The brewery, which recently won ‘Best Drinks Producer’ at the BBC Food & Farming Awards, has purchased a state-of-the-art canning line from Italian packaging specialists CFT.
Up to 6,000 cans
The new equipment will allow the brewery to increase the sell-by dates on its canned beers from six to nine months, while packaging time has been drastically reduced. The brewery can now produce up to 6,000 cans per hour.
To match this investment, Wild Beer Co has overhauled the branding on its cans, bringing the overall look in line with its waxed 750ml bottles.
Three existing cans are immediately going into production: Bibble (a 4.2% ABV pale ale), Fresh (a 5,5% ABV pale ale) and Pogo (a 4.1% ABV pale with passionfruit and orange). These will be joined by two new cans ‘Yokai’ (a 4.5% ABV yuzu fruit beer) and a New England cloudy pale ale, which are slated for imminent release this winter.
The investment has been made in advance of the brewery’s proposed new £10m destination brewery, planning permission for which has recently been granted from Mendip Council.
'New canning line'
Co-founder Andrew Cooper said: "The new canning line is a vital investment for us. We have bought the purchase forward ahead of the new brewery so that we can maximise the benefits it brings to our packaged beer.
"Freshness, quality and consistency are vital and this new piece of kit allows us to maintain those high standards. The new design is also key as we aim to cut through the noise of a very busy market place with a clear, effective and contemporary message."