Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Trey Boggs, owner of Palmetto Distillery, located in Anderson, SC, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Palmetto Distillery is South Carolina’s first legal moonshine distillery in 2011. It is located downtown Anderson behind the courthouse, The best place to make legal moonshine! We truly learned how to make our moonshine from the bootlegger in the woods to create Palmetto Moonshine. Bootlegger made, taxes paid is our company slogan. Our customers range from the 21-year-old new drinker all the way to the hundred-plus-year-old! We also produce backstage Southern whiskey for Country music singer Darius Rucker. Our moonshine steel located at the distillery 200 West Benson St., Anderson, SC, was built by a fifth-generation moonshine man in an undisclosed area of the mountains. When we got the opportunity to meet him, he was creating “yard art”(copper shine stills)! We ask him what the chances he could build us a large piece of yard art?! we offer free tours six days a week. You can also sample all of our products and have it in a drink or a shot, stop by anytime and decide for yourself if it is the best moonshine you’ve ever had!

Tell us about yourself

I was hauling a load of bootleg moonshine through Knoxville to Asheville, NC along interstate 40 when I realized this was not very intelligent and asked myself, what if we just pay the taxes on bootleg moonshine? I cannot wait to get back to Anderson, South Carolina, and started reading the very boring Department of revenue tax law book to find that they had just changed the law to make it legal for micro-distilleries to be created and pay taxes on bootleg! What started out to be a hobby turned into a very fun occupation! What we thought it would definitely be Anderson South Carolina turned into across the country, to the country of Canada, and we have also been shipping to the UK in Scotland.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

What started out to be a hobby turned into a very fun occupation! What we thought would definitely be Anderson South Carolina sales for friends and family turned into across the USA, to the country of Canada, and we have also been shipping to the UK in Scotland for about eight years.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Any business owner knows that there are lots of responsibilities, and we all will work 80 hours a week to keep from working for a 40 hour a week paycheck. What makes a distillery more complicated is we underestimated the pain in the ass of dealing with the US government. This is why micro-distilleries and breweries are popping up everywhere because the government wants more money to waste. As a small micro-distillery, we make a product, sell it to the distribution company, and distribute it to the liquor store. The liquor store sells it to a customer. This gives us many layers that we have to deal with to sell the same product multiple times. In today’s difficult times, it is a challenge to get a product to a customer but to create three levels to sell to creates an even bigger challenge. We have managed to work through the system to create a strong brand that is still thriving today!

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

In the beginning, you do need a plan, but at the end of the day, you just need to pull the trigger. There will never be a perfect plan. Just start, and you will figure it out as you go. It always helps to find a friend or family or someone you trust to help get it started. There will be countless hours you will need to invest personally that will get tiring at times, but make your mind up you will not quit. You may have to get 1000 no’s before you get the first yes. Don’t forget to think big. Whatever you’re selling or building, make sure it is something that is scalable so that you are not trapped in a small corner of your industry. Try to keep low overhead once you begin so that you can keep expenses down because it always ends up taking usually more money than you think. Start in the garage, if possible, before signing a long-term lease. You may realize that you did not plan for a big enough space and immediately be trapped into a small space. Be resourceful, try to use what you have, and use organic growth and grassroots marketing. Word of mouth, as you know, is the strongest form of advertising. Contact your local newspaper that will be your best advertisement than anything you can pay for. The media is always looking for a story, promoting your business, and building up your name.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

We just had our tenth-anniversary last year. We launched lots of new products, watermelon, root beer, salted caramel, piña colada, lemon drop, bananas foster, and a new line of cream liquors. You can view all of our new brands online at palmettomoonshine.com.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.palmettodistillery.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/palmettodistillery/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/palmettodistillery
Twitter: https://twitter.com/palmettodistlry
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/palmetto-distillery/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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