LANSING – State Representative Barb Byrum (D-Onondaga) today announced that her plan to allow small distilleries to market and sell their products on-site – a move that will generate millions of dollars in economic activity and create jobs now for Michigan workers – has advanced to the House floor.
"The growing agri-tourism industry has the potential to create thousands of jobs for Michigan residents," Byrum said. "We've watched the microbrewery industry explode in Michigan, and this plan will remove the red tape and help the small distillery industry do the same. Putting this plan into effect will have an immediate positive impact on our struggling economy, and I hope to see the House pass it in short order."
Byrum's bill, which was passed unanimously out of the House Regulatory Reform Committee today, will create a new class of license allowing distilleries that manufacture less than 60,000 gallons a year to sell their products on-site and give away samples. The cost of the license will be only $100 annually, compared to the $1,000 yearly cost of current licenses.
The licenses would be modeled after the ones currently available for microbreweries. There are currently over 70 small brewers in Michigan, and microbreweries are a $25 million industry in the state.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation estimates that Byrum's bill would spur $414.7 million in economic activity and create 1,400 new jobs.
"This plan creates jobs and generates income every step of the way – from the distiller's employees, to truck drivers, to farmers, as well as hotels and restaurants which cater to the agri-tourism industry," Byrum said. "These distillers use Michigan crops – from grains and apples to blueberries and cranberries – in their products, which will be a tremendous boost to our agricultural industry. This plan will remove unnecessary barriers and allow the agri-tourism industry to grow to its full potential in Michigan."