Licencing and Licences
OK, now we are into the murky waters of licencing. It is probably easiest to tell you what you can do by stages:
i. No Licence
You may sell your cider to 'premises licence holders' - pubs, clubs (check!) and festivals (again, the onus is on you to check!) You can also give 10 TEN's during the course of a year (TEN's are Temprary Events Notices - check your own council website for how to obtain these).
You may not retail your cider yourself unless you are nominated to (i.e. given explicit permission) by a DPS (Designated Premises Supervisor) - who must hold a Personal Licence.
You may not sell your alcohol over the internet either, although you may sell your cider to someone who has a premises licence who wishes to sell your cider on line. Remember though, the premises licence covers the place where the alcohol is sold and distributed from. You may not distribute your cider for them... they have to take the stock to their premises.
Complex? Yes. If in doubt, ask on group. There may be exceptions to the above, but its generally wise to check as the fine is pretty hefty and you could end up excluding yourself from getting a Personal Licence!
ii. Personal Licence
When you hold one of these you may give 52 TEN's per year (although its limited to 15 per location per year... confusinger still!). You may also retail acohol on a premises with a premises licence (and with the premises licence holders permission!).
Note - a personal licence does NOT mean you can start selling from your home. That is a whole other kettle of fish!
Note the internet sales rules above - they still apply to Personal Licence holders!
In order to get a personal licence, you will need to attend a course. A list of establishments running the required courses are available by following the link below
Once you have this qualification, you need to apply for a CRB check and complete the forms (and grease the palms of your local council with money - about £37 currently).
A Personal Licence lasts for 10 years and is a bit like a driving licence. You must always have it with you when you sell and must always keep it on the premises where the cider is... etc. etc. etc.
iii Premises Licence
A Personal Licence holder may apply for a premises licence to sell alcohol from a designated premises. Its a pretty lengthly and complex process which is further complicated by the 'goals' of the local police and council for things like drunkeness, child protection, noise/pollution and crime.
Each council has its own procedures and requirements and we can only advise you to take advise when applying. These days, CCTV is a mere start on the requirements that you will need to put in place - you will need to complete a detailed document about what you intend to do, what times etc.
Do note that there is no such thing as a 'farm gate licence' these days!
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We are always after help and guidance in order to make the commercial side of cider making easier for those who want to start out. If you have any experiences you wish to share with us, join the group and contact the administrator (or just post your experiences!) |