suggested in our industry analysis section. Customer Involvement Customer involvement is our second key building block. We intend to involve customers on every level feasible. Our primary goal is to treat every involved customer with care, respect, and camaraderie. We want to be very transparent to enable our customers to involve themselves and form relationships with employees of the meadery. We plan to have an on- site tasting room on the first-floor of our facility, with the office upstairs. We will offer facility tours, drop-in tasting hours (or scheduled), mead-classes for excited hobbyists and other involving activities. We will ensure we have a multi-weekly social media presence on every platform available and respond to every question posed by clients in a thoughtful and thorough manner. Involving customers in a thoughtful, diverse, and multi-faceted approach is a key to success in the alcohol industry. Creative Advertising Creative advertising is our third building block. We would like to create marketing campaigns that differentiate our product from competition in interesting ways. The first of which is a directed guerilla marketing effort that will contain viral marketing, sticker bombing, and Internet advertising. We will put a strong focus on the creation of interesting slogans for our products, designing catchy bottle-labels and product names. We are considering sealing every bottle of our product in beeswax, similar to red wax-sealed wine bottles, to make it a more interesting product. Our meadery competitors appear to have a relatively poor target-market focus. They typically have generic import-wine-like and/or Viking-focused or medieval-focused marketing. We believe a directed focus towards a gender-neutral demographic of people aged 19 to 24 for our cyser, and age 25 to 34 for our medium-dry mead will do very well. Olsen et al.’s (2006) Figure 23 (Appendices, Page 55) may act as a guide to the image we seek to present to millennials, with a focus on relaxation, sensuality and sophistication. Target Area Our initial target area is Ontario. In the 2011-2012 year there was $1.2 billion in wine sales in Ontario through the LCBO with the expectation to grow 4.4% year-over-year (LCBO, 2012). White wines make up 11% of the overall sales of Canadian wine, compared to 7.4% from red wines and in addition, VQA (Ontario) wines were up 9.4% (LCBO, 2012). Beer and cider sales were $909 million over that period, with cider growing in interest by 15.8%. Cider is expected to continue growing by 15.1% year-over-year (LCBO, 2012). A report from the George Morris Center found that cider sales in Canada were over $120 million in 2011, up from $60 million in 2007 (Grier, Sweetland, Rajcan, 2013). Mead
  • 20. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 19 statistics are unavailable. All of this leads us to the conclusion that we have a significant target market and our products are aimed directly at the cannibalization of rapidly growing product categories. Our secondary potential market is Canada, where the alcohol market is growing substantially, especially in wine consumption. Statistics Canada (2011) found that the beer market in all of Canada was $9.1 billion in 2011, with a 3.1% increase in Ontario sales. The wine market in all of Canada saw $6.1 billion of sales in 2011. From 2000 to 2011, sales of white wine have increased 66% (Statistics Canada, 2011). Again, we are seeing rapid-growth trends in our targeted categories. OPERATIONS PLAN Organizational Structure Figure 3 displays Honeydew Meadery’s organizational structure. It is important to note that Honeydew Meadery will be outsourcing production within its first year to test the market with it’s products. For this reason, the majority of production is in the hands of third parties in year one. Table 25 (Appendices, Page 56) displays the separation of duties related to the organizational structure. Note that there are two scenarios - outsourced and in-house. For the purpose of this business plan, separate positions have been created to better show the scalability of the idea. FIGURE 3
  • 21. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 20 Lewis will be handling the role of “Mead Consultant”. Both Lewis and Marcus will handle the role of “Laborer / Brew-helper” until production increases significantly. This is due to the fact that positions can be fulfilled without requiring full-time employees. Even as the business grows, it has a long way to go before it will require more than two full-time employees. Fermentation runs on a check-up basis and transfer/cleaning/administrative duties can be completed at any time of the week. They are very flexible. Job Descriptions The positions in Figure 3 are explained below:  The Mead Consultant: this person’s role is the creation of recipes and regulation of the fermentation process. They are the supervisor of brew-helpers. The job description for this position is listed in Appendices (Page 57).  The Pillitteri Estate Agency: This position is that of a sales representative to the LCBO. They charge 10% on top of our quoted price and only if the sale goes through with the LCBO. They also ask for 0% to 40% (optional, our choice) percentage of sales to spend on LCBO marketing, because the LCBO offers a full set of marketing options from end-of-shelf displays to highlights within the Vintages magazine. Due to our lack of LCBO connections, it is best we employ their services to handle sales to the LCBO. They also market the product to each individual store manager (there are 512 in Ontario) because even if the LCBO accepts the product, it is at the discretion of each LCBO store manager to order and stock it. It is unfeasible for Marcus or I to handle this. The future job description of a product agent is shown in Appendices (Page 59)  The Spirit Tree Cidery: This position has been listed in connection with the mead consultant to handle our production, mixing, fermentation, bottling, and labelling needs. The mead consultant will handle interacting with Spirit Tree to adjust fermentations appropriately throughout their life.  Labourers / Brew-helpers: These employees handle the unskilled work integral to brewing. It is inadvisable to pay the mead consultant for these tasks. They include: setting up, using, cleaning and monitoring pumps, filters, cooling systems, tanks, mixers and the general floor space. A job description is shown in Appendices (Page 58)  Lewis/Marcus: This position in the organizational structure will serve as the president/owner. We will handle the majority of administrative, purchasing, HR, legal, bookkeeping, and other related tasks for the foreseeable future.
