Mellow Mushroom Owner supports Craft Beers in a big way.

[Cheshire Cat]

Well the pizza apocalypse that was so feared by some in Avondale, never manifested.  It looks instead that the truth about the business and it's owner is coming out which is what many of us knew all along.  He is a fair minded, forward thinking individual who will do the right thing for the community and small business.  Below is a post he made to his FB page.  Well done Mr. Valentino!



From Mellow Mushroom FB page:
To all Mellow Mushroom Fans: I am writing to ask each of you to support me in my efforts to protest Budweiser and the brands they represent outside of our friends in the craft beer business. Please read the article below to learn the details. "It's like paying protection money" to the mob, said Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, who supports allowing half-gallon growlers with no strings attached. I have been watching this process from the sidelines and it is past the point of being ridiculous. I sell a lot of their beer which supports their efforts to lobby legislators to penalize craft brewers in this state just because InBev has no innovation of their own. They are losing market share to better beer and this is their way of making up for the lost revenues on the backs of small businesses in the State of Florida.
I am asking everyone to support boycotting their beers in my stores. I am also asking everyone to offer comments on whether or not I should pull their beers from my shelves altogether. This issue needs attention before they ruin the craft beer business in the State of Florida. So please SHARE, LIKE, or COMMENT. Thank you for your consideration.
-John Valentino (Owner Mellow Mushroom Jacksonville,FL)
Budweiser, Intuition Ale Works, Aardwolf Brewery, Engine 15 Brewing Company, Green Room Brewing, Pinglehead Brewing Company, Veterans United Craft Brewery, Bold City Brewery, Mile Marker Brewing and Cigar City Brewing

[Shwaz]

I'll preface this comment; I do not agree with the proposed legislature. I am for 64oz growlers with no strings attached and do not think it's fair that a business is mandated to sell a product to a middleman that doesn't actually change hands.

With that said... is this legislature 'that toxic' for the craft breweries? Is a mark up on beer that is sold through a tap room.. a tap room that is only open on average 3 or so days per week the death knell?

I'd be curious to see what the average percentage of tap room sales vs. sales of beer distributed off-site really is.

[duvalbill]

During the Senate meetings this week, Joey Redner (owner of Cigar City), stated that he made well into the six figures with tap room sales.  I don't have the numbers for any other breweries, but I imagine it would eviscerate a decent revenue stream.

If you've been paying attention at all, it's just troubling watching these alleged conservatives betray the ideologies their parties were built upon.  Frankly, it was embarrassing for Senator Stargel to come up with reasoning for the restrictions, or her attempts to define the difference between micro and macro breweries.  If I was a brewer, it would be insulting.  Further, the limitations she suggests weren't rooted in any research, but simply seemed if she drew an arbitrary number out of her hat. 

If this legislation passes (which seems extremely doubtful during this legislative session), and I were a brewer, I would consider making all my beer for sale in the taproom only, just as a nice middle finger to the distributors.  Whereas many other states are encouraging the economic growth craft brewers are providing, this State refuses to get out of its own way. 

[Intuition Ale Works]

I'll preface this comment; I do not agree with the proposed legislature. I am for 64oz growlers with no strings attached and do not think it's fair that a business is mandated to sell a product to a middleman that doesn't actually change hands.

With that said... is this legislature 'that toxic' for the craft breweries? Is a mark up on beer that is sold through a tap room.. a tap room that is only open on average 3 or so days per week the death knell?

I'd be curious to see what the average percentage of tap room sales vs. sales of beer distributed off-site really is.

I am curious why you think a business owner (breweries) should be forced to give revenue to another business (a state mandated middleman)just because they have more lobbyists and more money.

[Steve]

^Amen.

For all of the politicians that claim to be "pro-small business", this legislation flies in the face of that.

[strider]

Sometimes I think there is no such thing as "Pro small business" anymore.  Small business seems like the first to get audited, the first to get laws passed that hurt it and the first to pay when new taxes are passed.  So, why do we do it again?  Oh yeah, we just can't help ourselves! We must simply like the punishment!

No, the passing of this law wont stop the craft brewers, but why should they pay this kind of price?  Why should the big business get it's unfair share?

[MEGATRON]

That Valentino guy sounds like a wacko.

[Shwaz]

I'll preface this comment; I do not agree with the proposed legislature. I am for 64oz growlers with no strings attached and do not think it's fair that a business is mandated to sell a product to a middleman that doesn't actually change hands.

With that said... is this legislature 'that toxic' for the craft breweries? Is a mark up on beer that is sold through a tap room.. a tap room that is only open on average 3 or so days per week the death knell?

I'd be curious to see what the average percentage of tap room sales vs. sales of beer distributed off-site really is.

I am curious why you think a business owner (breweries) should be forced to give revenue to another business (a state mandated middleman)just because they have more lobbyists and more money.

I literally said it isn't fair and that I do not agree with the proposed legislation.

[mtraininjax]

The justification provided by the bill's leader "because it is a system that has been in place since the era of Prohibition", smacks of lunacy. We need to do it THIS way because it has been the way we have done it since the 1930s.

