SENATOR BONACIC DELIVERS REMARKS ON BEHALF OF THE SENATE AT THE NY STATE WINE, BEER, SPIRITS AND CIDER SUMMIT

Senator  Bonacic  participated in the New York State Wine, Beer, Spirits, and Cider Summit, hosted by Governor Andrew Cuomo, yesteraday in Albany, and delivered remarks on behalf of the New York State Senate, to the hundreds of industry leaders, state government officials, agency commissioners, agriculture officials and invited guests at the gathering. The summit, the third hosted since 2012, brings together leaders from the burgeoning beverage industry, agricultural professionals, and state policy makers to discuss ways in which government, and the private sector can work together to continue to grow NY’s beverage industry, and expand opportunities for entrepreneurs to get involved. New York State is home to more than 800 wineries, breweries, distilleries and cideries, and has an impact of $27 billion to the state’s economy. The beverage industry has grown exponentially in the last few years, with the number of wineries increasing by 60% since 2011, the number of micro-breweries increasing by 198% since 2011, and cider production has grown to the point that 16 new cideries have opened in NY since January of 2014, bringing the total to 35 statewide.

Pictured L-R, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Richard Ball, Director of State Operations, Jim Malatras, Governor of the State of New York, Andrew M. Cuomo, Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York, Kathy Hochul, Senator Bonacic, and New York State Assemblyman William Magee.