  • 22. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 21 Work Flow Honeydew Meadery’s workflow is described in Figure 4. This diagram also highlights duties that will be conducted by third parties after the meadery’s production is entirely in- house. Raw materials will be delivered by freight shippers (smaller, locally sourced materials will be picked up personally if feasible). Product pick-up is handled by the LCBO. They pick up local producers’ product and ship it to their warehouses for distribution. This significantly cuts down on our shipping costs. FIGURE 4 Work Flow Diagram The in-house stages of the workflow are as follows: 1. Storage: raw materials are brought into the warehouse via the rear loading dock (truck-height). They are unloaded with the pallet truck and stored within the staging area. 2. Mixing: raw materials (honey) and water are transferred into the mixing tank. The gear-motor is then turned on and the materials are blended for a specified time based on the recipe. Honey and water is gradually added. After this, dried yeast (type specified in recipe) is warmed in a large pot over a conventional heater to 100o F in a water and honey solution. This activates the yeast culture. This mixture is added to
  • 23. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 22 the mixing tank and mixed in with the honey and water mixture. The mix is allowed to rest for a time (recipe-specific). 3. Cleaning/Transfer: This process takes place between every transfer. The destination tank is first cleaned with a water + sulfite solution using a pressure washer and scrub brushes. The solution is drained via an outlet vale on the conical bottom of the tank using a regular pipefitting. It is allowed to air-dry. The product is pumped from the original tank into the new tank. 4. Fermentation: This is a process of waiting and measuring. Measurements are taken for target gravity and ABV readings, use of cell-analyzers to see sugar content etc. Adjustment in the form of adding or diluting ingredients takes place here. During the fermentation process, glycol systems are used to pump a cooled water/glycol fluid throughout the tank’s cooling jackets to control the temperature of fermentations. 5. Bulk-Racking 1 & 2: After 50 days of fermentation, the mixture is pumped using the Noryl-plate filter arrangement and 317GPH pump, into a holding tank which is a simple, water + sulfite cleaned, 1100 gallon polypropylene tank. The steel tank is water and sulfite cleaned, air-dried, then the product is pumped using the 1200GPH Gorman Rupp pump back into its tank, for a bulk-aging and possible secondary fermentation (which is the addition of new sugars and/or yeast(s)). Again, the cleaning/transfer process applies between these stages. 6. Bottling: When the product has finished its bulk-racking it is pumped using the noryl- plate-pump and filter arrangement into the bottle-filling spouts. Bottles are filled with product here. Each filled bottle is corked using the manual floor-standing corker. We are considering using melted bees-wax in place of standard bottle-wax to add a premium-product feel to our bottles. 7. Labelling: Each bottle is placed on the labelling machine and labelled. 8. Storage: Bottles are transferred into cases and sealed for storage then pick-up. *It is important to mention that our 1100 gallon fermenters will produce 4,600 bottles of finished product due to the volume of later-disposed, filtered-out ingredients and slight spillage allowances* Rolling vs. Bulk Fermentation We plan to implement a “rolling” fermentation production versus lateral “bulk” fermentation. This means we will begin fermentation in one vat, on day 1 and 50 days later begin another. This way, when production reaches full-capacity (after 150 days) we will produce 4,600 bottles of product every 50 days for release, instead of 13,800 bottles every 150 days, with 2.34 production cycles annually. We have chosen this for three reasons. First, we significantly reduce our monthly labour requirements by spreading them out over the year. Second, we mitigate the risk of batch-spoilage in the case of contaminated ingredients. Third, we have far lower storage requirements due to fewer bottles and materials in storage at any given time. Since we are already purchasing pallet quantities, our volume discounts for
  • 24. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 23 purchase are not affected by using this method. It is important to mention these calculations are all based on our at-launch capacity, having 3 fermenters. Production Scalability The facility we have chosen at 130 Frobisher Drive (Appendix, P.66-68) has the ability to scale from three fermenters to nine fermenters, based on our factory floor layout (Figure 7, Page 26). On average, we will produce 4,600 bottles of product every 150 days for each fermenter we own. For simplicity and the allowance of delays, we refer to this as 2 and 1/3 production runs annually. Our capacity at outset is therefore 3 x 4,600 bottles x 2.3 which is 33,300 bottles annually, or 11,100 bottles per fermenter. To expand our facility by one more fermenter, we would need to purchase: one glycol cooling system and one fermentation tank. The cost of these two items, including shipping is $9,300 (based on our capital equipment purchase table, (Table 27, Page 63) and a shipping estimate). The majority of equipment purchases are overhead equipment that is used to support the fermentation process (such as measurement tools, operations equipment, materials processing equipment, and cleaning supplies). Therefore, to expand from our initial capacity of 33,300 bottles annually (3 fermenters) to a maximum capacity of 99,900 bottles annually (9 fermenters) at 130 Frobisher Drive we will incur capital costs of $55,800. To expand beyond 99,900 bottles annually would require a new, larger facility or second facility. Advisory Board Honeydew Meadery’s advisory board is based on available connections the entrepreneurs currently have as well as whom they intend, or hope to, bring on in the future. The connections Lewis would like to bring on board are:  David Pawlett: long-time family friend and the accountant of UCEL, David is a CGA.  Mark Corbo: a friend of Lewis’s, Mark has a degree in wine-tasting and is an avid hobbyist who makes, and tastes, wine.  Matthew Myers: a long-time friend of Lewis’s, Matthew has experience making mead for over four years and has produced 40-50 recipes himself.  Matty Turner: a friend of Lewis’s girlfriend, Matty has a degree in oenology and viticulture from Brock University and diplomas from Niagara College and the Foreigner’s University of Sienna in Bologna, Italy. He has experience as a winemaker in New Zealand, B.C. and Australia.  Julian Morana: Julian is a friend of Lewis’s that operates a small-cask beer brewery called “Cask Days” who serve their beer at Toronto’s BarVolo. He also operates Keep6 Imports, a beer importation company. Marcus would like to bring the following connection on board:  Daniel Hernden: Daniel is a friend of Marcus’s who is currently a marketing professional at Young and Rubicam. He will be able to provide valuable expertise on the branding and marketing of products.
