SBA 7(a) Brewery, Winery and Distillery Feasibility Study in Maryland

Scale of Maryland brewery, winery or distillery lending

SBA lists 45 SBA 7(a) loans to breweries, wineries and distilleries in Maryland between FY2017 and FY2026, with $21.3 million in gross dollars approved in Maryland. $250,000 is the Maryland median, and the middle half of breweries, wineries and distilleries loans stretches from $75,000 to $425,000. Against the national breweries, wineries and distilleries median under SBA 7(a), the Maryland median stands at 1.00x, level with the national figure for breweries, wineries and distilleries in Maryland. The franchise share is 0.00%; owners of Maryland breweries, wineries and distilleries operate independently.

Measured by loan count, breweries, wineries and distilleries under SBA 7(a) put Maryland at rank 23 nationally and the class at 14 of 39 in Maryland. Maryland breweries, wineries and distilleries reached their top year in FY2017 with 14 loans and $3.7 million, and FY2026 lists 5 loans worth $755,000. Maryland's craft beverage loans under 7(a) fund equipment, building improvements and the working capital that aging requires, and this cell shows the program alone.

The largest holder SBA shows for this Maryland cell is Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company, with 28 loans and $7.0 million. For 45 Maryland loans, Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company leads SBA's Maryland holders; each holds or held breweries, wineries and distilleries loans, none endorsed. By area, Baltimore City leads with 10 loans, then Baltimore with 8 and Montgomery with 5. Smaller counts appear in Carroll 4, Anne Arundel 3 and Frederick 3.

Cancellation and loss figures for Maryland breweries, wineries and distilleries

Across FY2017 to FY2024 approvals in Maryland, 5.1% as the least that was cancelled; with undisbursed loans counted as cancelled, the Maryland ceiling stays at 5.1%. The loss side is blank: the Maryland funded cohort is too small, leaving losses unknown. SBA files a Maryland borrower under a producer's code for beer, wine or spirits, which leaves taproom, tasting-room and event income unmeasured. Only loans in SBA's Maryland files appear.

Testing a Maryland craft beverage project

Capacity and the route to market are different questions, so the study should show how much the plant near Baltimore City can make and who will buy it. Tanks, stills and packaging lines are the heavy cost, and a loan near $250,000 needs a quoted equipment list. Distribution rules shape revenue, since distributor, direct and taproom sales earn different margins. Aging ties up cash before anything is sold, so working capital for the first batches belongs in the forecast. Specialized equipment is hard to sell, so an appraiser values it apart from the building, with a deep discount.