Anyone else see any changes in the "way we do things" since the 1930s? Just think of all the cool things we would live without had we succumbed to doing things like the 1930s.

[ProjectMaximus]

I'll preface this comment; I do not agree with the proposed legislature. I am for 64oz growlers with no strings attached and do not think it's fair that a business is mandated to sell a product to a middleman that doesn't actually change hands.

With that said... is this legislature 'that toxic' for the craft breweries? Is a mark up on beer that is sold through a tap room.. a tap room that is only open on average 3 or so days per week the death knell?

I'd be curious to see what the average percentage of tap room sales vs. sales of beer distributed off-site really is.

I am curious why you think a business owner (breweries) should be forced to give revenue to another business (a state mandated middleman)just because they have more lobbyists and more money.

I literally said it isn't fair and that I do not agree with the proposed legislation.

lol. haven't seen you around for awhile, shwaz. I was wondering the same thing...in fact I believe there was a discussion about tap room profits on these boards some time ago. But it definitely doesn't change the fact that it's not fair and shouldn't be happening. 

[pierre]

^Amen.

For all of the politicians that claim to be "pro-small business", this legislation flies in the face of that.

Not to mention "anti-big government" and anti-regulation.

They want to deregulate the environment but more regulation for beer sales.

[vicupstate]

I'll preface this comment; I do not agree with the proposed legislature. I am for 64oz growlers with no strings attached and do not think it's fair that a business is mandated to sell a product to a middleman that doesn't actually change hands.

With that said... is this legislature 'that toxic' for the craft breweries? Is a mark up on beer that is sold through a tap room.. a tap room that is only open on average 3 or so days per week the death knell?

I'd be curious to see what the average percentage of tap room sales vs. sales of beer distributed off-site really is.

I am curious why you think a business owner (breweries) should be forced to give revenue to another business (a state mandated middleman)just because they have more lobbyists and more money.

If the micro brewers were paying off the politicians, they wouldn't have to pay off their competitors.

It is not about 'principles' folks, it is about power.  This is a classic example.  Learn it well. 

[Shwaz]

I'll preface this comment; I do not agree with the proposed legislature. I am for 64oz growlers with no strings attached and do not think it's fair that a business is mandated to sell a product to a middleman that doesn't actually change hands.

With that said... is this legislature 'that toxic' for the craft breweries? Is a mark up on beer that is sold through a tap room.. a tap room that is only open on average 3 or so days per week the death knell?

I'd be curious to see what the average percentage of tap room sales vs. sales of beer distributed off-site really is.

I am curious why you think a business owner (breweries) should be forced to give revenue to another business (a state mandated middleman)just because they have more lobbyists and more money.

I literally said it isn't fair and that I do not agree with the proposed legislation.

lol. haven't seen you around for awhile, shwaz. I was wondering the same thing...in fact I believe there was a discussion about tap room profits on these boards some time ago. But it definitely doesn't change the fact that it's not fair and shouldn't be happening. 

Exactly! I'm really just curious.

[ChriswUfGator]

I'll preface this comment; I do not agree with the proposed legislature. I am for 64oz growlers with no strings attached and do not think it's fair that a business is mandated to sell a product to a middleman that doesn't actually change hands.

With that said... is this legislature 'that toxic' for the craft breweries? Is a mark up on beer that is sold through a tap room.. a tap room that is only open on average 3 or so days per week the death knell?

I'd be curious to see what the average percentage of tap room sales vs. sales of beer distributed off-site really is.

I am curious why you think a business owner (breweries) should be forced to give revenue to another business (a state mandated middleman)just because they have more lobbyists and more money.

If the micro brewers were paying off the politicians, they wouldn't have to pay off their competitors.

It is not about 'principles' folks, it is about power.  This is a classic example.  Learn it well. 

The comparative actual power is held by the media, who have a degree of direct control over the voters, and derail the typical lobbying process if they become involved. In florida much of our media trends conservative, essentially the opposite of other states, in choosing what to cover and how to editorialize it. Frankly it's a large part of why someone like Rick Scott can win a statewide election. This was only going to work if the media hadn't picked up on it, or if they'd sided with the distributors and focused on the growler rather than the new restrictions. But they did, and they didn't. They have heavily editorialized in favor of the brewers, and the reaction at the street level is vehemently negative. Money is nice, but goal #1 is always winning the next election cycle, and no individual donor is worth getting the boot.

My dollar bet: They'll wait on this until media attention dies down, and then try and sneak it through next session.

[funwithteeth]

Shwaz, though you may not have intended it, asking "is this legislature 'that toxic' for the craft breweries?"—with scare quotes wrapped around "that toxic!" no less!—suggests you think a good argument can be made in forcing small-business owners to give handouts to bigger businesses because...that's the way things are done. No one who is for this legislation has put forth a better argument than that. Because they can't.

I don't doubt your sincerity about being against it, but if you are imprecise in your phrasing, you must expect the kind of response you have so far received.