  • 25. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 24 We feel that the addition of someone with the following characteristics after our third year of operations would be beneficial:  Mead Consultant: A person with thorough technical and scientific understanding of the mead fermentation process. Human Resources Budget Details of the time required for each process on a monthly basis are listed in Labour Commitments figures 5 and 6. They display labour hour commitments over a standard year with production outsourced and production in-house. We felt it was best to highlight hourly commitments as we plan to avoid salaried employees for quite some time. The hourly commitments described in Figure 6 are based on several factors. First, we are planning on using three fermenters and rotating between fermentation and bulk-racking every 50 days (7.3 times annually). Second, our filtration system’s pump runs at 317 gallons per hour maximum, which indicates a three hour, 25 minute pump time per filtered transfer (three filtered transfers required per 50-day period, because we have three vats). Each fermentation requires one un-filtered transfer, at 1,200 gallons per hour, which will take 55 minutes (a total of four hours, twenty minutes pumping). For this reason, we’ve allotted ten hours (two people, five hours) per 50-day period, per vat. Budget commitments for Honeydew Meadery’s human resources will escalate over time. Prior to a capacity of over 99,900 bottles annually (triple our initial setup) we will not be hiring full-time employees and will conduct the labour and operations ourselves. We do not expect to reach this production within our first three years of operation, as our initial setup is for 33,300 bottles annually. Our strategy is to focus on low-capital intensity forms of operation in the company’s infancy. This includes many sales-commission and variable-cost type arrangements, such as outsourcing and sales-agency contracts. During the first three years, labour costs will be zero as the two owners, Lewis and Marcus, will handle tasks, this is because we can have full-time jobs during this period and still run the meadery. The fermentation of mead is a very low labour-intense process as it is primarily a waiting game. We expect our labour commitments to scale almost directly with the number of fermenters we have. FIGURE 5 TASK Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Selection of Materials 20 4 4 Delivery of Materials 8 8 8 Pick-up of Finished Goods 16 16 Administration 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 Social-media Marketing 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 TOTAL 32 20 12 12 12 16 36 12 12 12 16 36 Hour Commitment of Labour when Outsourcing (annual, in hours)
  • 26. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 25 FIGURE 6 TASK Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Selection of Materials 2 2 2 Delivery of Materials 4 4 4 Prep and Mixing 4 4 4 4 Initial Fermentation 10 10 10 10 Bi-Weekly Measure 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 Bulk-Rack and Transfer 20 20 20 20 Bottle & Label 4 4 4 4 Administration 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 Social-media Marketing 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 TOTAL 54 16 22 54 16 16 22 54 16 22 54 16 Hour Commitment of Labour when In-House (in hours) PROPERTY SELECTION Place of Operation & Location Scouring real-estate databases for commercial properties enabling brew on premise resulted in finding an ideal property. 130 Frobisher Drive, Unit 9-10, in Waterloo Ontario is displayed in the Appendices (Page 66-68). The property is 4,758ft2 with a 600ft2 2-floor office in front. The zoning for this property is listed as Industrial I-2. Section 23B of the City of Waterloo’s Zoning Bylaw Document, 1418_I2 (Appendices, Page 60) shows that this zoning permits brewing on premise establishments and the manufacture of beverages. The Lease rate of this property is listed as $5.65 per ft2 which translates to a monthly payment of $2,240.23. The property also has a 600 volt, 100 amp electrical service, which is more than sufficient to run our several 230 volt pumps, air compressor, and glycol systems. A ceiling height of 13’8” (at the joists, not full ceiling) is sufficient to fit our fermentation tanks, which are 2.7 meters tall (8’10”). In addition, the loading bay has a 10’ clearance, which means our tanks can be brought in upright and installed upright. The loading bay will also facilitate materials delivery and pick- up, so we may use a pump-truck to load/unload instead of needing a forklift with certified operator. The location is right beside an arterial highway and the location in Waterloo locates us within one hour of many apiaries and honey wholesale locations (such as the Kingsburgh Apiaries (30 minutes), and Oxford Honey and Supplies (50 minutes)). Analysis of Operations and Planogram An industrial floor plan of the location is shown in Figure 7 using information from the property listing and its pictures. As mentioned on the floor plan, this location allows us to expand from our 33,300 bottle annual capacity up to 99,900 bottle annual capacity by
