From buffalorising.com
The The Niagara Frontier Food Terminal (NFFT) continues to impress, with yet another unique business being added to the mix. Wildflower Meadery is the latest enterprise to pop up at the Terminal, which is already home to numerous businesses and artists.
I spoke to Founder and Managing Member, Greg McNulty, about the new meadery that is scheduled to open at the end of February. McNulty told me that the idea for the meadery sprouted up in 2021 during the pandemic, which is when he and his partners procured a license. Then, in 2022 they began producing, with the goal of opening a meadery (tasting room).
McNulty told me that although he formerly worked in the restaurant industry, he was not versed in the making of mead. The idea for Wildflower Meadery came about when he was trying to create a product in a category that he liked, but that consumers might be relatively unfamiliar with. After talking to a number of mead makers and doing his homework (including watching plenty of YouTube videos), he felt as if he was ready to take the next step. The idea was to concentrate on dryer versions of mead, that are very much apart from the sweeter styles of mead that fans of the beverage might be accustomed to drinking.
Up to this point in time, McNulty and his partners have been busy experimenting with meads, and testing out the products to make sure that consumers like the product. For a revenue stream, they have been self distributing to places such as Fattey Beer Co. and The Beer Keep. They have also been selling online through a digital channel, and attending farmers’ markets in Lewiston and Kenmore, for example.
One thing that McNulty finds surprising is that their brand got picked up by a distributor in New York City that specializes in meads, hence they have become fairly well known downstate. Wildflower Meadery has been stealthily making a name for itself in Long Island, Brooklyn, and Queens, which is why McNulty and his partners felt that it was time to open up a dedicated tasting room in Buffalo. The goal is to “spread the word” in Western New York that there is a new hometown meadery that is making waves in the market.
Wildflower Meadery’s new 1000 SF tasting room at the Niagara Food Terminal will have a seating capacity for around 25 people. The hope is to eventually build out a larger tasting room with a full service kitchen. In the meantime, they will be offering up small plates such as charcuterie and nuts. The tasting room will also be a showcase for a number of products that are associated with their New York State Farm Meadery license, including bottled honey from local apiaries.
“One of our goals is to support the ecosystem that we live in,” McNulty told me. “That’s why we want to sell the NYS honey that is used to make the mead (from light and crisp to elegant and complex). We also want to do our part to make the Terminal a destination. We’re located right next to Château Buffalo, and across from The Nickel Plate. Since there are also artists at the Terminal, we are offering up our walls to hang art – artists can take home 100% of the profits from the works that they sell.”
McNulty is especially excited to have people stop by the meadery, to try different types of meads that, he feels, will change the way that they feel about the beverage. He’s convinced that everything that they know about mead will be turned upside down, as people discover the dryer varieties that are being served up at Wildflower Meadery.
Wildflower Meadery | The Niagara Frontier Food Terminal |1500 Clinton St Unit 167 | Buffalo, NY 14206 | 631-804-5239
https://www.buffalorising.com/2025/01/wildflower-meadery-niagara-food-terminal/
No comments:
Post a Comment