started as a two-man crew, and this has turned into a mon- strosity, in all the best ways,” Barrett said.
“We have seen industry changes too. We were the 21st dis- tillery to start in the state, and there are now 100. There’s been huge growth in the industry, and things are more competitive.” But a major differentiator is how Black Button Distilling has embraced supporting local farmers. Black Button Distill- ing is registered as a “Farm Distillery” which means they purchase all ingredients used in the process from local, New York State farms. Over 90% of the ingredients used by Black Button Distilling comes from New York, allowing them to be accredited as the first distillery in the New York State Grown and Certified Program. “We literally shake the hands of farmers who grow the crops we use for our spirts,” said Barrett. “They are some of my favourite people. They bring things to market every year, and we learn so much from them. It’s a pleasure knowing and working with them.” From a business standpoint, it is also a sustainable model and opens up so many avenues. With a farm distillery license, Black Button Distilling is able to have a tasting room, sell at farmer’s markets and county fairs and directly to liquor stores. Rochester and Western New York have embraced them like he never imagined, and they now have another tasting room in Buffalo.
“We expected we’d be bored, with 20-to-30 people in on a Saturday for the day. We see 50-to-60 an hour, and our
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2019
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