  • 27. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 26 introducing up to 6 more 1,100 gallon fermentation tanks. The layout designed is a process- line layout, which is meant to enhance ease-of-use for the mixing tank and staging area. We found this location to be suitable, since we don’t require close proximity to our target market. Proximity to our suppliers, favourable lease rates, appropriate infrastructure and a flexible space are more important factors. The 1st floor of the office will be designed as a tasting-room. Labour force requirements in the future are limited to those with some brewing experience or general labour – so Waterloo will serve adequately for that purpose. Our competitors are located two hours west past London, and two competitors are located just two hours east of Hamilton. The location has adequate parking for our small staff. FIGURE 7 Industrial Floor Plan REGULATIONS AND LICENSING Municipal Operating within any municipality requires adherence to local law. Our property selection at 130 Frobisher Drive in Waterloo, Ontario, permits brew on premise operations and the manufacturing of beverages. For this reason, we are cleared with municipal legislation. Provincial The provincial body for the regulation of manufacturing and sale of alcohol products in Ontario is the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). The first license we
  • 28. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 27 must apply for is the “Manufacturer of Wine – New application (two years)” which costs $1,260 (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, 2014). This license will permit us to manufacture wine and sell it to the LCBO or a manufacturer representative (such as the Pillitteri International Wine Agency). The manufacturer’s license also permits us to give free sample of products to patrons while they are indoors at our manufacturing site (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, 2013) The second license we will pursue is the “Manufacturer’s Limited Liquor Sales License Application” which permits us to sell wine in glass-quantities of 5 oz on our production premises, indoors (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, 2013). The bi-annual cost of this license is $450. Every employee (2) who serves products under this license will require a “smartserve” license, which is a 4-hour course costing a one-time fee of $35 (SmartServe.ca, 2014). The third license we will need to seek on sporadic occasions from the AGCO, is the “Special Occasion Permit” for sales. This will be sought whenever we choose to host a publicized tasting event in a different locality other than our premises. It costs $75 (AGCO, 2014). The taxes and duties levied by the LCBO on each case of product are listed in Table 11 (Page 32). These are variable costs incurred with the sale of product. Federal In Canada, prior to 2006, every wine product was taxed per liter. As of July 1, 2006 any wine-producer who produces wine from 100% Canadian products is exempt from the $0.62 per liter excise duty (Department of Finance Canada, 2014). Since our product will be made from 100% Canadian materials, we are exempt from taxation under the federal excise duty on wine. In total, we will spend $1,780 at the outset to be certified and $1,710 every 2 years for renewal. TEAM Lewis Clarke Lewis brings a wealth of knowledge about mead making and Ontario small business to the table. He has created over 750 bottles of mead using thirty different recipes. He has experience using advanced fermentation techniques and processes including: temperature- control, ebuliometer-use, colouring analysis, yeast nutrient & energizing and clarification ingredients. His experience within SME’s is in a 40-employee, multi-faceted company, with international sales, SRED, inter-provincial work, a production facility and multiple Toronto field-crew operations. He has experience handling international and domestic imports and exports, as well as logistics/operations networks, shipping & receiving, inventory management, and freight. Lewis also has experience negotiating high-value contracts with
  • 29. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 28 government organizations, successful social-media marketing and general full-service knowledge in running an Ontario SME. A full resume can be found in Appendices (Page 61) Marcus Aurelius Marcus has over five years of experience in sales and managing an online store at Manafest Productions. He also gained experience in project management while working at Lategig Productions. He will be graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce from Ryerson University shortly in May 2014. His skills in planning and project management will be a valuable asset to Honeydew Meadery. A full resume can be found in Appendices (Page 62) The Pillitteri Estate Agency The Pillitteri Estate Agency has nearly twenty years of experience working with the LCBO. They have the connections and relationships that are necessary to get products on LBCO’s shelves. Their extensive industry knowledge will be extremely valuable to Honeydew Meadery. More information about Pillitteri Estate Agency can be found at www.pillitteri.com. The Spirit Tree Estate Cidery Spirit Tree is a brewer of high quality alcoholic beverages, located in Caledon, Ontario (about an hour northwest of Toronto). They will serve as our contract manufacturer. They have high quality equipment and the necessary expertise to meet our high quality standards. More information about Spirit Tree Estate Cidery can be found at www.spirittreecider.com LEGAL STRUCTURE Honeydew Meadery has the option of operating either as a partnership or as a corporation. Incorporation is more costly than a partnership and has more onerous regulations that must be abided by, but it offers the added benefit of limited liability. It creates a legal entity that is separate from the owners of the business. As owners of the business we believe it is necessary to shield our personal assets from any liabilities or judgments against the business. It is a way to manage risk. For these reasons, Honeydew Meadery will be incorporated immediately upon starting the business. Articles of incorporation can be found in the Appendices (Pages 69-74).
