Craft Cider Canning: In House or Contract Out?

When you’re starting a new cider brand or company, questions around whether or not you should package the product yourself or contract out to a beverage manufacturer are often at the forefront of business decisions. There are benefits and limitations to each option, with the ultimate ideal solution dependant on your business model and set up.

In house canning:

Opting to can craft cider yourself will require the ability and capital to purchase canning equipment. The benefits of owning your own craft cider canning equipment are that you can control your packaging schedule and have more flexibility to meet demand on short notice. However, if you’re new to craft cider canning, operating the machinery at optimal efficiency can be challenging.

Mobile craft cider canning options are available to hire, which can be a good solution as they come to your facility on the days you book them, and the experts operate the machinery alongside some of your own staff.

Contract canning:

Another solution to craft cider canning is contract canning which means your product is packaged by a third-party expert craft cider canning company.

The benefit of contract canning is that there is no need for a huge capital outlay to get the brand started and that experts in canning equipment are packaging your product for you. However, anticipating demand will be imperative to ensure you book space on the contract canning companies’ craft cider canning line.

Contract manufacturers are often in high demand which makes organisations surrounding obtaining a place on their schedule imperative. Some contract manufacturers are also experts in craft cider production which may enable you to provide a recipe and desired specifications to the company who can produce your product including the liquid, as well as package it in your desired format.

Idyll Wine Co are experts in craft cider canning contract manufacturing – including liquid production and packaging. Contact us today for more information.