2023 Wisconsin Act 73 as of January 2024 Effective Dates Chart and Alcohol Beverage Legislation Chart with Effective Dates
Can a distillery become a member of the Badger State Winery Cooperative? Effective January 1, 2025, Winery Cooperative Wholesaler Permits will be expanded to include distilled spirits. The cooperative has already updated the bylaws to allow distillery membership at that time.
How can Badger State Winery Cooperative help my business?
BSWC is a means for small wineries to affordably enter the wholesale market. You have the flexibility of managing your own growth on your own terms. Average cost per case sold through the co-op is $4.00 based on a $100 wholesale case price.
Can I keep my current customers but have another distributor sell in other parts of the state?
Yes. However, all product must first be invoiced through the cooperative. 125.545(4) Wis. Stats. states that a winery “…may make its wine available for purchase by a retailer or another wholesaler only through the cooperative wholesaler of which it is a member. A member of a cooperative may not sell its wine directly to any other wholesaler or directly to a retailer.”
Vendor Account Registration and W9 requests:
The Badger Sate Co-op does not provide any services to Members other than holding the wholesale license and excise permit and reporting to the WI Department of Revenue. Co-op members act as agents on behalf of Badger State Co-op. You will need to complete any paperwork your vendors request. The treasurer can provide you with a copy of our W9 for you to sign and forward, if required by your vendor.
Application Questions:
What is the Small winery Certification Letter?
These are sent out by the Department of Revenue in April. If you have not been in business for a full year, please note this on your application and you can forward a copy of the certification to us the following April when you receive it.
What are AB-157 and AB-121?
If you have not yet filed these forms with the Wisconsin Depart of Revenue, please download, fill out, and submit them to the DOR. The cooperative needs a copy of the filled out AB-157 and either a copy of the permit application (AB-121) being sent to the DOR or a copy of your salesperson’s permit if you already have one.
Do I need I Wisconsin Direct Shipper License?
Yes. https://www.revenue.wi.gov/DOR%20Publications/3113WineryPermits.pdf
Invoice Questions:
Co-op Invoicing Instructions Download
How can I adjust an invoice?
Invoices can be edited for 24 hours after creation. If you need to adjust an older invoice, please void the old invoice by sliding the button for the invoice in the active column to inactive (voiding allowed by member within 7 days of creation), then create a new invoice. You can email info@badgerstatewinecoop.com to have an invoice voided if you are unable or it is too old.
What information does Benton Bank need to properly credit a payment?
1. The member winery being paid.
2. The invoice number(s) being paid.
3. The check amount must match the total(s) of the invoice(s) being paid.
If Benton Bank does not receive enough information, or the check amount does not match the invoice(s), they must return the check to the issuing vendor.
Benton Bank cannot make changes to invoices you have created, and they are not legally allowed to hold checks for several days pending resolution.
Some members choose to have payments written to Badger State Wine Co-op mailed to them and then the member winery forwards payments to Benton State Bank themselves WITH proper invoice stubs, in order to control the process and catch potential issues. If a vendor insists on ACH payment, it can be sent to the member, who would then forward a check to Benton Bank.
ACH Payments
Benton Bank cannot receive ACH payments for invoices. There is a lot of potential for the transaction to include errors or not enough information to apply it to the correct invoice. The bank needs to be able to return payments if they don’t match and they would have to reach a co-op representative to do so in a short timeframe every time this may happen, which is not feasible for the bank or the co-op. The workaround for this is for the member to receive ACH payments to their business account and then the member needs to cut a check to Benton Bank to run the payment through the co-op so the fees can be deducted and it can be reported on quarterly state reporting.
When will Benton Bank deposit my funds?
Benton Bank processes ACH transactions each Monday, which your bank should receive in 1-2 business days, for the invoices paid in the previous week. Payments will be delayed a day if Monday is a holiday.
Contact Information:
Badger State Winery Cooperative
Heather Kelly, Treasurer
8550 Greenway Blvd #406
Middleton, WI 53562
info@badgerstatewinecoop.com