Pilot Canning & Small-Batch Drinks Production
Real cans. Real feedback. Real fast.
Our Scale-Up Centre produces commercial quality cans and bottles of everything from sparkling sodas and functional drinks to RTD cocktails and seltzers, using the same processes as full-scale factories.
With our new automated canning line, you get bigger runs, quicker, from just 150 cans per flavour. That’s real product, ready for consumer testing, trade shows, retailer pitches and investor meetings.
Why do a Pilot Run?
Before committing to a full production run with a manufacturer, a pilot run gives you, and your future manufacturer, the confidence that your drink can be made consistently, efficiently and to the right quality.
A pilot run allows you to:
- Get real, finished product into the hands of customers, buyers and investors
- Gather feedback and refine your recipe before producing at scale
- Fine-tune the production process and set quality targets and tolerances
- Approach manufacturers with a proven recipe and the technical information they need
Many contract manufacturers prefer to onboard brands that have robust, tested recipes with processing data, as it gives them confidence they can make your product effectively and at the right cost.
What We Offer
- New automated canning line: 250ml slimline and 330ml cans, plus any can size from 150ml to 500ml
- Low minimums: from 150 cans per flavour, up to 2,000 for carbonated drinks
- Glass bottles: from 150 to 1000 per flavour
- Carbonated drinks can be filled into cans or glass bottles. Still drinks can be filled into glass bottles only
- Controlled mixing, carbonation and pasteurisation that mirror factory production
- Quality testing and microbiological clearance on every run
- Wrap-around label application, or we can fill your printed cans
- Packed, palletised and delivered to your chosen address
Pilot runs from £950 + VAT.
How it Works...
- Tell us about your drink: share your recipe, quantities and timings, and we’ll send over a clear quote.
- Recipe check: if your recipe was developed elsewhere, we’ll review your batch sheet and a sample to make sure it’s ready to run on our line.
- Book your production date: choose a slot that suits your launch plans, and we’ll plan your timeline around it.
- Send us your materials: ingredients, labels or printed cans need to be with us one week before production.
- We produce your run: your drinks are mixed, filled, pasteurised, quality checked, packed and delivered to your chosen address.
- Ready to scale: once you’ve tested your drinks, we can introduce you to the right manufacturer for your first full production run.
Development and production under one roof
Most facilities only offer one or the other. We develop your recipe in our development kitchen and then produce it in our own Scale-Up Centre, so your drink moves seamlessly from development into production with the same team. When you’re ready to scale, we’ll introduce you to the right manufacturer.
FAQs
- What’s the minimum run? Our runs start from just 150 units per flavour. We can produce up to 2,000 cans per flavour, and up to 1,000 glass bottles per flavour.
- What formats can you fill? We fill aluminium cans from 150ml to 500ml, glass bottles from shot size up to 1 litre with screw or crown caps, and spouted pouches.
- Can you produce a recipe that was developed elsewhere? Yes, we’ll just need your batch sheet, full technical specifications (including Brix, pH and carbonation level), any specific processing requirements, allergen information, plus a reference sample of the finished drink.
- Can you produce alcoholic drinks? Yes, we can handle alcohol.
- Is there anything you can’t produce? We can’t currently produce milk-based drinks, fill plastic bottles or offer nitrogen dosing for still canned drinks.
- Can you fill printed cans, or do I need labels? Both. We can fill your printed cans, or apply wrap-around labels to plain cans, and we’re happy to introduce you to trusted printers and label suppliers.
- What shelf life will my drinks have? We provide a theoretical shelf life based on your recipe and pH, and can arrange accelerated shelf-life testing through a UKAS-accredited laboratory if you need lab-verified results.
- How will my drinks be packed and delivered? Your drinks are packed into blank cases, palletised and delivered to your chosen address, with delivery charged separately.
Let's talk about your product.
We would love to hold a free 30 minute call to discuss your exciting idea.