The increase in the SAQ threatens the microdistilleries
Since June 2018, all the distillors of Quebec have the right to sell their bottles on manufacturing places.However, even if the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) does not intervene in the sale of the product, it affects an increase which is almost double what the craftsman receives.Several local distilleries are out of breath.
Publié le 3 févr. 2020Ève Dumas La PresseIn May 2019, the state -owned company announced that it was decreasing its increase by $ 2.07."It was a great public relations operation," says Jean-FrançoisNail, president of the Association des Microdistilleries du Québec (AMDQ) and co-owner of the St distillery.Laurent.
"But this announcement of decrease in the increase in the SAQ for the sale in distillery is fallacious," explains M.Nail.Regardless of the sale price of the product, this amount of $ 2.07 per bottle remains the same for the producer, but the share of the SAQ, it still increases.
"A debit or credit card transaction costs us 2.65 % of the amount [$ 1.30 for a bottle at $ 48.75 like the Gin St.Laurent].The rest of the $ 2.07 must therefore be used to pay employees, rental improvements and other costs related to the store.For a distillery, it would ultimately be less advantageous to sell on site than in SAQ.
The calculation
Let's take the example of the popular Gin St.Laurent.The distillery sells each bottle $ 13.65 to the monopoly, which resells it $ 48.75.The SAQ withdraws $ 21.54 (against $ 23.61 when the product is sold in one of its branches).The difference, in this case $ 11.49 (or $ 48.75 less $ 13.65, minus $ 21.54, minus the famous $ 2.07 which return to the distillery), is used to pay the tax D'Incisme, the specific tax on alcohol, TPS and TVQ.
"The margin perceived by the SAQ for branch sales is completely normal," believes M.Nail.At the St distillery.Laurent, nous exportons maintenant dans 10 pays et les marges sont approximativement les mêmes partout.The service rendered for distribution, storage and retail justifies this increase.But for sale to property, it is something else.The SAQ does not even touch the product.»»
To the state -owned company, it is said to have reduced the increase for the sale in distillery as much as possible, by deducting transport and manipulation.
All the spirits that pass through the SAQ have the same increase, no matter where they come from.We have signed international agreements that prevent us from promoting anyone.
Linda Bouchard, from the SAQ Public Affairs Service
Parity required
« À l’AMDQ, ce qu’on demande, c’est que les distilleries aient l’équité avec les autres producteurs d’alcool de la province, comme les vignobles, les cidreries et les microbrasseries»», dit Jean-FrançoisNail.
La Loi sur le développement de l’industrie des boissons alcooliques artisanales avait permis, à l’été 2017, l’ajout d’une catégorie « alcools et spiritueux»» au permis d’artisan détenu par des vignobles, des cidreries, des acériculteurs et des apiculteurs. Ces derniers, dont font partie les Vergers Lafrance, Entre Pierre et Terre, le Vignoble Ste-Pétronille, Monna & Filles ainsi qu’une quinzaine d’autres producteurs artisanaux, peuvent vendre directement à la propriété sans payer la majoration de la SAQ.
But a cereal producer who would like to do whiskey or a very motivated distiller who would like to buy fields to grow his barley, his corn or his rye could not unfortunately do so under craftsmanship, cereals not being legally recognizedas an eligible raw material.You need an industrial permit to do whiskey, even when you only produce 850 bottles per year!
Quebec distilleries like Cirka, Sivo House, St.Laurent, La Société secrète, Les Subversifs et une cinquantaine d’autres sont donc prises avec un permis de fabricant industriel, le même que possèdent des géants internationaux comme Diageo et Sazerac.
Jean-FrançoisNail donne un exemple de disparité qui illustre bien la situation."The erablier with an artisan license who decides to buy an alambic and make his acerum [maple alcohol whose name is in the process of becoming a reserved name] can sell his product 25 or 30 $, becausethat almost all the profit comes back to him.At the St distillery.Laurent, on est très artisanaux aussi, mais parce qu’on a un permis industriel, on est soumis à la majoration de la SAQ et on doit vendre notre Acerum 69 $.»»
On the other side of the border
Jonathan Roy is co-owner of the Son du Roy distillery, near Rivière-du-Loup.His family also has a distillery in New Brunswick, where, until very recently, the NB alcohol monopoly allowed local distillaries to do good business.
"There, we are returned to our sixth phase of enlargement," says the Acadian.We started from a small 30 -foot distillery.We doubled the floor space three years in a row.We bought equipment to brew, an alambic with whiskey.We still enlarged the space to make a chai and open a reception site for visitors.This year, we are building a malty to malter our grain, then an outdoor bar.»»
Meanwhile, at the Son of Quebec Roy distillery, business develops very, very slowly.Winter, we don't even bother to open the shop.What is the point of making an effort to attract people to the distillery?
Further east, near Percé, secret society has become a real center of attraction.The products of the distillery are almost always out of stock, both at the SAQ and in the shop of the old Anglican church transformed into a temple of fermentation and distillation.
Despite the craze, Mathieu Fleury, Amélie-Kim Boulianne, Michaël Côté and Geneviève Blais pay a salary of about $ 350 per week each.The four partners of the Secret Society, however, work hard to produce and market gin, acerum, whiskey and other ultra-artisanal alcohols, elaborate grain (or maple syrup)bottle.
"People come to see us on the spot and they think it will be cheaper than at the SAQ.But no.You have to explain to them how it works.Even if the product has not transited at all by the SAQ, that it is we who pay all the operating costs of our shop, the salary of the person who makes sales, etc.., chaque trimestre, on envoie un gros chèque à la SAQ»», déplore Mathieu Fleury.
A law that does not promote the craftsman
"What the current law tells us is that we don't want it, craftsmanship in Quebec. Pour être capable de survivre, une distillerie doit miser sur le volume»», déclare Jean-FrançoisNail, de l’AMDQ.This partly explains why many Quebec distilleries turn to a neutral grain alcohol base bought ready -made in Ontario, at the Greenfield refinery.
Paul Cirka, who produces vodka, gin and whiskey from local cereals in Montreal, gives the example of British Columbia."From the start, the government has decided to support the local economy and told the distiller that if they bought their cereals in the province and worked in the" grain-to-lock "manner, no increase would be applied.Today, 90 % of British Columbia distilleries produce their basic alcohol themselves.»»
In Quebec, we are far from this percentage.
The papaq
The PAPAQ PAPAQ positioning assistance program (PAPAQ), which is now part of the Ministry of Economy and Innovation, is a way of encouraging distilleries working partially or entirely with Quebec ingredients.Help varies from 4 to 14 % of net sales (+ $ 2 for spirits aged three years or more).Soon two years after obtaining the right to sell on the spot, the distilleries are still waiting for their papaq check for this part of the sales.The Secret Society, which sells a large number of bottles in the store of its distillery, near Percé, is clear that the situation is adjusted. Cela dit, le président de l’Association des microdistilleries du Québec, Jean-FrançoisNail, a bon espoir d’avoir l’oreille du ministre Pierre Fitzgibbon dans le dossier du développement de son industrie.