LOUISVILLE, Colo. — The craft brewing industry’s shift to carry-out sales during the novel coronavirus COVID-19 crisis has reshaped the manufacturing model for Wild Goose Filling, designer of craft beverage canning and bottling systems. Due to high demand, the company has expedited builds of its WGC-50 and newly launched Gosling systems to help brewers get beer from kegs or tanks into any sized cans.
Stay-at-home orders and on-premise restrictions across the country have forced breweries to halt taproom draft operations and switch to delivery and to-go formats instead. As the Brewers Association advises craft breweries to pivot sales models, brewers are looking for ways to help their businesses weather the crisis.
For craft brewers who have never depended exclusively on carry-out sales, the pandemic has left many struggling to get all of their beers into customer hands quickly and affordably. “A lot of breweries contacting us have said selling product to-go is the only way their business can get through the crisis,” said Chris Fergen, CEO of Wild Goose Filling. The company has seen a sharp rise in requests for its most flexible, smallest volume canning machines in the past two weeks.
“We’ve added urgent manufacturing capacity and accelerated production of our WGC-50 and Gosling systems to get machines out quickly to those who need them,” said Fergen. Through Wild Goose’s partnership with CanSource, customers have reliable access to a wide range of can sizes and packaging supplies in low-minimum order quantities on short notice. Wild Goose has also introduced a variety of financing options to support brewers with limited cash flow.
Wild Goose launched the compact Gosling system in February, before the coronavirus crisis took hold in the US. The company has since expanded their original manufacturing schedule to accommodate increasing and urgent requests. The automated Gosling offers professional canning at a price point suited for small brewers and can be built for any can size on the market.
The WGC-50, Wild Goose’s small semi-automated canning machine, easily accommodates virtually any height can. From initial machine order until high-quality sellable cans, Fergen said it’s just a matter of weeks on Wild Goose’s expedited schedule.
Brewers can contact Wild Goose Filling to help plan the most affordable beer-to-go approach for their brewery. Wild Goose’s support and sales teams have remained available by phone and email across the world during the crisis.
For more information, visit www.WildGooseFilling.com.
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