The Distillery Door Program is a $20 million package to support and enhance Victoria’s distillery industry. Launched in the 2021–22 financial year, additional funding is now available through the program. We're delivering this program with some of our industry partners.

About the program

The Program is supported by the Distillery Door Working Group, whose membership includes key stakeholders Spirits Victoria Association and the Australian Distillers Association, and further industry and government representation.

Delivery of the Program is under 4 streams:

1. Skills development

• An in-depth analysis of the distilled spirits industry was commissioned by Spirits Victoria to identify the industry’s strengths and opportunities for growth
• An education pathway is under development – find out more from the Spirits Victoria Association
• An industry development officer has been employed – contact the IDO at seb@australiandistillers.org.au

2. Boosting the visitor economy

• Funding of $4.05 million has been awarded to eligible distillers to establish, enhance or promote a distillery door, increasing visitation

3. Infrastructure and safety

• Funding of $1.3 million has been awarded to eligible distillers to increase business capability and efficiency through investment and improvements in on-site infrastructure.
• Safety rebates are currently available. Refer to Available Funding.
• Spirits Victoria has benchmarked sustainability practices and environmental stewardship within the distilling industry, along with a toolkit that was developed to apply this to your individual facility.

4. Export capability

-This section provides information and resources for exporting distillers, including material specifically developed for the sector.

-This Agriculture Victoria Export Hub includes:

• An export readiness quiz
• Agri-food Export Essentials webinar series
• Victorian and Commonwealth export grants finders
• Market entry checklists and profiles for some key markets

-Under the Distillery Door Program, Agriculture Victoria, together with industry representatives, has commissioned work to better understand the needs of Victorian exporting distillers:

• A comprehensive survey of the Victorian distillery industry
• A detailed export report including a market prioritisation framework, and information on key markets for both prospective and mature exporters. See a summary of the export report. The full report is available to distillers by request to Spirits Victoria

-Victorian distillers have been able to access information and training via Agriculture Victoria’s Pathways to Export program (2020–2024). This includes:

• Austrade Go Global Toolkit Webinar for Distillers – see the toolkit at: Information, tools and support to grow your business globally
• Market and Pitch Development Webinar for Distillers, June 2024

-Victorian distiller Brunswick Aces is featured as an Agriculture Victoria exporter case study. Hear more about its export journey.

-For additional resources and information, see Agriculture Victoria’s full list of useful Export Programs for new and established exporters.