![]() |
Matt Neilson (left) and his dad Denny point to the shipment of Buster's kosher-for-Passover lemonades heading to the U.S. |
Neilson
and his family immigrated to Israel from California via Tennessee around 16 years ago,
and shortly afterwards he began to make beer and wine, and teach home-brewing
and wine-making at his home in Mevasserat Zion. Today, he runs Buster's with his son Matt,
who is responsible for sales and marketing.
"Tourists
often asked us if we export," continues Neilson. "Although we've been thinking about if for
a long time, we have not solicited exporters.
I've always believed that we would start when the right person walked
through our doors."
Well,
that happened about six months ago. Some
ultra-Orthodox visitors arrived at the brewery whose import agency, Red Garden, distributed to bottle shops in Brooklyn and Teaneck, NJ – and to stores in
five other states.
![]() |
Denny Neilson of the Buster's Beverage Co. toasts the export deal with Buster's Beer: NOT kosher-for-Passover, NOT going to America. |
"They
loved our three varieties of apple cider and our two hard lemonades,"
Neilson proudly states. "And they
were even more excited to hear that all of those drinks could be certified
kosher-for-Passover."
Even though Buster's is under the kosher supervision of two Israeli rabbinical authorities, the visitors wanted to examine the facilities for themselves before deciding to purchase any of the beverages.
"This led to a return visit with five rabbis from America," Neilson continues. "They checked out every inch of our brewery and asked the right questions. In the end, they agreed to accept our ciders and lemonades as kosher-for-Passover, and they placed a large order to be shipped to their stores in America."
Neilson explained to me that the window for producing the kosher-for-Passover drinks is very narrow. All traces of the beer that is also brewed in the building have to be cleaned out before work can begin on the Passover products.
Neilson explained to me that the window for producing the kosher-for-Passover drinks is very narrow. All traces of the beer that is also brewed in the building have to be cleaned out before work can begin on the Passover products.
"We
have a little over two months to complete all of our Passover production,"
Neilson says.
Twenty-five-thousand
bottles were packed and sent to America in two shipments. Neilson, his son Matt and the entire crew
worked day and night to get them ready.
The first shipment had about 8,000 bottles of all the ciders and
lemonades not kosher-for-Passover, for sale before the holiday. The second shipment sailed about a month-and-a-half
before Passover, and contained 17,000 bottles of the kosher-for-Passover
lemonades.
Even
though the production for export took up a lot of time, Buster's is not ignoring
the local market by any means. "We
have taken steps this year," Neilson adds, "to ensure that there are
enough bottles of cider and lemonade for everyone in Israel who wants to enjoy
these drinks on Passover."
Five
different Buster's beverages were prepared for Passover for the local market
and for the export project:
Dry
Apple Cider – 6.7% alcohol; dry and tart, English-style cider.
Sweet
Apple Cider – 4.8 %; no added sugar.
Spiced
Apple Cider – 4.8%; with honey, cinnamon and cloves.
Classic
Lemonade – 5%; made with sour, fresh lemons.
Pink
Lemonade – 5%; with cranberries.
The
lemonades are now being sold in the following stores:
NEW
YORK / NEW JERSEY
BROOKLYN
Moshke's Wines & Spirit
13th Ave
Moshke's Wines & Spirit
13th Ave
Noshers
4312 15 Ave
4312 15 Ave
Kiddush Kup
16th Ave
16th Ave
L'chaim Kosher Wine & Spirits
Roebling St
718.599.0074
Roebling St
718.599.0074
The Wine Barrel
16th Ave
16th Ave
Yossis Wine & Liquor
18th Ave
18th Ave
Hagefen
13th Ave
13th Ave
Liquors Galore.
1212 Avenue J
1212 Avenue J
MB Vineyards
3012 Avenue J
3012 Avenue J
Orlander Liquor
1715 Avenue M
1715 Avenue M
QUEENS
Hakerem Wine & Liquor
Hakerem Wine & Liquor
Suhag Liquors
69-30 Main Street
69-30 Main Street
MANHATTAN
Gotham Wines
2517 Broadway 94th St.
Gotham Wines
2517 Broadway 94th St.
MONSEY
Monsey Wine & Liquor
24 Orchard Street
Monsey Wine & Liquor
24 Orchard Street
Wine on 59
421 Route 59, Pavilion III
421 Route 59, Pavilion III
BRONX
Skyview Liquor Store
5681 Riverdale Ave
Skyview Liquor Store
5681 Riverdale Ave
FIVE TOWNS
Chateau De Vin
_____________________________________________
NEW JERSEY - NORTH
Chateau De Vin
_____________________________________________
NEW JERSEY - NORTH
FillerUp Kosher Wines
174 West Englewood Ave., Teaneck
201.862.1700
174 West Englewood Ave., Teaneck
201.862.1700
NEW JERSEY - CENTRAL
Lakewood Liquor
1700 Madison Ave
1700 Madison Ave
Bourbon Scotch & Beer
1721 Madison Avenue
1721 Madison Avenue
Spirits Unlimited (River Avenue)
The VineYard
104 Hillside Boulevard
104 Hillside Boulevard
Victory Wines & Liquors
Wine Academy Lakewood
Wine on the Nine
"This
deal opened up my eyes to how important export is," claims Neilson. "It's a tangible connection between
Israel and Jews in the Diaspora. We're
very happy to bring a little bit of Passover 'cheer' to our brothers and
sisters in America."
[A similar version of this article
has appeared in The Jerusalem Post.]
has appeared in The Jerusalem Post.]