  • 30. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 29 CRITICAL RISKS We have identified three critical risks that Honeydew Meadery faces. The first and most paramount critical risk is that our products are not accepted by the LCBO. The most concerning part of the LCBO’s supplier selection program is their requirements for filling orders accurately and on time, as well as ensuring consistent product quality. We believe that this risk can be mitigated by our rolling inventory program, which allows us to better fill orders in the short-term, as well as by producing more than is needed for the period. However, this remains a risk. The second risk is that we are unable to secure loan financing from the business development bank of Canada or a similarly advantageous lender. If we are unable to secure this financing we may have to continue outsourcing product for some years to build capital prior to launching a mead production facility. It may be possible to mitigate this risk by securing larger start-up funding from the founder’s friends and family, in the process lowering our reliance on third party lenders. The third critical risk is the inherent risk of spoiled batches. If a batch of our product becomes spoiled through mold or contaminated ingredients in the infancy of the company, our production volume will suffer significantly, as will our revenue. This may have financial implications resulting in the need for extended lines of credit or loans. We believe this risk can be mitigated by having an advisor or consultant with thorough experience in monitoring and controlling commercial fermentations.
  • 31. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 30 FINANCIAL ANALYSIS Raw Material Costs The following table shows raw material costs for both the Cyser product that will be introduced at the start of the business and the Dry Mead that will be introduced in year two. These raw material costs are used throughout the following analysis. TABLE 8 Raw Materials Cost (Per 750ml Bottle) Material Cyser Dry Mead Honey 0.842 0.842 Apple/Pear Pomace 0.204 0.000 Yeast 0.047 0.047 Diammonium Phosphate 0.001 0.001 Water 0.002 0.002 Glass Bottle 0.300 0.300 Cork 0.090 0.090 Label 0.250 0.250 Total Raw Materials Cost 1.74 1.53 In-House vs. Outsourcing Production Honeydew Meadery has two options to produce products. We can produce the recipe and outsource the production, or we can produce the recipe and manufacture it ourselves. Outsourcing production has the benefit of lowering fixed costs but it increases variable costs per unit. There is also a certain amount of control that is lost when outsourcing. The following chart shows the cost per bottle for our Cyser product at different levels of production. The break-even between outsourcing and manufacturing the product ourselves is 15,448 bottles or $107,363 in sales. Below this number, outsourcing is more cost effective, and above this number, manufacturing in-house is more cost effective. Outsourcing to Spirit Tree Cidery costs $2.25 per bottle plus the cost of materials, and has a minimum order quantity of 1000 Gallons (approx. 4500 bottles). The detailed tables that this chart is derived from can be found in the Tables 28 and 29 (Appendices, Page 64)
  • 32. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 31 TABLE 9 If is forecast that in year two, we will surpass the breakeven of 15,448 bottles. Assuming that sales forecasts are met, we will be opening a production facility the beginning of year two that will have an annual production capacity of 33,300 bottles per year. By starting off outsourcing all production, it also allows us to reduce our risk. It allows us to test the market response to the product before investing significant amounts of capital in a production facility. Distribution Margin Analysis The following chart shows prices and mark-ups for Honeydew Meadery and our primary distribution channel LCBO. This table assumes all in-house manufacturing. Only direct variable costs are included in “Our Cost” (including raw materials and shipping). As can be seen from the relatively low variable production cost and high markup, many of the production costs are fixed costs. TABLE 10 Prices and Mark-ups Our Cost Our Price Retail (LCBO) Price $1.76 $6.96 $14.94 Mark-up 295.5% *Refer to Table 11 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 CostPerBottle Annual Volume (Bottles) In-House vs. Outsourcing In-House Outsourced
  • 33. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 32 The following table shows the various taxes and markup that are applied by the LCBO to get to the final retail price. Both the Cyser and Dry Mead will retail for $14.94 (including tax). TABLE 11 LCBO Mark-up and Tax Model Bottle Size (L) 0.75 Flat Tax ($/L) 1.62 Levy Rate ($/L) 0.29 LCBO Markup 65.5% Enviro tax ($/Bottle) 0.09 H.S.T. Rate 13.0% Container Deposit Rate 0.20 Supplier Quote (Our Price) 6.96 Duty + Excise 0.00 Standard Freight 0.00 Landed Cost 6.96 LCBO Mark Up 4.56 Flat Tax 1.22 Levy 0.22 Enviro-tax 0.09 Retail Price 13.04 H.S.T. 1.70 Deposit 0.20 Final Retail Price 14.94 Source: LCBO (2010)
  • 34. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 33 Break-Even Analysis The following table shows the breakeven in volume and dollar sales for two different scenarios. The first scenario is production entirely outsourced, and the second scenario is production entirely performed in-house. When outsourcing we must sell 1754 bottles to break-even and when manufacturing in-house we must sell 10,791 bottles to break-even. TABLE 12 BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS Outsourced In-House Variable Cost (per bottle) Raw Materials 1.74 1.74 Outsourced Manufacturer Costs 2.25 0.00 Agent Fees 0.696 0.696 Marketing 1.044 1.044 Shipping and Handling 0.05 0.02 Total Variable Cost (per bottle) 5.78 3.50 Annual Fixed Cost Rent 0 26883 Utilities 0 3600 Insurance 1800 3000 Travel 270 270 Equipment Depreciation 0 3588 Salaries 0 0 Miscellaneous Expenses 532 532 Total Annual Fixed Costs 2070 37340 Selling Price/Unit 6.96 6.96 Contribution Margin/Unit 1.18 3.46 Break-even Volume (Bottles) 1754 10791 Break-even Sales $12,209 $75,103 Capital Structure Stage One: Outsourcing In the first stage of the business, all production is outsourced to Spirit Tree Estate Cidery. For this reason, capital expenditures are lower in this stage. This serves to reduce risk and test market demand before moving on to stage two. Fixed costs are lower because we will be making use of our garages for storage, and we will not be taking salaries until the business is more developed. This stage requires an initial equity investment of $22,000 in working capital. This number was calculated by forecasting the future cash flows to determine how much working capital is required to maintain a positive bank balance. Marcus and Lewis will finance this using personal savings. They will each invest $11,000 in return for a 50% stake in the business.
