KINSTON, N.C. (WNCT) – Craft breweries across North Carolina are hoping legislators repeal one law this session which threatens their businesses.
The legislation caps distribution at 25,000 barrels. Past that, an outside distributor must take over.
Some owners say that takes away their right to make their own business decisions.
Mother Earth in Kinston went with a third-party distributor from the get-go, so the law doesn’t impact them
President Trent Mooring said he understands the dilemma, especially in bigger cities.
“It does hurt the brewery,” said Trent Mooring, president, Mother Earth Brewing & Spirits. “Like some breweries have actually gone to an area and had to pull out because they’re like, ‘We feel like we’re getting ready to reach the cap and we don’t want to reach the cap because we don’t want to then not be able to service our home area.’”
The debate could head to the General Assembly this session as some breweries have teamed up with lobbyists to raise the cap to 200,000 barrels.
