Are you a New York State resident who found a silver lining during the pandemic in the form of home delivery of all your favorite New York state craft alcoholic beverages, or someone who would like to order those products now?
Cideries in California, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington (the very states focused on competing directly with the New York Cider market!), can ship directly to New York consumers. Currently, however, New York’s very own cider makers and growers are not able to compete equally and enjoy the same opportunity. Unlike New York wine, New York cider cannot be shipped directly to consumers. This creates a huge loss in revenue, tax dollars, and fair-market competition for our growers and producers who are working diligently to keep New York State as a leader in the rapidly growing cider industry.
All of New York’s craft beverage producers were temporarily authorized to deliver and ship their products to consumers during the pandemic – something the wine industry has done safely since the 1980s. That temporary privilege is no longer available, and the industry NEEDS YOUR HELP to enact legislation that will permanently allow us to ship direct to our customers.
Legislators have told us specifically they NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU, their constituents. Please send a customized, personal email to your state legislators to support direct to consumer shipping. It will only take two minutes and you will be helping to provide parity and fairness for small businesses supporting one of New York’s most important agricultural cash crops.