  • 35. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 34 Stage Two: In-House Production Facility Assuming that sales forecasts are met, the company will open a production facility at the beginning of year two. This will require an investment of $53,816 in equipment purchases and $31,184 in additional working capital, for a total of $85,000. For a detailed breakdown of equipment costs, please refer to Table 27 (Appendices, Page 63). The reason there is a large amount of working capital required is because there are five months of brewing time before the facility produces any finished goods. Based on current forecasts, a short-term loan of $7,000 for one month will be required in year 2-month 7 in order to avoid cash flow issues. The $85,000 investment in equipment and working capital will be financed by $42,000 of debt and $43,000 of equity. The debt will be financed by a bank. The brewing equipment has a very long life span and will be used to secure the debt. The $43,000 equity investment will be provided by wealthy family members related to Lewis, in exchange for a portion of the company (to be negotiated). The following table provides a summary of the capital required and where it will come from. TABLE 13 Capital Structure Summary Date Required Amount Type Source Year 1-Month 1 $22,000 Equity Marcus and Lewis Year 2-Month 1 $42,000 Long-term Loan Bank Year 2-Month 1 $43,000 Equity Family Year 2-Month 7 $7,000 Short-term Loan Bank
  • 36. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 35 PRO-FORMA FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Cash Flow Statements The following forecasted drivers have been used to determine the values in the pro-forma financial statements. DRIVERS Product Cyser: Price 6.96 Cyser: Raw Materials Cost 1.74 Dry Mead: Price 6.96 Dry Mead: Raw Materials Cost 1.53 Accounts Receivable Aging Cash Sales 0% Payments Received After 1 Month 75% Payments Received After 2 Months 20% Payments Received After 3 Months 5% Accounts Payable Aging Payments made within 1 Month 100% Other Equipment Depreciation 15 Year (straight line) Borrowing Interest Rate 6.0% Tax rate 15.5% Avg. Monthly Travel ($0.45/km) 50km Initial Startup Fees Articles of Incorporation filing fee 200.00 NUANS name search report 75.00 Ongoing Expenses Monthly: Business Bank Account 17.00 Quickbooks Online 9.00 Annual: Tax Return (Turbotax) 200.00 Annual Return Filing 20.00 Notes  There are two products; the Cyser and the Dry Mead. The Cyser will be launched immediately and the Dry Mead is expected to launch around the middle of year two.  It is assumed that we will claim the Small Business Deduction for Canadian controlled private corporations, giving us a lower tax rate of 15.5% (Canada Revenue Agency, 2014).  There is an additional $6000 marketing expense in Year 2-Month 1, which is allocated to convert an office room into a mead tasting room at our Waterloo manufacturing facility.  It is important to keep in mind that brewing time is five months. For this reason, many cash transactions are offset five months prior to an activity (ie. Raw materials purchased five months before finished inventory added)
  • 37. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 36 Year 1 - Drivers Prior to each Cash Flow Statement there is the following table of monthly drivers. These include the forecasts and calculations of sales, inventory, and labor, which the financial statements are derived from. Period Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12 Year 1 Total DRIVERS (Year 1 Monthly) Income Cyser: Units Sold 1500 2000 2000 5500 Cyser: Sales 0 0 0 0 0 0 10440 0 13920 0 13920 0 38280 Dry Mead: Units Sold 0 Dry Mead: Sales 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total Sales 0 0 0 0 0 0 10440 0 13920 0 13920 0 38280 Inventory Cyser: Finished Inventory Added (Outsourced) 4500 4500 9000 Cyser: Finished Inventory Added (In-House) 0 Cyser: Inventory Level 0 0 0 0 4500 3000 3000 1000 5500 3500 3500 Dry Mead: Finished Inventory Added (Outsourced) 0 Dry Mead: Finished Inventory Added (In-House) 0 Dry Mead: Inventory Level 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  • 38. