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» PackagingPackaging which takes a look at the many different aspects of packaging beverages including packaging equipment, proper service and maintenance, sanitation considerations, types of packaging systems and more.
Palmer Beverage Systems provides complete can packaging Solutions for 30-300 CPM true counter pressure options with in-line or rotary filler/seamers, labeling, warming, & pasteurization tunnels.
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Ball Corporation, the world’s largest manufacturer of beverage cans, announced a 10% drop in volumes in the North and Central America regions due to the dramatic decline in Bud Light sales and slower beer sales overall.
Innovation in packaging has changed as the beer industry evolved. First it was simple packaging that did not leak, then it was tighter seals and ways to fill and transport. The materials became lighter and more robust. Shapes evolved, and manufacturers found ways to make everything run faster and smoother while delivering a usable customer experience.
Ireland-based Bevcraft Group, which specializes in canning solutions for craft beverage makers throughout much of Europe, has made a move into the U.S. by acquiring the mobile canning business of Tripod Canning in New Jersey. It is another indication of the growing consolidation within the allied trade industry serving the craft brewing business.
Taking a page from wineries and distilleries, some breweries are now offering customers the experience of hand selecting beer from a barrel (or barrels) to create a custom blend and then have it bottled.
As draft beer comes back to life following the pandemic and brewers look to get their beer to a wider swath of customers kegs have come back into focus.
To own your own stainless or to rent come a company is a question many ask. Justin Meier, the senior vice president of sales for Keg Logistics answers some questions on the topic.
Mobile canning has never been more popular in beer and with a competitive marketplace, flexible schedules, and the ability to save on equipment there are a lot of reasons breweries choose to hire an outside company.
There are advantages to installing your own canning system and as Roxanne Gorham of Codi Craft Canning Systems explains, space is no longer an issue.
The pandemic taught breweries the importance of diversifying their revenue streams and highlighted consumer interest in taking the party home with them. In addition to four and six packs of beer to go, breweries often offer crowlers and even the old standby growlers. We spoke with draft beer expert Neil Witte, the Associate Director of Exams at Cicerone and the owner of Craft Quality Solutions, a consulting and draft services business in Kansas City, about best practices for packaging beer to go.
There is no better business model than selling the beer you brew over your own bar. If you are a relatively small operation, that model is now tried and true but it comes with substantial limitations. Recent years, including a pandemic that shut down tap rooms around the country, have taught small and medium sized breweries that it is wise to diversify their revenue streams. Let’s take a look at when it makes sense to consider hiring a mobile canning service to help grow your business.
Variety packs have been a long-time staple in beer, giving a brewery a chance to offer up multiple beers in one handy pack that, as the name suggests, offers a range of styles and flavors. A stroll through beer stores will reveal that breweries of all sizes are embracing the multi-beer format.
To get deeper insight into one breweries thinking behind releasing a variety pack All About Beer editor John Holl spoke with Cape May Brewing Company Director of Sales Josh Havey.
The widespread nature of COVID-19 that began three years ago introduced the concept of “pivoting” for small businesses that needed to grapple with a rapidly changed world. For brewers this widely meant the closure of taprooms and the loss of draft accounts and the change to curbside pickup, home delivery, and extra canning.
The pandemic also allowed for some breweries to embrace long-simmering ideas that were always backburnered. This was true for Brett Smith the Head Brewer at Branch and Bone Artisan Ales in Dayton, Ohio.
Last year there was an uproar and worry when Ball Corp announced that it was increasing the minimum order on printed cans. There has also been concern that many of the vinyl stickers going on blank cans are mucking up the recycling stream. As brewers look for ways to get cans in front of customers and many are looking for eco-friendly options, a relatively new technology has emerged that provides on-demand printing on a small scale, allowing brewers to only order what they need.
Crowler™ canning started as a practical solution to offer to-go beer without many of the issues of glass growler. The bottles are big and heavy, tough to clean, and once opened the entire 64oz needs to be completely consumed. Cans weigh almost nothing, arrive at the taproom beer-gunk free, and offer many packaging size options. On top of that, by taking the right steps, cans offer the potential for maintaining the quality of the beer longer. To get a feel for how long that can be, watch a typical canning line run and take note of the steps involved.
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Every brewer knows the importance of a good label. How you market and display your products can make all the difference for a customer looking through a store’s coolers.
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It turns out that cool label on an IPA might actually be a contaminate for the recycling stream.
Over the last two years as draft beer sales have fluctuated around the country, smaller breweries have been scrambling to keep up with packaged offerings, mostly in the form of cans.
Of course, this has led to reports of can shortages and news that some of the manufacturers are working around the clock at existing plants and even building new ones to keep up with a demand that is likely to continue into the future.
The social media posts were simple but eye catching. Familiar cans of Heady Topper, the flagship beer of The Alchemist, in a group of four, and bounded together by a plant-based can holder.
For the Vermont brewery, the switch to compostable packaging from the familiar plastic snap-on holders signaled yet another step in the company’s sustainability efforts. As brewers continue to think about the effects of climate change, waste, and renewable resources, they are looking for alternatives to the norm.
Ball Corp. announced yesterday that it will close its St Paul, Minnesota and Phoenix, Arizona can manufacturing plants and delay the construction of a new facility in Nevada.
In a press release detailing second quarter 2022 financial results, the company said the closures were in “response to the deceleration in customer demand late in the second quarter.”
Shares of Ball Corp. plunged after the company posted a loss for its latest quarter and announced the closure of the two plants.
Carlsberg Group has revealed the trial of a new non-glass “bottle,” made from wood fiber and a plant-based lining.
The bottle is 100% bio-based apart from the cap, which is currently needed to ensure the quality of the product, and together the bottle and cap are fully recyclable. The company is also exploring alternative fiber-based bottle caps.
The new trail bottle is set to be sampled to 8,000 consumers across eight pilot markets in Western Europe.
American Canning has opened a second shrink-sleeve line in their canning plant which will increase their capacity and ability to service craft beverage producers needing cans at lower minimum quantity orders.
The supply of cans for craft brewers has been stressed in recent months due to a number of factors. Cans now make up over 74% of all beer sold in the US, up from 58% 10 years ago.
VP of Operations at American Canning, Russ Spooner, said, “Our company is here to serve the small- to mid-sized craft beverage makers, and sleeving is one of the most valuable options for them to get their brand out there. It’s part of who we are.”
The buying frenzy continues as Reyes Beer Division announced last week that it is buying the Sonoma and Marin County division of Columbia Distributing in Northern California.
Columbia, based out of Portland, Oregon, carries a wide range of craft brands in addition to the Reyes-sought-after Constellation portfolio. Columbia has made a number of acquisitions throughout the state of Constellation distributors, leading to speculation that its goal is to be the statewide wholesaler of the Constellation line.
More on the story here.
Craft Collective, an independent craft beverage distributor serving Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine, has announced the expansion of its service area to Vermont in conjunction with a new, local distribution partnership with Vermont Beer Makers.
The Springfield, VT-based brewery has worked with Craft Collective since 2020. Vermont Beer Makers is now poised for growth in their home market with the support of Craft Collective’s experienced team and distribution infrastructure.
Vermont Beer Makers, formerly known as Trout River Brewing Co., is one of 10 original Vermont craft breweries still in operation today.