Cozette Tran-Caffee authored an article in the October issue of Oregon Business magazine titled "Siting Your Distillery: Leasing and Locational Considerations." The article discusses what distillers should take into consideration when looking for the right location to meet their needs.
The Oregon spirits industry encompasses a wide variety of business models. One of your first considerations when locating a distillery should be whether the local zoning code will accommodate all of your desired functions. Are you seeking a straightforward production facility? A tasting room? Any retail sales? Some local jurisdictions may explicitly allow or prohibit each of these uses, or may permit them subject to certain conditions. Other jurisdictions may not explicitly address distillery uses at all, which may nonetheless fall under broader land use categories. An early zoning code compliance analysis is crucial to selecting the right location.