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 37 Year 1 – Cash Flow Statement Period Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12 Year 1 Total CASH FLOW STATEMENT (Year 1 Monthly) Sales 0 0 0 0 0 0 10440 0 13920 0 13920 0 38280 Cash In-Flow Cash Sales 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Payments Rec. After 1 m 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7830 0 10440 0 10440 28710 Payments Rec. After 2 m 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2088 0 2784 0 4872 Payments Rec. After 3 m 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 522 0 696 1218 Other Cash Received 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Loan Received 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Investment 22000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22000 Total Cash In-Flow 22000 0 0 0 0 0 0 7830 2088 10962 2784 11136 56800 OPENING Cash Balance 0 19747 19548 19350 19151 18953 18457 304 6752 8033 16903 755 0 Cash Out-Flow Equipment Purchased 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Outsourced Manufacturer Costs 0 0 0 0 0 0 10125 0 0 0 10125 0 20250 Raw Materials Purchased 0 0 0 0 0 0 7830 0 0 0 7830 0 15660 Rent Paid 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Utilities Paid 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Salaries 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Shipping and Handling 0 0 0 0 0 297 0 0 0 297 0 0 594 Insurance 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 1800 Agent fees 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 783 209 1096 278 1114 3480 Marketing 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 400 400 500 500 600 2400 Travel 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 270 Gov. Licensing Fees 1780 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1780 Taxes Paid 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Loan Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Miscellaneous Expenses 301 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 587 Total Cash Out-Flow 2254 199 199 199 199 496 18154 1382 807 2092 18932 1912 46821 CLOSING Cash Balance 19747 19548 19350 19151 18953 18457 304 6752 8033 16903 755 9979 9979
  • 39. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 38 Year 2 - Drivers Period Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12 Year 2 Total DRIVERS (Year 2 Monthly) Income Cyser: Units Sold 3000 3100 3200 3300 3400 3500 19500 Cyser: Sales 20880 0 21576 0 22272 0 22968 0 23664 0 24360 0 135720 Dry Mead: Units Sold 2000 2100 2200 6300 Dry Mead: Sales 0 0 0 0 0 0 13920 0 14616 0 15312 0 43848 Total Sales 20880 0 21576 0 22272 0 36888 0 38280 0 39672 0 179568 Inventory Cyser: Finished Inventory Added (Outsourced) 4500 4500 4500 13500 Cyser: Finished Inventory Added (In-House) 4600 4600 Cyser: Inventory Level 500 5000 1900 6400 3200 7700 4400 4400 5600 5600 2100 2100 Dry Mead: Finished Inventory Added (Outsourced) 0 Dry Mead: Finished Inventory Added (In-House) 4700 4700 9400 Dry Mead: Inventory Level 0 0 0 0 0 0 2700 2700 600 600 3100 3100
  • 40. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 39 Year 2 – Cash Flow Statement Period Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12 Year 2 Total CASH FLOW STATEMENT (Year 2 Monthly) Sales 20880 0 21576 0 22272 0 36888 0 38280 0 39672 0 179568 Cash In-Flow Cash Sales 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Payments Rec. After 1 m 0 15660 0 16182 0 16704 0 27666 0 28710 0 29754 134676 Payments Rec. After 2 m 2784 0 4176 0 4315 0 4454 0 7378 0 7656 0 30763 Payments Rec. After 3 m 0 696 0 1044 0 1079 0 1114 0 1844 0 1914 7691 Other Cash Received 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Loan Received 42000 0 0 0 0 0 7000 0 0 0 0 0 49000 Investment 43000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 43000 Total Cash In-Flow 87784 16356 4176 17226 4315 17783 11454 28780 7378 30554 7656 31668 173130 OPENING Cash Balance 9979 90300 46902 21710 33011 7031 18733 591 15298 9829 32932 28327 9979 Cash Out-Flow Equipment Purchased 0 53816 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 53816 Outsourced Manufacturer Costs 0 0 10125 0 10125 0 10125 0 0 0 0 0 30375 Raw Materials Purchased 0 0 15021 0 15834 0 15021 0 8004 0 7191 0 61071 Rent Paid 0 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 24643 Utilities Paid 0 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 3300 Salaries 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Shipping 0 297 0 297 0 297 0 90 0 90 0 90 1161 Insurance 150 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 2900 Agent fees 278 1636 418 1723 432 1778 445 2878 738 3055 766 3167 17313 Marketing 6500 500 500 600 600 700 700 800 800 1000 1000 1000 14700 Travel 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 270 Gov. Licensing Fees 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Taxes Paid 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Loan Payments 466 466 466 466 466 466 466 7466 466 466 466 466 12595 Miscellaneous Expenses 46 226 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 532 Total Cash Out-Flow 7463 59754 29369 5925 30296 6080 29596 14073 12847 7450 12262 7562 222676 CLOSING Cash Balance 90300 46902 21710 33011 7031 18733 591 15298 9829 32932 28327 52433 52433
