MIDDLEBURY, Vt.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Northeast Drinks Group LLC (“Northeast Drinks Group” or “NDG”) a privately owned holding company, today announces a new canning line investment which dramatically increases capacity for branded and co-packing volumes at Green Mountain Beverage (“Green Mountain Beverage” or “GMB”). A division of Vermont Cider Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of NDG, Green Mountain Beverage is a leading manufacturer and co-packing facility for canned, kegged, or bottled (RTD, FMB, cider, beer, wine) alcoholic and specialty non-alcoholic beverages.
This investment increases GMB’s canning from 100 to 600 cans per minute adding 5mm cases of available capacity for existing brands and future CoPack customers. The new line features a KHS filler, Angelus Seamer, and BWIS material handling and packaging systems. It will run the suite of 202 LOE ends including 12oz sleek and 12, 16, and 19.2oz standard bodies. Full-wrapped cartons, tray shrink, and variety pack options will be available. The line has already been ordered with a January 2022 installation date.
COO Ben Calvi is excited to be expanding capabilities and offerings at GMB. “Pack-type swings from bottles to cans has swept through the entire beverage space, including our flagship brand, Woodchuck Hard Cider, which celebrates its 30-year anniversary this year. When we built our new facility six years ago, we had excess glass and keg capacity and began offering end-to-end service to CoPack customers with the highest level of knowledge and expertise. We are proud of our SQF-2, 98-rated facility and our robust safety and quality programs. Yet, as can trends accelerated, we quickly ran out of capacity. This investment will now unlock these services to both existing and new CoPack customers and foster growth in our own branded cans.”
“We’re thrilled to be making this investment into Green Mountain Beverage. The new canning line will allow us to meet the growing demand for our branded volumes while creating additional capacity for our current and future co-packing customers. It is no secret that both alcoholic and non-alcoholic RTDs are one of the fastest growing categories in the beverage space and this expansion will allow us to further develop long-term relationships with leading brands,” says David Mandler of Northeast Drinks Group.
News of the canning line expansion comes on the heels of NDG purchasing Vermont Cider Company in April, which includes Woodchuck, the iconic hard cider, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, along with the rest of the portfolio of award-winning brands.
About Green Mountain Beverage
With over 30 Years of beverage manufacturing, end-to-end contract production and packaging services, competitive pricing, and industry-leading expertise, Green Mountain Beverage is uniquely positioned to meet your needs for quality, scalability, and production capacity for canned, kegged, or bottled (RTD, FMB, cider, beer, wine) alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. For additional information please visit www.gmbeverage.com.
About Northeast Drinks Group
Northeast Drinks Group LLC is a privately owned holding company comprised of members originally from the Northeast that have experience across the beverage sector. Vermont Cider Company and Green Mountain Beverage are wholly owned subsidiaries of NDG. For additional information please visit www.ne-dg.com.