  • 41. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 40 Year 3 - Drivers Period Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12 Year 3 Total DRIVERS (Year 3 Monthly) Income Cyser: Units Sold 3600 3700 3800 3900 4000 4100 23100 Cyser: Sales 25056 0 25752 0 26448 0 27144 0 27840 0 28536 0 160776 Dry Mead: Units Sold 2300 2400 2500 2600 2700 2800 15300 Dry Mead: Sales 16008 0 16704 0 17400 0 18096 0 18792 0 19488 0 106488 Total Sales 41064 0 42456 0 43848 0 45240 0 46632 0 48024 0 267264 Inventory Cyser: Finished Inventory Added (Outsourced) 4500 4500 9000 Cyser: Finished Inventory Added (In-House) 4600 4600 4600 13800 Cyser: Inventory Level 3100 3100 3900 3900 4700 4700 800 800 1300 5900 1800 1800 Dry Mead: Finished Inventory Added (Outsourced) 0 Dry Mead: Finished Inventory Added (In-House) 4700 4700 4700 4700 18800 Dry Mead: Inventory Level 800 800 3100 3100 600 600 2700 2700 4700 4700 1900 6600
  • 42. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 41 Year 3 – Cash Flow Statement Period Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12 Year 3 Total CASH FLOW STATEMENT (Year 3 Monthly) Sales 41064 0 42456 0 43848 0 45240 0 46632 0 48024 0 267264 Cash In-Flow Cash Sales 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Payments Rec. After 1 m 0 30798 0 31842 0 32886 0 33930 0 34974 0 36018 200448 Payments Rec. After 2 m 7934 0 8213 0 8491 0 8770 0 9048 0 9326 0 51782 Payments Rec. After 3 m 0 1984 0 2053 0 2123 0 2192 0 2262 0 2332 12946 Other Cash Received 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Loan Received 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Investment 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total Cash In-Flow 7934 32782 8213 33895 8491 35009 8770 36122 9048 37236 9326 38350 265176 OPENING Cash Balance 52433 45335 70043 65242 69451 64907 83506 86204 106328 101246 111408 107412 52433 Cash Out-Flow Equipment Purchased 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Outsourced Manufacturer Costs 0 0 0 10125 0 0 0 0 0 10125 0 0 20250 Raw Materials Purchased 8004 0 7191 7830 7191 8004 0 7191 7830 7830 6885 0 67956 Rent Paid 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 2240 26883 Utilities Paid 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 3600 Salaries 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Shipping 0 90 297 90 90 0 90 90 90 90 0 90 1017 Insurance 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 3000 Agent fees 793 3278 821 3390 849 3501 877 3612 905 3724 933 3835 26518 Marketing 1200 1200 1400 1400 1600 1600 1800 1800 2000 2000 2200 2200 20400 Travel 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 270 Gov. Licensing Fees 1710 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1710 Taxes Paid 0 0 0 3547 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3547 Loan Payments 466 466 466 466 466 466 466 466 466 466 466 466 5595 Miscellaneous Expenses 46 226 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 532 Total Cash Out-Flow 15032 8073 13014 29686 13035 16410 6072 15998 14130 27074 13323 9430 181277 CLOSING Cash Balance 45335 70043 65242 69451 64907 83506 86204 106328 101246 111408 107412 136332 136332
  • 43. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 42 Income Statement Period Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 INCOME STATEMENT Sales Sales from Cyser 38280 135720 160776 Sales from Dry Mead 0 43848 106488 Total Sales 38280 179568 267264 Cost of Goods Sold 30414 75105 84870 Gross Profit 7866 104463 182394 Operating Expenses Rent 0 24643 26883 Utilities 0 3300 3600 Equipment Depreciation 0 3289 3588 Insurance 1800 2900 3000 Agent fees 3828 17957 26726 Marketing 5742 26935 40090 Travel 270 270 270 Gov. Licensing Fees 1780 0 1710 Miscellaneous Expenses 587 532 532 Total Opertaing Expenses 11640 79293 104156 EBIT (3774) 25170 78238 Interest Expense 0 2288 2256 Income Before Tax (3774) 22881 75982 Tax Expense 0 3547 11777 NET INCOME (3774) 19335 64205
  • 44. HONEYDEW MEADERY BUSINESS PLAN 43 Balance Sheet Period Ending Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 BALANCE SHEET Assets Current Assets Cash and Equivalents 9979 52433 136332 Accounts Receivable 3480 9918 12006 Inventory 10150 15080 24360 Total Current Assets 23609 77431 172698 Fixed Assets Equipment 0 50527 46940 Total Fixed Assets 0 50527 46940 Total Assets 23609 127958 219637 Liabilities Current Liabilities Accounts Payable 0 8004 7830 Short-Term Loans Payable 0 0 0 Taxes Payable 0 3547 11777 Total Current Liabilities 0 11551 19607 Long-Term Liabilities Long-Term Loans Payable 0 39109 35770 Total Long-Term Liabilities 0 39109 35770 Total Liabilities 0 50660 55377 Owner's Equity Capital Investment 22000 65000 65000 Retained Earnings 1609 12298 99260 Total Owner's Equity 23609 77298 164260